Can You Bring iPhone in Sauna. It’s Not Recommended

Apple introduced water resistant iPhones back in 2016 with the iPhone 7 model. While these models surely improved over the year and gotten better at surviving water, many people still question how iPhones and water go together. and more specifically, they ask if they can bring their iPhone into the sauna with them.

So, can you bring iPhone in Sauna? YES, you can, but we don’t really recommend it. While iPhones are water resistant, the high humidity and heat inside saunas can cause issues with the moisture sensors inside your device, also, after some wear and tear, the device might not be as resistant to water as with a brand new device. Lastly, apple doesn’t give warranty to water damage at all.

In this article, we will explain why you should not bring your iPhone, or any other phone into the sauna with you ( at least not for more than a minute or so )

Can I bring my phone in a sauna – why it’s not recommended

As you may know, apple watches are water resistant, and they work great, and since 2016, apple wanted to make the iPhones water proof too, and with the iPhone 7, they started making them this way, to the delight of many.

However, like many things in life, just because the manufacturer says it’s safe to do something, doesn’t mean you should.

The way water resistant devices works is exactly how you think it works. Manufacturers simply use a type of powerful glue to stick the pieces together, and they also use rubber gaskets around any ports and areas where they feel water might come in.

They also use silicone boots around buttons and other things of that nature to make sure that even if you throw your device into a pool, water will mostly no come inside and ruin the device.

But you should really take these recommendations with a grain of salt, and not really test it to the limit.

Also, you should know that they test water resistance with perfect condition devices, meaning that if you own your device for a while, and it has wear and tear, it will probably won’t handle water like a fresh new device.

You might heard of the term IP rating, which is a way of measuring how good electronic devices handle water, let’s see the iPhone models and their ratings

iPhone models and IP ratings

As mentioned above, the IP rating is a way of measuring how resistant a device is to dirt and water. For example a IP rating of IP68 means that a device can stay under water for up to 30 minutes with a maximum depth of 6 meters.

NOTE – these tests are performed with prefect condition devices. Not your everyday phone that has been in use for a few months or even years.

Let’s see the different iPhone models and their ratings:

iPhone modelIP ratingType of protection
iPhone 7IP67Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for 15 minutes and in depth of 150mm to 1,000mm
iPhone 7 plusIP67Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for 15 minutes and in depth of 150mm to 1,000mm
iPhone 8IP67Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for 15 minutes and in depth of 150mm to 1,000mm
iPhone 8 plusIP67Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for 15 minutes and in depth of 150mm to 1,000mm
iPhone XIP67Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for 15 minutes and in depth of 150mm to 1,000mm
iPhone XRIP67Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for continues, meaning it can stay inside water.
iPhone XS and XS MaxIP68Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for continues, meaning it can stay inside water.
iPhone 11 modelsIP68Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for continues, meaning it can stay inside water.
iPhone 12 modelsIP68Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for continues, meaning it can stay inside water.
Iphone SEIP67Water Resistant, Dust, Splash for 15 minutes and in depth of 150mm to 1,000mm

Brief IP rating explanation

IP stands for Ingress Protection. It mainly covers water, dust and splash and for a phone model to get a rating, it needs to pass multiple tests. Once they run every test, they model will get an IP rating based on the performance , hence you get different numbers with every model.

The rating for phones usually come with IP67 or IP68 and they also include the type of protection it covers. It’s best to know which protection your device has, in general.

Here are the different protection types for your reference:

  • IP65 – IP rating for ” dust tight ” which means protection against water projection from a nozzle.
  • IP66 – IP rating for ” Dust tight ” which means protection against heavy seas or powerful jets of water
  • IP67 – IP rating for ” Dust tight ” which means protection against immersion. Usually means for 30 minutes and up to 150mm to 1,000mm
  • IP68 – IP rating for ” Dust tight ” which means protection against continues water sumbersion.

Is water damage covered in apple warranty

NO, water damage is not covered in your apple warranty, when you get a new iPhone and you just click accept quickly to all their terms and conditions, you also accept that apple will NOT cover your iPhone in case of water damage.

Why? Because apple knows just as you do ( or better ) that the IP ratings is for lab testing only, with new phones fresh out of the factory. There is no way they can guarantee the protection of a device that has been in use for let’s say a full year, and probably fell to the floor, got knocked around and more.

This means that normal wear and tear causes the water resistant features to decline, and decline fast. People have reported that their devices were ruined after falling into water, and some after even just getting very little water on them.

So just know this before you think your iPhone is safe inside water or even around water.

FAQ

How can I know my device IP rating?

We included a table with all the IP ratings based on the iPhone model above. If you want you can also check out the list on the apple help website here

Why older devices are not water resistant?

Simply put, the technology was not there yet. Sure, we had water resistant walkmens, but an iPhone is a much more delicate device and apple didn’t develop the items needed to protect their devices until 2016

If I drop my iPhone in water, will it be ruined for sure?

Not necessarily, while the IP rating is not a full proof system. If your phone is in good condition and you drop it in water just for a second, there is a chance it will not be hurt, but this is not something we recommend on trying or testing.

What about other liquids?

The rating and testing are usually done for water, dust and dirt, they do not test for things like coffee and other liquids, so it’s possible the phone will not survive if you drop it in a bucket of coffee for example.

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About the Author: Adam Wishmore

Adam Wishmore is an apple geek, there is no other way of putting it. Since the first generation iPhone hit the market to the latest Macbook pro, Adam knows everything there is and how to fix everything on apple devices. Find me on Facebook