As we're all gearing up for a day of fun and frolic, getting drenched in bright colours and celebrating, we often forget that the one that’s closest to us isn’t really that water friendly after all. Our beloved mobile phone😊!

Holi is a festival that makes your phone most prone to water damage from the endless splashes of coloured water from the ‘Pichkari’ 😊! 

So, these are some tips to keep your phone Holi-ready before you step out:

• Get a zip lock pouch: Put your beloved phone into a waterproof zip lock pouch before you venture out to celebrate. If you don’t have a zip lock pouch, any plastic carry bag will do just fine😊!
  
• Use a spare phone: Got any long forgotten and outdated mobile lying around in some corner of your wardrobe? Use it! And, touchwood, if it lasts through all those splashes, you can save it for next Holi😊!
• Buy an inexpensive screen guard: A laminated screen guard costs you just a couple of hundred rupees and helps to protect your expensive phone to a great extent against water splashes😊!
• Leave your phone behind: Here’s coming to the hardest tip, but lest we add, the safest way to protect your smart phone this Holi! Leave your beloved phone back home. You can have an automated message saying ‘BRB’😊!

Ok, now that we’re done with our holy, Holi tips😊, here’s a little more you should know about how ‘water-resistant’ or ‘water proof’ your phone really is!

First things first, you should understand that your phone might be water-resistant, not waterproof and not covered under warranty. Learn the difference between them and how to protect your phone from damage.

Rather than wait for that single splash to ruin your Holi, we’re giving you the low-down on water-resistant and waterproof phones right now.

So, what is the difference between water-resistant and waterproof phones?

Waterproof phones mean that your device can be submerged in water for some time and remain unaffected. However, it is not a permanent condition. After some time, your waterproof protective shield will reach its limit of defence.

Water-resistant means your device is able to resist water but isn’t 100% fool proof. Your phone will probably be able to manage through a light shower of rain without any damage, if that is the kind of protection it offers.

Of course, you can always try telling the difference between the two by testing it out on your phone, but who would volunteer to take such a risk? A far safer way of deciding if phones are waterproof or water-resistant is the Ingress Protection Scale.

Ready for a little bit of smartphone trivia😊!

What is the Ingress Protection Scale?

The Ingress Protection Scale and helps classify and rate the degree of protection your device provides against dust and water. It goes from 0-8 where 0 means there’s absolutely no protection while 8 is for maximum protection. Your phone comes with an IPxy scale, where ‘x’ tells you the protection your phone provides against dust and ‘y’ tells you the protection against water.

So, for instance IP58 means that it has an average defence against dust ‘5’ but a stronger one against water ‘8’. Most products defined as water proof tend to have a rating of IPX7. This system is extremely effective in finding out whether or not your electronic device is a good swimmer😊!

Besides taking all the precautions, if your phone unfortunately does happen to get wet on Holi, here are some immediate steps to be taken to prevent further damage:

• In case your phone goes off, don’t try and switch it on and vice versa. If you do so it could cause a short-circuit and damage the motherboard of your phone.
• Put your phone into a zip lock packet along with silica gel sachets and seal it for about 24 hours, till the moisture is absorbed.
• If you are not able to get silica gel packets, put your phone in a box of rice which helps absorb moisture, but it may not be as effective as silica gel.

Is your ‘waterproof’ phone covered for water damage?

If you read the warranty of your expensive waterproof phone, you’ll find that even though it is deemed ‘waterproof’, it is not covered by the manufacturer for liquid damage. In fact, the warranty for a waterproof and non-waterproof phone is exactly the same. What a bummer!

Every phone has a tiny white dot inside the casing. If the inside of your phone gets wet, this dot turns pink. (And totally gives away the fact that your phone has been dunked in water!) Chances of your manufacturer helping you after that are close to none. But don’t worry! The situation is not hopeless for your phone. You can simply opt for the Liquid Damage Protection Plan for your phone, from your insurance company and you’ll be set against all water-based accidents your phone might experience😊!

Enough said! It’s time to celebrate the festival of colours.

Wishing you a Happy Holi😊!