How can water get into my iPhone 7+?

The iPhone 7+ has an IPX67 which means it can withstand submersion in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. If the phone goes deeper than this, the water pressure might break the seal which would allow water to get inside the phone. The seal could also be broken if you or any 3rd party besides Apple has opened the phone.

If you happen to have AppleCare+, you can get a OOW (out of warranty) replacement for $99. Otherwise the OOW replacement cost is $349 for the iPhone 7+.

Correct. In a lab, to test pressure the water puts on the phone while not moving, in a tube. You jumping in a pool, throwing it, etc, adds velocity to the mix. The idea of the rating is to give an idea of just how much water pressure will the phone be able to support at most.

A 50m rating is not a strong rating. As an example, I scuba dive. I dive frequently to 50m depth. I would not take my phone to that depth. My dive watch is rated to 1000atm (about 3000'). Even if I don't go to that depth, it's the rating that is required to even consider going to 60m!

Better understanding the rating, and the intended use of the devices helps. What I believe likely happened, is the phone entered the water with some speed, exceeding the maximum pressure it could handle.

I regularly take my 7+ in the shower for music and to the pool. Never for a long time, and always slowly entering the water. It's meant to protect from accidentally entering water really. But accidents being accidents... it may mean it still gets broken/damaged.

Get a real water proof case for diving if you want to play around bodies of water with the phone with you. There's a few out there worth looking into.

All models starting from the iPhone 7/7+ are supposed to be water resistant, but there is no guarantee. Normal wear can reduce the water resistance.

About splash, water, and dust resistance of iPhone 7 and later - Apple Support

Your iPhone is splash, water, and dust resistant and was tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP67 under IEC standard 60529. Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions, and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Liquid damage is not covered under warranty.

I understand that the when Apple performs a glass or battery replacement, they will use a special test rig to determine that it's been done correctly and is water resistant to the factory standard. Or at least that's what an Apple Store employee told me when I asked what's so special about their battery replacement service.

One of the reasons it’s not guaranteed is because of the way the standards are tested. The IP67 rating is based on a very controlled testing in laboratory pure water. Not pool water, not sea water, not a muddy puddle with unknowns dissolved in it. That’s why it’s usually referred to as a splash or mild exposure resistance rating, not a deliberate, or accidental whole immersion resistance.

Apple also cannot know the use and treatment of the device over time. Some people, as many posts here attest to, are much harder on their devices than others. Some are outright reckless and careless with them.

I’m not saying the OP was reckless nor careless, but just that the caveat to an IP67 rated device that water damage voids warranty is not at all unique to Apple. Samsung, LG and others have also refused warranty on their IP67 devices when the damage was caused by water.

Even dive watches are not rated as “water proof”. They are rated to a given resistance to water intrusion under pressure. They cover themselves by applying a very large margin of safety - e.g. a dive watch rated to 100 atmospheres (~3300 ft. seawater) when no SCUBA diver is going to see greater than around 3 atmospheres at most.

That simple table of IP ratings is only part of the story though. Those are the IEC reference standards. Some end products must meet them explicitly to earn their rating. Many do not and the IEC rating rules allow for end products specifications to be modified while still earning the rating - e.g. Apple’s caveat in their specs about being splash resistant.

And again, the testing is done with laboratory clean, fresh water only. People read far too much into these voluntary industry standards. If you do really understand them, then you know that they cannot be interpreted literally from just the code reference standard.

The actual IEC60529 reference (Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP code)) is a 200+ page long document, detailing all sorts of options, caveats and other end product exceptions to the base laboratory reference standard.

Electronic device enclosures actually designed for full immersion typically come with a pressure or depth rating, not an IP code rating - immersion testing actually follows a different IEC rating reference.

Hi

Your iPhone 7 is water resistant NOT water proof!

Make an appointment at Apple store For an out of warranty replacement you will need to pay part of the cost.

Cheers

Brian 🇬-1F1E7;

Hi

Iphone is water resistant NOT water proof!

Make an appointment at Apple store For an out of warranty replacement you will need to pay part of the cost.

Cheers

Brian 🇬-1F1E7;

Csound1 wrote:

Water resistant is not Water proof

It depends. Apple says their phones' "water resistance" meets the IP67 (ingress protection) standard from the factory, which should theoretically protect against immersion in water. They don't guarantee it like watchmakers do. Apple even has some 50M water resistant devices that you can swim with, but not an iPhone. I haven't tested it out before, although I've used my iPhone 7 in some pretty heavy rain. My biggest worry would be getting chlorinated water in the Lightning port.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/what-is-ip68-ip-ratings-explained-2947135

7 – The second digit provides certification for water resistance. For our purposes, this is the important bit.

A 7 rating ensures “ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1m of submersion)” according to the IEC.

While a 7 rating guarantees protection for up to 30 minutes. The Samsung Galaxy S8 received an 8 certification for water resistance, meaning it can be underwater for 30 minutes at depths of up to 1.5m.

** ** **

In theory, the iPhone 7 can be submerged in depths of under 1m for 30 minutes and not sustain any permanent damage.

if you have an AppleCare+ extended warranty you can use two instances of accidental damage for a reduced cost of repair. If you do not purchase an extended warranty then any accidental or intention damage is not covered and repair cost will be out of pocket.

Water resistant is not Water proof

If your local Apple people will not accept your statement you have another option, your local consumer rights services.

I do sympathize but proving how deep the pool was at any given time will not be easy. And in addition, how is anyone to know if the actual act of dropping it didn't help cause the water penetration. (Was the bottom of the pool concrete for example?)

If you have personal insurance, it is probably your best option.

It only takes a millisecond for water to 'get in'. 20 seconds is a long time and I am not surprised that water entered the phone.

Do you have a question?

Csound1 wrote:

Apple do everything 'in theory'. In practice, immersion in water is a bad thing, as time spent in this forum will attest.

A selling point without a guarantee. Just like "anti-reflective" or "oleophobic".