Mandy PhillipsHave you ever felt anxious about going somewhere without your phone?
If you have a fear of being out of touch, even the thought of going to the toilet or shower without a phone makes you uncomfortable.
What do you do?
Here’s how you can use your phone in the shower without damaging it.
Is It Safe to Bring Your Phone in the Shower?
A mobile phone or any other mobile device such as a tablet is a precision piece of equipment that has many delicate parts.
Exposing electronic devices to moisture is not a good idea, and there is no place in your home moister than a shower.
First, let’s address some of your concerns about phones and showers.
Can Steam Damage Your Phone?
Your phone is more likely to get damaged by steam than by water from the shower.
While your phone can easily handle a few spray droplets, steam coats everything in the bathroom.
Steam will penetrate every possible inch of your phone if you shower and steam up the bathroom.
Whether you are taking the phone into the shower or leaving it on the bathroom table, your phone can be exposed to lethal levels of steam vapor.
This steam will penetrate into the circuitry and connections in your phone where it can do massive damage.
If you use your phone in the shower, you should ensure that it is protected from steam.
Can You Get Electrocuted in the Shower With a Phone?
A mobile phone is also an electrical device when it is plugged in and charged. So if you are going to use your phone in the shower or in your bathtub, you should ensure that it is unplugged and not connected to the electrical outlet in any way.
Should you be using your phone while on a charge, you run the risk of electrocuting yourself if the cords were to get wet or if you accidentally let the phone slip into the bath or the shower spray.
How to Tell if Your Phone Is Waterproof?
All phone specifications are online these days. If you want to check your phone’s specifications, simply google it, along with whether your phone is waterproof.
Most mobile phones are water-resistant, not waterproof. This means you can splash a few water drops on your phone with no damage, but exposing the phone to a hot and steamy shower area is not advised.
For the sake of your phone, it is best to assume your phone is not waterproof. Then you can minimize any risk by using the appropriate waterproofing technology or devices.
Solutions That Help You Use Your Phone in the Shower
You can safely use your phone in the shower if you prepare correctly. Do not assume that you will only be in the shower for five minutes, hoping your phone can handle the steam.
There are a number of solutions to protect your phone from water and steam.
Waterproof Shower Phone Holder
There are several waterproof shower phone holders available. Ranging from a pouch type that you simply slip your phone into and clamp or zip shut to a mountable wall unit that locks the phone inside, you have a few options to consider.
Pros
- Fairly affordable
- Easy to use
- Fits most phones
- The pouch kind can be taken to the beach or the pool area too
Cons
- Usually made from silicone and rubber, the shower phone holder will perish in time
- Can struggle to handle a heavier phone
- Suction cups can be weak and slip off the tiles, resulting in phones falling
- Long showers can cause moisture to build up inside the pouch as the air may already be moist
Shower Curtain With Pockets
Having a clear curtain that has several pockets that keep your phone on the outside of the shower curtain may seem great too.
Pros
- Can handle more than one device
- Affordable option
- The phone can’t fall out of the pocket
Cons
- Using the touch screen becomes impossible
- Distortions on the phone screen due to shower curtain plastic
- Moisture can still get inside from steam
Ziploc Phone Case
When traveling, you probably don’t want to use your expensive shower phone holder and accidentally forget it at a motel bathroom. So using a Ziploc bag is an ideal solution. Ziploc is waterproof and will keep your phone dry.
Pros
- Ziploc bags are cheap
- Available nationwide
- Can fit most size mobile devices
- Durable and can be reused
- Place phone anywhere in the shower
Cons
- Bags can tear when handled harshly, letting in water
- The heat from the shower can cause condensation inside the Ziploc bag, which can wet your phone
- Touch screen connectivity may not work
How to FaceTime in the Shower
FaceTime in the shower may seem such a strange and invasive thing to do, yet for couples who rely on FaceTime to keep them connected across long distances, it may be the only way to keep their love life steamy.
Although having a FaceTime meeting in the shower is a really bad idea, there are loads of reasons why having a FaceTime session in the shower may seem necessary. Perhaps it’s the only time you have to catch up with your relatives or you supplement your dating life in this way.
To have a successful FaceTime meeting, set up your phone, record a few seconds from your device holder (whether it’s the curtain or screen holder), check the alignment and set up the camera to gloss over less-than-flattering elements. You are now ready to shower and chat.
How To Watch TV On Your Phone in The Shower
You may be a Witcher fan, and being simply unable to give up on watching the next episode, you decide to take Netflix to the shower.
To watch TV on your phone in the shower, you should start off by fitting some kind of waterproofing device such as a Ziploc bag that will keep your phone dry.
Next, find a convenient place where there is limited water exposure. Stand your phone up in the corner of the shower or slip it into a shower curtain pocket. Once you are fully hands-free, you can scrub and watch your favorite episode in one go.
Be sure to select the channel you want to watch as changing channels is somewhat difficult once your body is wet.
What to Do if Your Smartphone Gets Wet
Maybe your phone holder slips or your Ziploc bag rips, and you’ve managed to get your smartphone wet.
Now what?
- Wipe the phone dry on a paper towel
- Simply take a new Ziploc bag filled with uncooked rice
- Place your damp phone inside
- Leave the phone in the plastic bag for 24 hours
- Let the hygroscopic properties of the dry rice draw the moisture out of the phone
