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Apple patents better water damage detection to fend off false warranty claims

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Feb 20, 2012, 2:38 AM

Apple

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Apple's way to detect water damage you've inflicted on the iPhone, hence deny warranty coverage, has been the indicator inside the headphone jack, which changes color once a close encounter with liquid has been carried out.

In very humid climates, however, these indicators in the audio jack are changing color at will, thus rendering it hard for owners to convince Apple's clerks they haven't accidentally dropped their iPhones in the toilet, but rather have had issues even without dunking them.

Now the engineers at Cupertino are looking at ways to improve the water damage indication process, by filing a patent for conductive soluble glue droplets set between two contacts, which get dissolved in liquid, thus changing the impedance, which can be detected and logged as error.

The process is apparently more fool-proof than the current audio jack indicator thingy, which not every customer service rep can reliably figure out by illuminating the insides of your jack, thus accepting false warranty claims and replacing the damaged device for free, eventually fleecing Apple of its hard-earned cash.

There is no info about how many such claims have been made and granted, but apparently enough for Apple to decide it's time to do something about it. The handset maker has also been exploring technologies to completely waterproof its devices with technologies like the HzO nanocoating.

via AppleInsider

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.