Sensitivity of iPhones immersion indicators sparks controversy in Hong Kong

iPhone damaged by water

Electronic devices and water don't usually get along, so much so that often a quick dip (or a few drops of sweat) is enough for a gadget to start suffering. Because of this, manufacturers consider exposure to liquids a breach of warranty and, to prevent a well-done drying process from erasing the evidence of the “crime”, they are used in pieces of a special paper, which changes color permanently when moistened. This applies, of course, to Apple products. However, a certain amount of controversy arises when these false-positive sensors: how will the consumer prove that nothing much has happened to his gadget?

Imagine how serious the situation of those who live in countries where the relative humidity of the air tends to be dangerously above the operating limit of an iPhone (95% non-condensable) should not be serious. It was such a story that the South China Morning Post he said: according to the publication, Honcongueses consumers are having problems with false positives triggered by the extremely humid climate in the place. It is a problem, because when an entire country is incompatible with a certain product, you really can't just say "Hold it another way" and move on.

Relative air humidity in Hong Kong; Wolfram | Alpha

Note how there are times of the year when the relative humidity reaches 100%. (Source: Wolfram | Alpha)

The SCMP suggests that Apple resolve this situation in one way or another, either by changing the sensitivity of the immersion indicators, so that they are not stimulated by the humidity of the air, or by stopping selling the iPhone in Hong Kong which would be a pity, because there is where you can buy the cheapest unlocked device in the world. Continue to market a product that may randomly lose the warranty, right after being removed from the box, which should not be considered an option, even though it is possible to replace iPhones with activated immersion sensors for only a fraction of their total cost.

By the way, how are the immersion indicators on your gadget? To find them, follow the instructions on this Apple support page.

(WARNING: Immersion indicators on MacBooks and Apple Keyboards are internal and cannot be viewed without disassembling the machine and violating the warranty.)

(via MacStories)