Using a waterproof phone - Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers

(ALERT: Dumb question coming up!)
Hi,
So I've made my switch from iPhone 6 to S8 and have never used a waterproof phone before.
I wanted to ask if there any precautions to take (and avoid electrocution).
For instance, plugging headphones or chargers (both wires and wireless) just after getting it soaked. Or is it good to go?

It will give you a warning if there's moisture in the ports. Usually blowing excess moisture out (kinda like blowing the cartridge of a Gameboy game) and waiting a few minutes will let it dry out sufficiently enough for use. As far as I know, this works for the usb port, not sure about the headphone jack though. I can only assume that would be the case. Regardless, you'll be physically safe.

Correction, this phone is NOT waterproof. It is water & dust resistant rated at IP68. Meaning it is water resistant up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.
So you should not go swimming with it in your pocket or driving trips in the ocean or you will have a expensive paper weight.

nappent said:
Correction, this phone is NOT waterproof. It is water & dust resistant rated at IP68. Meaning it is water resistant up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.
So you should not go swimming with it in your pocket or driving trips in the ocean or you will have a expensive paper weight.
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So what you just said is that you can go into 4 feet of underwater for no more then 30 mins and it will be waterproof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WXWwaBUEG8 for proof of what they mean.

Taking it in water will still trigger the water detecting stickers and could affect warranty. At least that was the case with the S7.

nappent said:
Correction, this phone is NOT waterproof. It is water & dust resistant rated at IP68. Meaning it is water resistant up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.
So you should not go swimming with it in your pocket or driving trips in the ocean or you will have a expensive paper weight.
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Click to collapse
+1. It's a convenience feature, in case of accidental splash or drop into a sink or something. It's not for taking underwater selfies as Samsung's advertisers may imply.

Last year Sony ran their whole Xeperia Campaign showing the phone under water and being used under water etc.
Soon after they had to put a disclaimer out saying do not use in water!
It's all a marketing trick. When these phones are tested they are not powered on and in use at the labs.
It's common sense really, Electricity & Water do not mix well.

The Root said:
Taking it in water will still trigger the water detecting stickers and could affect warranty. At least that was the case with the S7.
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The water damage stickers are located inside the sim slot, and the sim slot has a water sealing gasket around it, so submerging in water would not trigger the damage sticker. If water were to seep in beyond the gaskets, then the sticker would be triggered.

Mysticales said:
So what you just said is that you can go into 4 feet of underwater for no more then 30 mins and it will be waterproof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WXWwaBUEG8 for proof of what they mean.
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Click to collapse
I'm sure you are just messing around, but no, still incorrect. Water resistance to 4 feet for 30 mins.
Water resistance is not the same as waterproof. In fact very few things are waterproof.
Water-resistant: able to resist the penetration of water to some degree but not entirely.
Waterproof: impervious to water.
Source: http://www.hzo.com/waterresistant-waterrepellent-waterproof-whats-difference/

abdullaha said:
The water damage stickers are located inside the sim slot, and the sim slot has a water sealing gasket around it, so submerging in water would not trigger the damage sticker. If water were to seep in beyond the gaskets, then the sticker would be triggered.
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Did they get rid of the ones that used to be in the headphone jack?

The Root said:
Did they get rid of the ones that used to be in the headphone jack?
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I just got my plus today, and I cannot see it through the headphone jack.

Related

S5 speaker screeching (got coke'd) HELP

so yesterday i spilled coke on the speaker went to sleep(WAS ULTRA DRUNK) woke up speaker sounds like a dying bird
ive put it in rice now is there anyway it will get back to normal ? cuz coke is not water its sugary and ppl say here on forums that it survived water just need to dry out
Probably all stuck up with the sugar in the coke.
I'd put the phone under some running warm water (not hot!) to try and dissipate some of that sugar from the speaker then leave it to dry off some - of course ensure you have the back cover and USB cover fitted properly!
Cheers
Paul
What if it was a Diet Coke.
Trying to rinse a phone under running water is risky and could possibly ruin your entire phone. Your phone is water resistant to occasional water exposure, not water proof. Certainly not Coke proof.
You can try "cleaning" the speaker by using a small syringe or kid's water pistol to gently splash a small amount of water on the speaker, then let it dry out thoroughly before turning your phone on. Blot any excess water and put the phone in a sealed plastic bag with silica gel packets to speed drying. No guarantees, but it may improve or even resolve the problem.
If you are willing to open the case or it's outside of warranty anyway, remove the speaker and clean it while it's separated from the phone. Or even better just replace it. The part is cheap on the internet if you can replace it yourself. If you're not mechanically inclined, then bite the bullet and have it professionally repaired. Probably $75 - $100, most of which is labour. Probably no more than you spent at the club or bar that led up to this anyway.
.
well i actually bought it only a week ago so its under warranty but i dont think they will do anything except charge me for a new speaker after i say a drop of coke hit it and killed it
so spraying the speaker it self with some water may clean out that sugar stuff?
the water doesent go further in the phone through the speaker enclosure?
orbit3r said:
well i actually bought it only a week ago so its under warranty but i dont think they will do anything except charge me for a new speaker after i say a drop of coke hit it and killed it
so spraying the speaker it self with some water may clean out that sugar stuff?
the water doesent go further in the phone through the speaker enclosure?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your phone will be water resistant to mild water exposure most of the time. But that isn't guaranteed and if water somehow gets into your phone it won't be covered under warranty. Unpressurized water shouldn't go through the speaker but if your phone is damaged or the case is loose, it could seep around the speaker. So be gentle with water. It's questionable whether water will remove the Coke residue and restore the speaker but worth a try if you are cautious.
If it doesn't work or you simply don't wish to try, then make a warranty claim. Samsung may fix it for free if you are lucky. Or they may charge you for the repair if they figure that bathing in Coke is negligent. But your warranty should remain intact even if you end up with a $75 repair because they decide that Coke repairs aren't covered.
Good luck
.
fffft said:
Your phone is water resistant to occasional water exposure, not water proof.
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Samsung GALAXY S5 is IP67 Certified:
6: Dust tight No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight)
7: Immersion up to 1 m 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 1 m of submersion).
You can use it in a pool or on the beach without problems.
zorrigas said:
You can use it in a pool or on the beach without problems.
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This is very bad advice. The IEC Standard 60529 IP67 rating is for fresh water, not salt water that you may find at the beach. Nor does it rate any protection against chlorine found in most pools which is a known corrosive to most rubber seals. The rating also limited in depth and exposure time e.g. only to 1 meter, which is less than most pools and seashores.
Aside from all of those caveats, the rating simiply does not mean that your phone is waterproof in any way. It means that your phone, in perfect shape, is resistant to shallow immersion in fresh water for a limited time. Routinely subjecting a $600 phone to water is foolish. Over time most people drop phones, parts may wear or a owner may not completely seal the battery door which can quickly lead to catastrophic water damage.
Being water resistant is a big plus and will save a lot of us. But it is not an iron clad guarantee of anything anyone foolish enough to routinely tempt fate is likely to find that out the hard way. In particular there is no assurance that your phone will survive repeated exposure to salt water or chlorine in pools. Or if it falls down to the bottom of a pool that is more than a meter deep. And yes, there is a big difference between 1 meter and two, three or four meters.
.
fffft said:
Your phone will be water resistant to mild water exposure most of the time. But that isn't guaranteed and if water somehow gets into your phone it won't be covered under warranty. Unpressurized water shouldn't go through the speaker but if your phone is damaged or the case is loose, it could seep around the speaker. So be gentle with water. It's questionable whether water will remove the Coke residue and restore the speaker but worth a try if you are cautious.
If it doesn't work or you simply don't wish to try, then make a warranty claim. Samsung may fix it for free if you are lucky. Or they may charge you for the repair if they figure that bathing in Coke is negligent. But your warranty should remain intact even if you end up with a $75 repair because they decide that Coke repairs aren't covered.
Good luck
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i gave it to a samsung store and they didnt even ask questions
got a call today to go pick it up tomorow i guess i was lucky
asked the guy if the phones fine and he said that if i didnt get call before from the tech dep. then its all good as new
i hope not to see a 100$ bill tomorow

Is small amounts of water dangerous to the device?

Accidentally had some drops of water land from my hands after washing land on the phone while it was charging - could this water damage my phone and corrode it? Seemed to be minimal. Could light rain or holding the device with wet hands damage it as well?
binaryfalcon said:
Accidentally had some drops of water land from my hands after washing land on the phone while it was charging - could this water damage my phone and corrode it? Seemed to be minimal. Could light rain or holding the device with wet hands damage it as well?
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Unless you get water in the ports, I doubt touching it with wet hands will matter.
Water on the device is not an issue.
Water in the device or device submerged is a problem.
tech_head said:
Unless you get water in the ports, I doubt touching it with wet hands will matter.
Water on the device is not an issue.
Water in the device or device submerged is a problem.
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Click to collapse
I guess the chance of water going inside the ports in my chance was slim - is there any way to check for water damage?
binaryfalcon said:
I guess the chance of water going inside the ports in my chance was slim - is there any way to check for water damage?
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Click to collapse
No that I know of.
I dropped mine yesterday and it hit my cat's water dish. Some water splashed onto the back of the phone, but none got into the ports. *phew*
(Admittedly this was the first time I've gone and dropped a phone by accident - testing a ruggedized case for my old Galaxy S III doesn't count)
Man these phones are all pretty sealed. I never worry about water ever. I had a ten minute phone conversation yesterday standing in the rain.
I've used my phones when it was raining out and while having wet hands, haven't had an issue nor complaints about there being water damage to the phone.
Don't worry about it.

"Moisture detected"

I took an underwater photo this morning and put the phone away (S7E). 4 hours later I plugged it into the wall (fast charger) for a top-up and the phone popped up an error message "moisture detected in charging port.." and the phone won't charge.
Is this a safeguard? I will try charging again in a few hours, but curious if anyone else observed this so far..
Pop it in some rice as a precaution maybe?
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I have read somewhere it's like a kill switch in charging port should be fine after a while
Sounds like a very sensible safeguard to me. Regardless of how waterproof the phone is, the charging port has to be exposed at least partly until the contacts hit the seal. If there is moisture on those exposed contacts, it could result in a short and issues. Take a hair dryer to the port for 30 seconds and try again.
Tried the hair dryer and no go, phone won't charge. No more error message. I will try after a while and see if its different. Between buyer's remorse, warranty and my jump insurance, I am not worried about it.
But it is annoying for a water resistant / IP68 phone to act up after its first 30 seconds of exposure to water. Having to find a hair dryer or box of rice each time I get it wet defeats the point of IP68 frankly.
Anyway, more to come.
Perhaps when the error has been displayed, it trips a flag which stops it from charging for a set time, even if it's able to.
You can always go down the wireless charging route. Whilst it's not allowed to charge via the cable, that's bound to work. No good if you don't have a wireless charger mind, but I suspect most people with one of these will get one eventually.
Good to know they have a safety-switch i guess
xxaarraa said:
Tried the hair dryer and no go, phone won't charge. No more error message. I will try after a while and see if its different. Between buyer's remorse, warranty and my jump insurance, I am not worried about it.
But it is annoying for a water resistant / IP68 phone to act up after its first 30 seconds of exposure to water. Having to find a hair dryer or box of rice each time I get it wet defeats the point of IP68 frankly.
Anyway, more to come.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wireless charging
But after I dunked mine during the podcast I had it charging within an hour and never saw the alert.
I actually had this issue without the phone being wet. I bought a 10 ft USB cable for my living room to run behind my couch to the end table so I can charge my phone in my living room if needed and not have it visible. Long story short when I plugged it in to the third party cable, it said there's moisture and won't charge.
Anyone else having third party USB cable issues?
Works fine with the Samsung cable.
Good to know it has a safeguard.
I will still avoid getting it in water even tho the phone is IP68 rated. mainly because I watched a Youtube video that suggested that the sound goes much quieter when it has been submerged. Also, a website suggested the warranty does not cover water damage, which imo is stupid for a phone that's been advertised as being waterproof.
CuBz90 said:
Good to know it has a safeguard.
I will still avoid getting it in water even tho the phone is IP68 rated. mainly because I watched a Youtube video that suggested that the sound goes much quieter when it has been submerged. Also, a website suggested the warranty does not cover water damage, which imo is stupid for a phone that's been advertised as being waterproof.
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That happened to my Sony Z3C, advertised almost like it was a submarine but after some splashes it stopped working. Only then I've found warranty didn't cover it, tho it was Sony's ads that lead to the problem.
It's advertised as water resistant, not waterproof. I'll bet that submerging it in water will void the warranty because there's no way to prove how long it was submerged or to what depth.
It's a protection feature in case something goes wrong, it's not meant to be used underwater as a camera. A little common sense and a quick read of the warranty would tell you that. Insurance may cover it, but a warranty won't.
Damn. I was looking forward to swimming with my s7
Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk
jmm22 said:
It's advertised as water resistant, not waterproof. I'll bet that submerging it in water will void the warranty because there's no way to prove how long it was submerged or to what depth.
It's a protection feature in case something goes wrong, it's not meant to be used underwater as a camera. A little common sense and a quick read of the warranty would tell you that. Insurance may cover it, but a warranty won't.
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Click to collapse
You are wrong - Samsung specifically says it is IP68 certified which means: First number: 6 - Dust tight - No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight) Second number: 8 - Immersion beyond 1 m - The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. Test duration: continuous immersion in water
Depth specified by manufacturer, generally up to 3 m
Source
jmm22 said:
It's advertised as water resistant, not waterproof. I'll bet that submerging it in water will void the warranty because there's no way to prove how long it was submerged or to what depth.
It's a protection feature in case something goes wrong, it's not meant to be used underwater as a camera. A little common sense and a quick read of the warranty would tell you that. Insurance may cover it, but a warranty won't.
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Click to collapse
You're thinking of the S5. The S7 is IP68 which is waterproof up to a certain depth, Samsung state this depth is up to 1.5m for up to 30mins. That's waterproof. Samsung also had one on display in a fountain to advertise this.
EDIT: I guess I was wrong. Thanks jimm22
Toss3 said:
You are wrong - Samsung specifically says it is IP68 certified which means: First number: 6 - Dust tight - No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight) Second number: 8 - Immersion beyond 1 m - The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects.Test duration: continuous immersion in water
Depth specified by manufacturer, generally up to 3 m
Source
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Click to collapse
No, you don't understand what resistant and proof mean. Waterproof means that is can stay in water indefinitely and at any depth, water resistant means it will remain waterproof for a certain amount of time at a certain pressure (depth). The IP68 rating on phones is water resistance, not truly waterproof. The designation just confuses people who don't bother reading because they title it inaccurately. There's many forums online that explain this.
Please show me where Samsung said that consumers can use the phone underwater and while swimming?
EDIT: I'll help, look at moisture protection 8 (http://www.cnet.com/how-to/water-dust-resistance-ratings-in-gadgets-explained/) it is for accidental submersion and splashing. It is not waterproof and meant to be used underwater. It's accident protection, not an actual usage feature. The whole idea of "waterproof" is marketing, not fact. Anyone who reads up about IP68 knows this.
A device needs to be 50M water resistant before you ever swim with it. The IP68 isn't even close.
I'd imagine they would want to test for shorts before allowing the full current. Just brainstorming, but an easy way to do this would be to run a voltage test across different pins and detect any drops or jumps. If there is an unexpected change, prevent charging. This would explain why the extra long cables might trip the warning.
Also, it is probably possibly to submerge the phone and not get the ports or speakers wet. With holes that small, you're very likely to get air trapped air bubbles. If you want to really test it, submerge the phone and give it a few vigorous shakes to dislodge the bubbles.
jmm22 said:
It's advertised as water resistant, not waterproof. I'll bet that submerging it in water will void the warranty because there's no way to prove how long it was submerged or to what depth.
It's a protection feature in case something goes wrong, it's not meant to be used underwater as a camera. A little common sense and a quick read of the warranty would tell you that. Insurance may cover it, but a warranty won't.
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Click to collapse
I am not really interested in pedantic arguments over what waterproof really means - I have expensive watches and fully aware of what 'proof' and 'resistant' really mean. IP68 means I can dunk it in a few inches of water for 10 seconds for a quick photo. Period. Tmobile posted an underwater unboxing video and Samsung made a big deal about the phone "being sealed from the inside" so customers are well within their rights to expect the phone to hold up to 10 seconds in a puddle.
In other news.... phone now charges. But won't fast charge, only regular charge. I will give it a few more hours to determine if fast charge is working again. I am not sure if the phone is sophisticated enough to switch to a 'safe mode' and not allow charging for a certain amount of time after moisture is detected, or if it's just slowly waking back up without any software fail safes. I've been using it this entire time so its working like champ, issue limited to charging.
jmm22 said:
No, you don't understand what resistant and proof mean. Waterproof means that is can stay in water indefinitely and at any depth, water resistant means it will remain waterproof for a certain amount of time at a certain pressure (depth). The IP68 rating on phones is water resistance, not truly waterproof. The designation just confuses people who don't bother reading because they title it inaccurately. There's many forums online that explain this.
Please show me where Samsung said that consumers can use the phone underwater and while swimming?
EDIT: I'll help, look at moisture protection 8 (http://www.cnet.com/how-to/water-dust-resistance-ratings-in-gadgets-explained/) it is for accidental submersion and splashing. It is not waterproof and meant to be used underwater. It's accident protection, not an actual usage feature. The whole idea of "waterproof" is marketing, not fact. Anyone who reads up about IP68 knows this.
A device needs to be 50M water resistant before you ever swim with it. The IP68 isn't even close.
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Interesting. Well, now I know.
CuBz90 said:
Also, a website suggested the warranty does not cover water damage, which imo is stupid for a phone that's been advertised as being waterproof.
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Click to collapse
That won't fly in Europe for sure. If they try to really pull that they gonna get sued by customer protection agencies in no time.

water proof ???

Is this device water proof or water resistant if so how deep and how long. Im on ls997
charlie95113 said:
Is this device water proof or water resistant if so how deep and how long. Im on ls997
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Click to collapse
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Although the girl at the AT&T store told me it was, the product specs (water proof/resistant is normally listed in "Body" section) doesn't list anything about being water proof/resistant. Only way to find out is drop it in water and see what happens. But for me, I'll just trust the specs and conclude that it isn't...
Even if it was listed as water resistant(which its not) because of the way the removable battery is there would be maybe 3 seconds before the phone shorts out. The back cover has no water protection and there are warranty pads(the little things that turn pink with water damage) under the back cover
I dropped my v20 in a puddle at work yesterday. It's isn't water resistant at all. I quickly removed the battery and put it in front of an air conditioner. I got home and dropped it in a bag of rice overnight. The only thing that is wrong now is a dime sized dark area when the screen is lit up just above the headphone jack. I fear of it was in the puddle any longer than 5 seconds it would have been toast.

I washed by lg g6 with soapy water. Will it affect the phone?

I washed by lg g6 with soapy water. Will it affect the phone?
Sorry, but for your own good, you should resist dunking your phone in things it's not designed to be dunked in, especially before recieving confirmation that it is safe.
Washing phones, even water resistant ones, with water containing other chemicals can cause internal corrosion, that may not affect the phone immediately.
I heard about a guy who gave his LG V30 one dunk in chlorine pool water to take an underwater photo and the display was eventually trashed. So... not a great idea. I wish you luck.
I didn't submerge the phone in the stuff though
Rickey1425 said:
I didn't submerge the phone in the stuff though
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Still, consider that it was still washed in water with chemicals in it. If anything, the effects of corrosion may take longer. You should avoid doing this in the future.
No worries, you will be fine
fegitoli said:
Still, consider that it was still washed in water with chemicals in it. If anything, the effects of corrosion may take longer. You should avoid doing this in the future.
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Click to collapse
I forgot to mention, I did this about 2 weeks ago, but i didn't realize how this can corrode the phone until recently.
well i used my phone underwater 3 times on a pool., and 2 times at a river no probs at all
Afaik it's ok to use the phone underwater in sweet water (pools, rivers and lakes) for a few minutes but you should give it a wash/rinse with tap water to remove dirt and chems. Its ok to use minimal soap if the phone is too greasy but after that always rinse with clear water.
Using it in the salty sea or brine pools is a big no-no because salt is very corrosive. Maybe the first time will be ok, but it's possible it could die in the second or third time, so it's definitely advised to wash it with tap water if it ever touches salty water as soon as possible.
And by the love of everything that is sacred, DONT CHARGE YOUR PHONE AFTER BEING WET. I would even wait like an hour after the notification of "wet usb port" has gone. Blow the usb ports and headphone jack ports and use some microfibre cloth to speed up the drying, water loves to stick to nooks.
Sent from my LG-G6 using Tapatalk
Been 3 weeks since I used soap. I see no signs of water damage.
The only thing I use to clean my phone is the cleaner that comes with eye glasses from an optical store and a micro fiber cloth. I've been doing this for years (since at least the Nexus 4) and never had a problem.
Rickey1425 said:
I washed by lg g6 with soapy water. Will it affect the phone?
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Click to collapse
Even though I wouldn't personally recommend submerging or washing your phone daily, I've washed mine with soapy water multiple times, submerged it, hell, I've even ran benchmarks with the phone underwater.... It should be fine, its rated for 1 meter for 30 minutes of submersion.

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