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iPhone's Liquid Sensors Can Be Triggered By Wintertime Use

Posted by timothy on from the contribute-better-translation dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Polish website Moje Jabluszko ran an experiment that proves the poor reliability of the liquid contact indicators (original, in Polish) installed by Apple in the iPhone. They performed three different tests to challenge the LCIs, which they recorded as a movie. They decided to mimic regular usage of the iPhone — meaning, you go outside where it could be cold or warm, then move inside in a building where temperature might be dramatically different, but still within covered conditions. So, they placed the iPhone in its box for one hour outside at -11 C, then moved it inside at room temperature for 24 hours. They repeated the experiment 3 times, and after the third cycle they could show that the LCI located in the audio jack plug started turning red! This is a clear proof that LCIs are not reliable and could turn red while the iPhone has been used under the defined environmental requirements defined by Apple. Here, only the condensing water could have been in contact with the sensor. In other words, even moving in and out during regular winter time will make you iPhone LCI turn red!" (In the tech specs for the iPhone, Apple rates the non-operating temperature range as -20 to 45 C.)

13 of 484 comments (clear)

  1. Doubly unreliable by samurphy21 · · Score: 5, Funny

    We do a lot of service on macbooks at work, and there's been times when we've taking a unit in for service that "won't turn on" and the user "has no idea why", only to find out they're drippy inside, and none of the liquid sensors are tripped.

    1. Re:Doubly unreliable by biryokumaru · · Score: 2, Funny

      They really have liquid sensors in them? That seems so... Orwellian. Does that not bother anyone else?

      --
      When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
    2. Re:Doubly unreliable by LtGordon · · Score: 5, Funny

      They really have liquid sensors in them? That seems so... Orwellian. Does that not bother anyone else?

      I can't quite figure out if this is flamebait, or if I'm just the only person who can't make a connection between liquid sensors in a consumer electronic device and a dystopian police state. If a liquid sensor bothers you so much, I hate to be the one to tell you, but ... don't turn your iPhone around ... there's even a camera!

      So, no, to answer your question: it doesn't seem to bother me a bit.

    3. Re:Doubly unreliable by biryokumaru · · Score: 4, Funny

      Psh, with iPhones for $40, who needs warranties?

      --
      When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
    4. Re:Doubly unreliable by eln · · Score: 4, Funny

      So my warranty is safe so long as I only use my phone in the Sahara Desert...got it.

    5. Re:Doubly unreliable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      i'd rather not overpay up front

      And yet you buy Apple products.

      *ducks*

    6. Re:Doubly unreliable by phoenix321 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh you do find some Apple users there. They just keep it IN THE CLOSET.

    7. Re:Doubly unreliable by zmollusc · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nearly. You can only have your phone there during the day. Don't keep it there overnight as the LCI may be triggered by the dew.

      --
      They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
  2. non-operating temperature range... by bsDaemon · · Score: 4, Funny

    The operating temperatures of 0 to 35C are completely held within the non-operating range of -4 to 45C. Sounds like a trick way of saying the phone isn't actually meant to work.

    1. Re:non-operating temperature range... by Mr.+DOS · · Score: 2, Funny

      Welcome to California. Apparently, none of our Northernisms (I'm Canadian, eh) are welcome Cupertino-wise. That is pretty mind-bogglingly high even for there, though - it does snow there sometimes.

      (Wow, I dragged you out to reply to my humble post? Sorry! ;) )

            --- Mr. DOS

  3. simple solution by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Move to California.

  4. Re:What are the sensors made of? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

    I believe the sensor is 3M Material 5559, which is a kind of humidity indicator. Wiki says, that these are usually made from Cobalt(II) chloride, which in pure form turns from blue to red powder by absorbing water.

    Either that or the phone is pregnant.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  5. Re:Orwell 1984 by NoMaster · · Score: 3, Funny

    Very true. For instance, by applying methods first outlined in the paper "Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis" (Statistical Science 9: 429-438) to Orwell's Animal Farm, I discovered the following statement appears no less than 16 times!

    "Android good, iPhone Bad!"

    --
    What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?