Apple might soon launch a waterproof iPhone, patent hints

Even though the iPhone is labeled as water-resistant with an IP68 rating, it’s not actually waterproof. Believe it or not, Apple isn’t confident that its phones can reliably fend off water. How do we know? Take a peek at the iPhone’s warranty, and you’ll notice there’s no mention of how it deals with water damage. And it’s not just Apple—none of the phone manufacturers include water damage in the warranty, even if the device boasts an IP68 or IP67 rating.

Apple claims the iPhone 15 series can handle water up to 6 meters (almost 20 feet) deep for 30 minutes, which surpasses the IP68 standards. However, it doesn’t mean you should take the phone into the bath or shower, as water from powerful sprays can still break through the water resistance.

Your iPhone is more likely to struggle if it takes a dip in anything other than fresh water. To put it simply, leave your iPhone out of your diving adventures unless it’s snugly protected in a case designed for that kind of activity. Just keep in mind, if Apple was confident that the iPhone could handle any water mishap, they’d definitely cover water damage in the warranty.

However, a patent Apple secured last week suggests the company might be developing a waterproof iPhone. The patent, titled “Underwater User Interface,” focuses on enhancing iOS functionality when the iPhone is submerged, making it more user-friendly in water.

According to the patent, Apple acknowledges that using iOS underwater can be “awkward and not very effective.” As an example, a drawing in the patent demonstrates that instead of the usual multi-touch pinch and zoom on the screen, underwater, an iP

This is pretty cool because if Apple is cooking up a unique iOS interface for underwater use, it hints that they’re likely working on hardware that can handle being submerged. Fingers crossed that if Apple does create a waterproof iPhone, they’ll also throw in water damage coverage in the warranty. We don’t know when this waterproof iPhone might hit the shelves, but whoever pulls it off first will surely have an awesome selling point for customers.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) handed out the patent, and it’s now rocking the U.S. patent number US 11,875,021.