iPhone 7 Plus Survives Icy River Water For 13 Hours

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The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus come with an IP67 waterproof rating. It means the new iPhones can remain submerged in water up to a depth of 3.3 feet for 30 minutes without any issues. When Apple introduced the iPhone 7, it claimed that the device could easily withstand splashes and accidental drops in the toilet. But few people would expect the iPhone 7 Plus to survive 13 hours in a frozen Russian river.

The iPhone 7 Plus was still working fine

According to Russian publication Ykt.ru (via PetaPixel), a Russian man dropped his iPhone 7 Plus in an ice fishing hole during a fishing trip. The temperature was 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). Since the hour was late, the smartphone remained there overnight until the man talked a wetsuit-clad friend to go underwater and retrieve it the next morning. The iPhone 7 Plus was retrieved about 13 hours later.

A few days ago, a legitimate-looking video was posted to Instagram showing the wetsuit-clad man going down to bring back the smartphone. The diver found the device at a depth of about six feet. Surprisingly, the iPhone was still working after spending 13 hours underwater. The device went underwater with 35%, and it still had 19% battery left when it came out.

Though there is nothing to suggest that the footage was staged or it was merely a publicity stunt, it should be taken with skepticism. If it’s true, the IP67 waterproof rating seems conservative. When Apple ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to make it more waterproof, most users were out there complaining. But the phone’s enhanced waterproofing capabilities offer them some relief.

iPhone 7 has been tested in extreme conditions

This is not the first time the iPhone 7 has been tested in extreme scenarios. Back in November, YouTube channel Smart Technology submerged the device in boiling water to see if it can survive high temperatures. They took out the phone after almost a minute, and it was working fine. They put it back in the boiling water – this time for over five minutes. The phone showed no signs of damage when taken out, though there was a temperature warning. It started working without any issues after 10 minutes.

In another test, a YouTuber took the iPhone 7 on a scuba dive to test the phone’s water resistance capabilities. Of course, the IP67 rating isn’t meant for a full-on scuba diving. It was tested at the Timothy Lake in Oregon. Up to a depth of 4.5 meters, the smartphone did not show any ill effects. But it started to show some damage at around 6-7.6 meters. The home button had stopped working at this depth.

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