My phone says IP68 — is it actually waterproof?
IP68 means water-resistant under controlled laboratory conditions, not waterproof in use. The rating degrades with age, does not cover salt water or pressure, and is not covered by warranty.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 12 min
- Read
- 4 min
- Safety
- warning
Short answer
It means the phone survived a defined depth of still, fresh water for a defined time, when new, in a lab. It does not mean you can swim with it, take it in the sea, use it in the shower, or that it will do the same after two years of thermal cycling and a drop. Treat it as insurance against a spilled drink or rain, not as permission. Salt water and pressure are both outside the test entirely.
The rating is real and useful, and it is routinely over-read. The two digits after IP describe protection against solids and against liquids: an 8 in the second position means immersion beyond one metre, with the manufacturer specifying the depth and duration. Everything that matters is in what the test does not cover.
Safety
Step by step
- Read the manufacturer's actual stated conditions.The rating alone is incomplete — the manufacturer states a depth and a duration, and these vary between phones with the same IP number. That statement, on the specification page, is what you have actually been told.
- Understand what the test is not.Still fresh water, no movement, no pressure beyond the stated depth, no soap, no salt, no chlorine, at room temperature, on a factory-fresh device. A phone in a swimming pool is subject to chemicals and movement; in the sea, salt; in a shower, hot water, steam and soap, all of which attack the seals.
- Accept that the rating degrades.Water resistance comes from adhesive seals and gaskets around the screen, the ports and the buttons. They age, they are affected by heat and by drops, and they are broken by any repair. A phone whose screen or battery has been replaced has whatever water resistance the repairer restored, which is often none.
- Know that it is not covered.Water damage is excluded from phone warranties across the industry, and phones contain liquid contact indicators that turn colour permanently. A manufacturer can state a water resistance rating and decline a water damage claim without contradiction, because the rating is a design specification rather than a promise.
- Deal with a wet phone correctly.Power it off, dry the outside, hold it port-down and tap gently to clear the connector, and leave it somewhere warm and ventilated for several hours. Do not charge it, do not use a hairdryer, do not use rice — rice does nothing except get dust in the ports.
- Rinse it if it went in salt water.Counter-intuitive but correct: salt crystallises and corrodes aggressively, and dried salt inside a phone keeps attacking. A brief rinse in clean fresh water while the phone is off, then thorough drying, does far less harm than leaving the salt in place.
- Take the charging warning seriously.Both platforms refuse to charge when they detect moisture in the port. Overriding that warning, or charging anyway on a phone that does not detect it, is what turns a survivable soaking into a dead phone. Use wireless charging if you need power urgently.
- Use a real waterproof case for real water.If you actually want to take photographs underwater or use the phone in the sea, a purpose-made waterproof pouch or case costs very little and works. The IP rating is not the tool for that job.
If it doesn't work
Speaker sounds muffled after getting wet
Cause: Water trapped in the speaker cavity — Fix: Both platforms have, or have apps for, a water-ejection tone that vibrates the speaker to push water out. Play it a few times with the phone speaker-down. Otherwise leave it to dry — it usually clears in a day.
Screen shows lines or discolouration after water
Cause: Water has reached the display assembly — Fix: Power off immediately and do not turn it back on for at least a day. Continuing to run a wet phone is what causes the permanent corrosion damage. If it persists once fully dry, it needs a repair.
Charges fine wirelessly but the port is dead
Cause: Corroded charging port contacts — Fix: Port replacement is a common and relatively cheap repair on most phones. Do not keep forcing a cable into a corroded port — you will damage the board connector, which is not cheap.
Worked at the time, failed a week later
Cause: Slow corrosion from residue left inside — Fix: This is the classic pattern with salt water and sugary drinks. A repair shop can clean the board ultrasonically, and doing that early gives much better odds than waiting to see.
Questions people ask
Can I take photos in the swimming pool?
Manufacturers explicitly advise against it. Chlorine attacks the seals, and the pressure and movement of swimming exceed the still-water test. Use a waterproof pouch, which costs a few pounds.
What does the 6 in IP68 mean?
The first digit is solids: 6 is the top rating, meaning dust-tight. That part is genuinely robust and is why sand and dust are much less of a worry than water.
Does a case improve water resistance?
An ordinary case, no. A dedicated waterproof case with sealed port covers, yes, and that is what it is for. Do not assume a rugged-looking case is sealed.
My old phone survived the washing machine. Does that mean it is fine?
It means you were lucky. Corrosion damage often appears weeks later, and survival of one soaking says nothing about the state of the seals afterwards. Have it opened and cleaned if it matters to you.