Trending hashtag 'iPhone shower' turns a silly accident into ongoing meme

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2022
After "showering her iPhone," one Japanese voice actress and her fans remind us that iPhones are not quite as waterproofed as one might like.

Don't use the shower to clean your iPhone
Don't use the shower to clean your iPhone


A Japanese voice actress named Moeka Koizumi made the mistake of taking her iPhone into the shower, thus leading to the creation of the "iPhone shower" meme. This event took place in February 2021, but the hashtag has begun trending again.

What started as a Tweet asking how to fix a blurry iPhone camera evolved into a top trending meme in Japan. After Koizumi admitted she had showered with her iPhone to clean it, her fans acted fast.

A new meme translated as "iPhone shower" began trending as fans began drawing characters the voice actress had voiced showering their iPhones. The art ranged from multiple popular series like "Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club" to "Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight."



The meme has resurfaced on Thursday without much explanation. It is the number one technology topic in Japan and places thirteenth globally.

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 range have IP68 ratings, which allow for submergence in water of up to six meters for thirty minutes. However, showers produce steam and high-pressure particulate, which isn't accounted for in the water resistance rating.

Steam can seep in through gasket materials and proliferate through the device with ease. Especially if the device has been dropped or damaged in the past.



Moeka Koizumi experienced all of the usual problems associated with steam or water damage. The cameras fogged up and took blurry pictures, then Face ID stopped working.

Apple doesn't fix devices with water damage on the basic warranty, but it will replace one for a fee under the (paid) AppleCare+.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    SEonlineSEonline Posts: 5unconfirmed, member
    Applecare + does cover water damage you just have to pay $99 instead of the $29 to get it repaired. 
    robin huberwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 11
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,957member
    My 9th Gen iPad (latest basic) fell off the edge of our bathtub into 1 foot of water. Quickly fished it out and it suffered no ill effects at all. Just shook it off—no drying in rice or any of that. 
    patchythepiratewatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 11
    iOS_Guy80iOS_Guy80 Posts: 813member
    Been swimming on a  regular basis with Apple Watch Series 5 for well over 15 months. Of course it is waterproof rated. It has the lock feature on the ports that activate when turned on.  Never have had an issue with water using Apple Watch.
    patchythepiratewatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 11
    muthuk_vanalingammuthuk_vanalingam Posts: 1,332member
    iOS_Guy80 said:
    Been swimming on a  regular basis with Apple Watch Series 5 for well over 15 months. Of course it is waterproof rated. It has the lock feature on the ports that activate when turned on.  Never have had an issue with water using Apple Watch.
    waterproof - I don't think so. Water-resistant - Yes. Waterproof - No.
    Xed
  • Reply 5 of 11
    iOS_Guy80iOS_Guy80 Posts: 813member
    iOS_Guy80 said:
    Been swimming on a  regular basis with Apple Watch Series 5 for well over 15 months. Of course it is waterproof rated. It has the lock feature on the ports that activate when turned on.  Never have had an issue with water using Apple Watch.
    waterproof - I don't think so. Water-resistant - Yes. Waterproof - No.
    Thank you for the correction in using the wrong terminology.
    https://www.lifewire.com/is-the-apple-watch-7-waterproof-5203890
    muthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 11
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,280member
    iOS_Guy80 said:
    Been swimming on a  regular basis with Apple Watch Series 5 for well over 15 months. Of course it is waterproof rated. It has the lock feature on the ports that activate when turned on.  Never have had an issue with water using Apple Watch.

    Nothing keeps the water out of the "ports". All it will do is stop the screen from constantly activating and will expel water from the speaker ports after it ha been submerged.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 11
    iOS_Guy80iOS_Guy80 Posts: 813member
    mike1 said:
    iOS_Guy80 said:
    Been swimming on a  regular basis with Apple Watch Series 5 for well over 15 months. Of course it is waterproof rated. It has the lock feature on the ports that activate when turned on.  Never have had an issue with water using Apple Watch.

    Nothing keeps the water out of the "ports". All it will do is stop the screen from constantly activating and will expel water from the speaker ports after it ha been submerged.
    That is incredibly good and interesting information to know. I can tell you one thing there are occasions when my wrist is out of the water and I can actually hear Siri say how far I have swam or that my exercise ring is closed. Occasionally I also can feel haptic feedback on my wrist when swimming.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    Lose the ports.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    It wasn't the water per se, it was the steam, as the article noted.  I've had phones as old as an iPhone 7+ practically submerged with no issues.  On the other hand, steam and condensation can wreak havoc, even from fogging due to being brought in from the cold.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 11
    mr lizardmr lizard Posts: 354member
    She took her iPhone into her shower by accident? What did she do, stick it up her backside and forget it was there? 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 11
    mr lizardmr lizard Posts: 354member
    mcdave said:
    Lose the ports.
    Wouldn’t make a difference in this case as steam got in through the gasket seals, not the charging port. The iPhone is already water resistant, not hot steam resistant. 
    edited January 2022 watto_cobra
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