Water-Resistant Is Not Waterproof: Read Before Summer
By Riki Baker · Updated 28 July 2026
The short answer: water-resistant is not waterproof. That IP68 rating comes from a lab test in still, fresh water, it fades as your phone ages and cracks, and Apple, Samsung and Google all refuse to cover liquid damage under warranty. So enjoy the summer, but keep your phone out of the pool and the sea.
What "IP68" actually means
You have seen the adverts: a phone dropped into a glass of water, a watch worn in the shower, all set to a summery soundtrack. It sells the idea that your device shrugs off water. The rating behind it is real, but it says far less than the marketing implies.
IP68 is an international standard. The first number is dust, the second is water. For many recent phones the "8" means the maker got the device to survive being submerged in still, fresh water, at a set depth for a set time, under controlled laboratory conditions. Apple, for example, tested some iPhones to a depth of 2 metres for up to 30 minutes. Samsung tests its Galaxy phones in a static tank of fresh water.
The gap between that test and a real British summer is the whole point. Here is the lab, next to what actually happens on holiday.
LIn the lab
- Still, fresh, distilled water
- A fixed depth, held for a set time
- A brand-new device in perfect condition
- Room temperature
!On holiday
- Salt water at the beach and chlorinated pool water, both of which are harder on the seals than the plain water used in the test.
- Jumping in, splashing and swimming, where movement and pressure force water past seals that a static dunk never would.
- A phone that is a year or two old, has been dropped, and may have a hairline crack you have not even noticed.
- A hot day, a warm pocket or a phone left in the sun, where heat expands the seals and lets water in more easily.
Even that rating does not last
Here is the part the adverts never mention: the rating is measured on a brand-new device, and it starts fading the moment you leave the shop. The seals and adhesives that keep water out are worn down by heat, time and everyday knocks, and every manufacturer says so in plain language.
Apple: "Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear."
Source: Apple SupportSamsung: "The water resistance of your Samsung Galaxy device is not permanent and may diminish over time because of normal wear and tear."
Source: Samsung SupportGoogle: Pixel phones are "designed to be water-resistant. But normal wear and tear can reduce water-resistance," and dropping the device can reduce it too.
Source: Pixel Phone HelpThe biggest seal-breaker of all is a crack. A cracked screen or back, or even a hard knock that leaves no visible mark, opens a path straight past the seals. If your glass is cracked, the phone is not water-resistant, simple as that.
And here is the part people miss: fixing it does not hand that resistance back. Once a phone has been dropped, damaged or opened up for a repair, no one can promise the original factory seal is intact, so even a mended phone should be treated as not water-resistant and kept away from the pool. What a screen repair genuinely does is stop the crack spreading, protect your fingers and keep the display working properly, and an iPhone 15 screen replacement with us is £229. Just do not read it as a licence to go swimming afterwards.
The Apple Watch: the honest exception
To be fair where it is due: most Apple Watches genuinely are built for swimming. Apple says the Series 2 and later can be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or the sea, and the Ultra models go further. So the watch is the one bit of summer kit that is actually designed to get wet.
Even then, there are catches. Apple warns that soap, shampoo, sun cream, perfume, insect repellent and similar chemicals can degrade the seals, so it advises rinsing the watch under warm, fresh water after swimming, especially in the sea. Apple also says the water resistance is not permanent, can diminish over time, and that the watch cannot be rechecked or resealed once it starts to fade.
The catch that really matters: "designed for swimming" is not the same as "insured for swimming". Exactly like the phones, Apple does not cover liquid damage to an Apple Watch under warranty, it is treated as accidental damage. So if you swim with your watch and water gets past a worn seal, the repair bill is yours. Swim with it if it is built for it, rinse it with fresh water afterwards, and never assume a soaking is covered. And still do not take the phone in with you. Source: Apple Support
The four summer traps
These are the ones that catch people out between June and September, when the phone comes everywhere and the marketing is at its most tempting.
Taking it in the pool or the sea
This is the big one. Manufacturers test in still, fresh water, so chlorine, salt and the pressure of swimming are all outside what the rating covers. Apple specifically says to avoid pressurised or high-velocity water such as showering, surfing and jet skiing, and the same logic applies to jumping into a pool.
Sun cream, soap and sweat
Sunscreen, insect repellent, soap and even sweat contain oils and chemicals that break down the water-resistant seals over time. Apple lists exactly these substances as things that can degrade the seals on an Apple Watch. Once a seal is compromised, the next splash gets in.
Heat and sudden temperature changes
A phone baking on a sun lounger, then plunged into a cold pool, gets thermal shock. The seals expand and contract, and condensation can form inside the device even without an obvious splash.
The drop you forgot about
That time it slipped onto the patio? Every manufacturer says a drop or an impact can quietly ruin the water resistance. The phone looks fine, so you trust the rating, and then a poolside splash that should have been harmless gets straight in.
The warranty catch, in their own words
This is the part that stings. When water does get in, the makers who advertised the water resistance so hard will not fix it for free. We are not paraphrasing, here is what each one says.
Apple
"Service for liquid damage to an iPhone or iPod isn't covered by the Apple One-Year Limited Warranty. However, you might have rights under consumer law."Source: Apple Support
Samsung
"Liquid damage is considered physical damage and is not covered under the Samsung Limited Warranty. If a device develops a fault after exposure to water, this would void the warranty."Source: Samsung Support
Google Pixel
"Damage from accidents or external causes, such as water damage, is not covered by warranty."Source: Pixel Phone Help
You may still have rights under UK consumer law if a device fails for a genuine fault, but water getting into a phone that was only ever water-resistant counts as accidental damage, not a fault. In plain terms: if you take it swimming and it dies, the bill is yours.
If it does take a swim, act fast
Turn it off, do not charge it, and get it to us as soon as you can. The real damage is corrosion starting on the circuit board, so speed matters more than anything you can buy. Our water-damage diagnostic is free, it includes opening and cleaning the phone, and you get a fixed quote before any chargeable work. Our step-by-step guide covers the first few minutes.
If the water wins, you still have options
Sometimes a soaking is the end of the road. If our free diagnostic says a phone is not worth fixing, we will be straight with you, and there is still a sensible way forward. Refurbished iPhones in our shop start from around £127, so a replacement need not cost the earth.
Bring it in for a free diagnostic
If your phone has taken a swim, get it to us fast. Our diagnostic is free and includes opening the phone, drying it and cleaning the board, which is sometimes all it needs. You get a fixed written quote before any chargeable work.
See iPhone repairsSell it to us for cash
Even a phone that has been in the pool usually has value in it for parts or refurbishment. If you would rather draw a line under it, tell us the model and we will give you a clear price.
Get a price for your phoneTrade up to a refurbished one
If it is beyond saving, put whatever the old one is worth towards a professionally refurbished replacement, and we move your data across and set it up for you in store.
Browse refurbished phonesThe bottom line
Water-resistant means your phone can probably survive an unlucky splash or a moment in the rain. It does not mean waterproof, it does not mean pool or sea, and it does not last forever. The rating is a lab result on a new device in still, fresh water, it fades with age and cracks, and if water gets in, Apple, Samsung and Google will all point at the warranty and say no. So this summer, let the watch swim if it is built for it, keep the phone dry, and get any cracked glass fixed before the holidays. If the worst happens, bring it straight to us, the diagnostic is free and we will tell you honestly where you stand.
Water resistance and your phone: your questions answered
Is my iPhone waterproof?
No. No mainstream phone is waterproof, they are water-resistant, and the two are not the same. Many recent iPhones carry an IP68 rating, which Apple achieved in a lab with still, fresh water at a set depth and time. Apple itself says this resistance is not a permanent condition and can decrease with normal wear, and that liquid damage is not covered by warranty. Treat the rating as protection against an accidental splash, not a licence to go swimming.
Can I take my phone or watch swimming this summer?
With a phone, no, we would not risk it. Pool chlorine, salt water and the pressure of swimming all sit outside what the IP rating is tested against. Most Apple Watches are the exception, as they are designed for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or the sea, but even then Apple says to rinse the watch with fresh water afterwards and to keep it away from soap, sun cream and other chemicals, and liquid damage still is not covered by warranty.
My phone survived getting wet once, so it is fine, right?
Not necessarily. Getting away with it once does not mean the seals are intact, and water resistance fades with age, drops and everyday chemicals. A phone that shrugged off a splash last year might let water straight in this year. And even when the phone seems fine, corrosion can start on the circuit board within minutes and cause faults days or weeks later.
Does a cracked screen affect water resistance?
Yes, and a lot of people do not realise it. A cracked screen or back, or even a knock that leaves no visible mark, can break the seal that keeps water out. Every manufacturer warns that drops and damage reduce water resistance. If your screen is cracked, the phone is effectively no longer water-resistant, so it is worth getting the glass sorted before summer.
Will the manufacturer fix water damage under warranty?
No. Apple, Samsung and Google all state plainly that liquid damage is not covered by the standard warranty. You may still have rights under UK consumer law if a device fails for a different reason, but water getting into a phone that is only water-resistant is treated as accidental damage, not a fault. That is exactly why our diagnostic is free, so you can find out where you stand without paying to be told bad news.
What should I do if my phone does get wet?
Turn it off, do not charge it, dry the outside, take the case and SIM out, and leave it somewhere dry and airy. Skip the bag of rice and the hairdryer, both do more harm than good. Then get it to us as quickly as you can, because the real damage is the corrosion working away inside, and the sooner it is dried and cleaned the better the odds. Our full first-steps guide walks through it.
Cracked screen before the holidays? Let us sort it
A cracked phone is a phone with no water resistance left. Get the glass fixed, or if the worst has already happened, bring it in for a free diagnostic and an honest verdict.