Apple looking to improve sensors to detect water damage in iPhones

iPhone owners are probably aware that their phones are able to detect when there has been water damage. I mean apart from the rather obvious fact that the phone has stopped working, iPhone owners will be able to tell why, and this is evidenced by the dock connector port on the device which will turn red/pink. This also helps those working at Apple stores or telcos to figure out what’s wrong with the phone, and usually water damage is not covered under the warranty.

In an effort to help reduce devices being exchanged for free despite it facing water damage, a recent patent revealed shows that Apple is looking for a new way to detect water damage on phones in a more accurate manner. This will be through the use of water soluble glue that will cover a water sensor. When immersed in water, the glue will erode and thus change the impedance of the path and would then alert the data processor which will then log the water exposure in its system.

However as with most patents, there’s really no telling if and when Apple will be making it a reality, but if you’re fed up of the false positives, it looks like this could be one way of solving them.