A new app for Android claims to be able to know if the water resistance of a smartphone is still intact, or if it has lost over time. It can help us decide if it is worth the risk of getting it wet.
Of course, the easiest way to know if a mobile is waterproof is by wetting it; but then you run the risk that it won’t turn on again. Even if your mobile has an IP certification for water resistance , it may stop working; it may no longer be as airtight as the first day, due to being hit or improperly repaired.
If you have doubts, now comes an app that analyzes the water resistance of a mobile in a very intelligent way. As explained in Android Police , developer Ray W found that it was possible to use the barometric pressure sensors included in the device to come to the conclusion whether the interior is airtight or not. These sensors come in most modern smartphones, but many developers do not pay much attention to them because they have a very specific utility.
The app works in a simple way. When we open it for the first time, we must leave the mobile on a table, without touching it, until the app is able to measure the base pressure with the mobile in a normal state.
When finished, the screen will show two fingerprints: we must press our thumbs “firmly” on both points. The app will measure the pressure change, and if the deviation is too high, that means that the pressure has varied too much, and air is coming out (and therefore, water can enter); the sealing of the mobile has failed and has lost its water resistance.
On the other hand, if the pressure has barely changed, it means that the mobile is well sealed and we are not in danger of wetting the internal components.
It must be clarified that the creator of the app is not responsible if the mobile breaks after putting it in water; and it will in no way serve us to request the manufacturer’s warranty. Therefore, this app should only serve as a guide , for example, if we have an old mobile and we do not know to what extent it is broken, or if we want to make sure that a repair has been done correctly. If we have doubts about whether we can take the mobile to the pool, it may be the way to take them off.
Testing the water resistance on a mobile
At the moment, it seems that the app works. In our tests, we first checked a Xiaomi Mi 11i, with IP53 protection against dust and splashes, and it showed us that the resistance was still there; Next, we opened the SIM slot and left it open while we did a second test, and then the app warned us that the mobile did not resist water.
On the other hand, mobiles that do not have a barometer will probably not have water resistance either and the app will fail, as has happened with the Vivo X60 Pro.
