Apple is adding moisture sensors to everything, from iPods and iPhones to MacBooks and even its latest keyboards.
But recent reports suggest the sensors may be too sensitive, and may even be triggered by high humidity.
The moisture sensors, or Liquid Submersion Indicators (LSI), are small stickers that change color from white to red if submerged. Apple refuses to honor warranties on products with triggered sensors, assuming they’ve been dropped in a swimming pool or doused with Mountain Dew, no matter what the owner says.
The sensors, which are found in the dock connector ports of iPhones and under the keys of Apple’s latest keyboards, are controversial. There have been complaints that they’re triggered by sweat.
Now, there are reports out of Singapore that high humidity is killing iPhones, but positive LSI indicators are allowing the local carrier to reject warranty claims.
Singapore is one of the most humid cities in the world. Humidity ranges between 75 and 90 percent all year round, and can reach 100 percent after periods of prolonged rain.
According to Apple, LSIs aren’t triggered only when exposed to liquid. Apple’s manual for technicians says:
Damage due to liquid exposure is not covered by the Apple one (1) year limited warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan (APP)….
The indicators trigger only with direct contact to a liquid. The indicators will not be triggered by temperature and humidity that is within the product’s environmental requirements described by Apple. A triggered indicator will turn red or pink, as shown in the examples below, indicating that the module(s) to which the indicator is attached has been exposed to liquid.
Important: If you see a triggered LSI, inspect all adjacent modules for liquid damage. Components or modules that do not work due to liquid contact are not eligible for warranty service. Furthermore, the resulting damage may be so extensive that the cost of repairing the product may exceed the cost of replacing the product. Inform customers about this possibility.
Customers are responsible for the costs of servicing products that are damaged as a result of liquid contact. This includes, for example, the cost of replacing keyboards that stop working due to liquid spills.
The iPhone’s technical specs state that the acceptable humidity range is between 5% and 95%, but conditions must be “noncondensing.” Trouble is, leaving an air conditioned building will often create condensation.
In addition, according to tech specs from the manufacturer of the LSI sensors, 3M, days exposure at 95% humidity will change sensors slightly pink. (See the sensor’s product brochures – PDF).
3M says LSI sensors should be stored in conditions not exceeding 60-80°F and humidity 40% to 60% — which Singapore and other tropical cities never are.
These are storage conditions, not usage conditions, but one wonders whether it’s best to avoid hot humid climes with your brand new iPhone?
Via MacBidouille and MacNN.
Here are some of the locations of LSIs in keyboards and MacBooks. Pictures from MacBidouille.
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander is an expert on:
Apple and Apple history
Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Tim Cook and Apple leadership
Apple community
iPhone and iOS
iPad and iPadOS
Mac and macOS
Apple Watch and watchOS
Apple TV and tvOS
AirPods
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
