iPhone 16 Pro Max MTB in super light rain brand new iPhone 16 charging broken

[cptcaveman]

Took my brand new iPhone 16 PM on a mountain bike ride, in Quadlock case mounted on handlebars with lightest of light rain from time to time. Not misty but spotting rain if that makes sense. Dry and damp ground, with no mud, etc. or anything even approaching it.

Several hours later plugged in to charge. Water detected. Immediately removed cable.
Slightly surprised but fine, had that plenty of times with my iPhone 14 PM. Left to dry in a warm spot for several more hours.

Later plugged in, no water message but not charging.

A day or two later charges but will periodically stop charging while the cable is connected. It’s broken!

I ride almost everyday in every condition and never had a single issue that wasn’t recoverable with my iPhone 14 PM over more than two years. This was ride #1 on my 16 PM in conditions so mild I didn’t even remotely consider that there would be an issue.

Rapid replacement ordered via AppleCare+ and one hundred dollars later.

Did I just get unlucky or is the USB-C charging in the iPhone 16 PM very temperamental? Seems so weird when comparing my experience over literally 100s of rides with my 14 PM.

 

[Jackbequickly]

I have been completely soaked with my iPhone dripping wet and all was fine. Maybe just bad luck

 

[barkomatic]

Maybe the port wasn't completely dry when you plugged it in?

 

[cptcaveman]

Maybe the port wasn't completely dry when you plugged it in?

Yeah of course. This happened many times with my iPhone 14 PM and never broke the phone.

 

[FlyingDutch]

Yeah of course. This happened many times with my iPhone 14 PM and never broke the phone.

Sorry but the one to blame it’s you and no one else. The phone is water resistant, but you can’t mix up electricity with water, no matter what.
The fact it didn’t happen on your previous phones was just lucky on your part. If Apple realize what happened, your warranty will be denied.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I have been completely soaked with my iPhone dripping wet and all was fine. Maybe just bad luck

It wasn’t the water in his case. It was the charging with a dump charging port which caused a short. If your iPhone is not completely dry, DON’T charge it.

 

[Snide]

That's really unfortunate, as iPhones have been pretty waterproof in recent years. For an extreme example, a friend had his iPhone 13 Pro go overboard while we were kayaking on the bay. He free-dove repeatedly to the muddy bottom 12-14 feet down looking for it, to no avail.

(Shot with my 13 Mini 😀)

He went back the next day and spent 3 hours looking for it, again with no luck. He then went online and found a cheap underwater metal detector and went back a couple days later...

(Group selfie photo just before we took off)

The phone was submerged in deep salt water for 4 days and powered right up! However the speaker didn't work, so he took it in and they gave him a replacement phone on the spot, no questions asked.

FWIW, I dropped my 13 Mini into a tide pool and 20 minutes later rinsed it thoroughly in fresh water and it was completely unfazed. However, I had a previously-owned iPhone 7 that I went hiking with in a light misting rain. That killed it. I attributed it to the aftermarket battery installed by the reseller; probably wasn't properly sealed again.

 

[Snide]

Sorry but the one to blame it’s you and no one else. The phone is water resistant, but you can’t mix up electricity with water, no matter what.
The fact it didn’t happen on your previous phones was just lucky on your part. If Apple realize what happened, your warranty will be denied.

Umm, Apple advertised the iPhone 7 touting its water resistance; this TV commercial was an instant classic:

Also, when the 7 series was released, many YouTubers put the phone under water for extended periods and it was fine.
If anything, iPhone water resistance has gotten better over the years, not worse.

 

[FlyingDutch]

Umm, Apple advertised the iPhone 7 touting its water resistance; this TV commercial was an instant classic:

Also, when the 7 series was released, many YouTubers put the phone under water for extended periods and it was fine.
If anything, iPhone water resistance has gotten better over the years, not worse.

Read again before posting.
Water resistance is ONE THING. Put a charger in a dump connector is ANOTHER THING.
It is not a faulty water resistance to have done the damage here. It was the fact the OP put the phone in charge with the power connector most probably still dump.
You could keep the phone underwater for 20 minutes (I wouldn’t anyway…), but before recharging be sure the connector is completely dried.
Electricity and water doesn’t mix up very well….

 

[cptcaveman]

Sorry but the one to blame it’s you and no one else. The phone is water resistant, but you can’t mix up electricity with water, no matter what.
The fact it didn’t happen on your previous phones was just lucky on your part. If Apple realize what happened, your warranty will be denied.

Thanks for your concern. If I was wondering whose fault it was and where to place the “blame”, thanks to you I would now know. No need to be “sorry” 🤣

The device is covered under AppleCare+ as I wrote, and it’s water related damage, so no consideration of a warranty claim on my part, but again thanks for pointing out your warranty claim concerns 😂

I had the water detected message tens of times on the last device, and never a fried device, hence the question about the charging being more temperamental and potentially the short protection in the new model not being as good.

Certainly this is my recent experience.

It’s not always obvious when a device is dry or not, particularly several hours after exposure to a very small amount of water, and I never had this particular issue with my prior devices.

 

[FlyingDutch]

Thanks for your concern. If I was wondering whose fault it was and where to place the “blame”, thanks to you I would now know. No need to be “sorry” 🤣

The device is covered under AppleCare+ as I wrote, and it’s water related damage, so no consideration of a warranty claim on my part, but again thanks for pointing out your warranty claim concerns 😂

I had the water detected message tens of times on the last device, and never a fried device, hence the question about the charging being more temperamental and potentially the short protection in the new model not being as good.

There is no “short protection”: you have to take precautions to avoid charging it when dump.
As I said before, you were lucky in your previous experiences, but if this is your normal behavior , it could happen in the future.

Certainly this is my recent experience.

It’s not always obvious when a device is dry or not, particularly several hours after exposure to a very small amount of water, and I never had this particular issue with my prior devices.

It literally takes one very little drop of water in the wrong spot, to cause a short while charging.

 

[cptcaveman]

There is no “short protection”:

Ignorant statement.

Of course the iPhone has protection against shorts, overcurrent, overheating, a BMS, etc.

The charging circuit is designed to manage power safely, including limiting the current in case of a fault or abnormal condition, and automatically shutting down or limiting charging if something goes wrong, such as a short circuit. Additionally, the iPhone’s battery management system includes temperature and voltage regulation to further protect against damage from electrical issues.

 

[Snide]

Read again before posting.
Water resistance is ONE THING. Put a charger in a dump connector is ANOTHER THING.
It is not a faulty water resistance to have done the damage here. It was the fact the OP put the phone in charge with the power connector most probably still dump.

How about not making assumptions before posting? 😀

The OP stated he waited several hours before charging. The port would most likely be dry by then unless kept in a wet pocket, etc. I've had many outings in the rain with various iPhones over the years starting with the 4GB 2007 model, and never had an issue either. Obviously, if there's any question whether it's dry don't charge it. Not rocket science. 🕵️‍♀️

 

[FlyingDutch]

How about not making assumptions before posting? 😀

I didn’t …
OP wrote it

Several hours later plugged in to charge. Water detected. Immediately removed cable

WATER DETECTED. That means the connector was still dump.

The OP stated he waited several hours before charging. The port would most likely be dry by then unless kept in a wet pocket, etc. I've had many outings in the rain with various iPhones over the years starting with the 4GB 2007 model, and never had an issue either. Obviously, if there's any question whether it's dry don't charge it. Not rocket science. 🕵️‍♀️

The connector wasn’t ! It literally reported WATER DETECTED. Most probably a drop of water was trapped inside.
I would advice the use of a proper rugged case when doing extensive activity outdoor in the rain, or to use a blower/dryer after that. Water sealing is not even a permanent feature, as clearly stated on Apple website. It is there to prevent accidental damage, if you are lucky.

 

[FlyingDutch]

Ignorant statement.

Of course the iPhone has protection against shorts, overcurrent, overheating, a BMS, etc.

The charging circuit is designed to manage power safely, including limiting the current in case of a fault or abnormal condition, and automatically shutting down or limiting charging if something goes wrong, such as a short circuit. Additionally, the iPhone’s battery management system includes temperature and voltage regulation to further protect against damage from electrical issues.

Who ignore electricity basis are you.
Overcurrent and overheating has nothing to do with a power connector dump where someone very smart connected electricity.
There are contacts, and there was water. You mixed it up.

 

[cptcaveman]

Who ignore electricity basis are you.
Overcurrent and overheating has nothing to do with a power connector dump where someone very smart connected electricity.
There are contacts, and there was water. You mixed it up.

This guy would be great at parties: “Who ignore electricity basis are you!” 😂