Smartphones are amazing, aren’t they? You have the world at your fingertips with these little devices. We rely on them for everything, news, maps, transport, banking, business, socials and so much more. But let’s face it they aren’t exactly bulletproof, or even waterproof. In fact, if anything, they almost seem designed to be prone to accidents. We’ve all been there, you’re walking down the street, phone in hand, minding your own business and it slips from your grasp. A fumbled attempt at a save ends in the inevitable smashed screen. When our phones break it’s nothing short of a nightmare. Our best friend becomes nothing more than a useless brick and life grinds to a halt.
A new smartphone is likely to put you hundreds of dollars out of pocket unless you have gadget insurance. Even then the insurance excess can be high and repair and wait times can be lengthy. As fragile as they are, you don’t have to live in constant fear of breakage, most accidents are avoidable with a little care. In this article, we’re going to discuss 5 of the most common ways to break your smartphone and how you can avoid it.
Water Submergence
The most common type of water submergence, believe it or not, is the toilet drop. How many of us keep our phones in the back pocket? It fits in there perfectly, and it’s out of the way. Then we forget it’s in there, head to the loo, pull down the jeans and hear the plop of our beloved gadget as it sinks under the water. Aside from the gross hand in the loo search to rescue the device, there’s also the added dread factor that your phone did in fact drown. The toilet drop, albeit the most common, is not the only way to damage your phone through submergence. The new trend in phone photography has people doing things with their phone they never used to dream of.
Holding your phone as close to waves as possible to get a water action shot has become a popular activity. Not such a great idea with your smartphone as it turns out. Waves are unpredictable and “waterproof phones” often turn out not to be waterproof. No matter what the advert said, the fine print will often specify splash proof. The best way to avoid water damage is to never take your phone to the bathroom. It’s also best to avoid leaving it by sinks in kitchens. It goes without saying that if you want to take fancy pictures in the water, a waterproof camera or go pro might be more effective. Take a dry bag with you to the beach and swimming pool and never leave your phone loose in your pocket.
Pocket Damage
Ok so we’re no longer keeping our phones in our back pockets, we’ve learned to avoid the toilet drop. Where is your phone now? Front pocket? Coat Pocket? Loose in your handbag? No matter where on your person you keep your phone you run the risk of damaging it. Pockets might seem safe but are often filled with coins, keys and other important things.
All the little things add up over time and with overexposure to pocket damage, phones become scratched and chipped. It might take a while but these smaller scratches and chips all add up. Little by little the damage grows until the scratch and chips become screen cracks. The best way to avoid pocket damage is to store your phone in a separate pouch or wallet to your coins and keys.
Dropping your phone on the ground
By far the worst, (except from maybe the toilet drop) dropping your phone on the ground causes immediate and widespread damage. Dropping your phone on the ground can happen in any number of ways. It could randomly just slide out of your hand with no warning. Phones are often knocked from tables and can slide off laps or seats when you stand up. The damage in these cases is immediately clear. Screens cracked so badly the phone isn’t visible or in some cases broken and bent casings. That said, remember folks – iPhone’s repairs are always available at Screen Fixed.
The best way to avoid dropping your phone is to always hold your phone with both hands. This is especially true when taking photographs, typing messages or playing games. Another precaution you can take is to never leave your phone sitting in your lap when seated. Placing a ring holder on your phone can help to give it more grip and security when it’s on a table. Protect your phone with a durable case and screen protector. You might think it makes your phone look less attractive but trust us, it will be worth it.
Toddlers
It is a well known and undisputed fact that kids love phones and all things shiny. It’s also a well-known fact that kids are sticky, and not yet aware of their own strength. Toddlers and babies explore the world with all 5 senses and one of the best ways they learn is by putting things in their mouth, Your phone is no exception. Give your toddler your phone at your peril. If your phone doesn’t become a drool soaked frisbee covered in slime you are one of the lucky ones. Damage to the phone isn’t the only concern when it comes to your phone and preschoolers. Children under 5 are still undergoing key developmental stages and smartphone tech may not be the healthiest.
Overheating
Have you ever used your phone while charging your battery and you’ve found it’s too hot to hold? Phones can become overheated for a variety of reasons such as prolonged exposure to sunlight. This is not the only reason that phones can overheat. Too much live streaming and gaming can also cause a phone’s temperature to go too high. You will know when your phone has overheated as it will become uncomfortable to hold. It’s normal for all phones to become a little hot while in use but if you find it comes to a point it’s burning your hand you should switch it off.
This is especially true if you are charging your phone, an overheated phone and electricity is never a good mix. Your phone is at risk of severe damage from overheating. An overheating phone can drain the battery, force a shutdown or even worse melt your processor. If your phone becomes too hot the processor chip can literally melt. To avoid overheating for your phone, never charge in direct sunlight. Reduce the load on your core processor by shutting down background apps. If you have too many open it can cause overheating. Never leave a phone sitting in the car, this is like direct sunlight magnified.
When your phone is too hot stop using it and allow it to cool down. Lastly, if you use your phone a lot it is a good idea to get a second phone and help reduce the workload on your phone. A simple way to avoid overheating the processor is to turn the brightness down a bit. This is relatively simple yet effective and shouldn’t affect your ability to use the phone. And finally, turn your phone to aeroplane mode and remove the case. Leave your phone in a cool shady place and it will cool down.
Finally
Protecting our smartphones and devices doesn’t need to be a difficult task. We all should be vigilant when it comes to our devices and their safety, in the same way we are when it comes to theft. By exercising care and caution our devices should last us a long time. If we keep in mind that our devices are in essence little computers we can help to treat them as such. After all, you wouldn’t leave your PC sitting outside in direct sunlight or leave it next to a sink.
A smartphone can cost as much if not more than some computers and they do just as much for us as our computers used to do. Sometimes it is worth remembering that our devices are not invincible. A little care goes a long way.
Ben
