Insurance data reveals that more smartphones are lost, stolen, or just stop working on the Fourth of July than on any other day of the year.
Given that boats, pools, and beaches are busier in the summer than at any other time of year, this may not be a huge surprise. It ought to serve as a reminder.
Marvin Maldonado, a device expert with the tech care company Asurion, reports a 37 percent rise in the number of mishaps involving electronic gadgets on July 4 of last year.
Asurion's annual report is based on the number of claims company receives for damaged cellphones and other devices...
Asurion owns the national chain of device repair centers UBreakIFix. Over the past few years, more insurance claims have been filed on July 4 than on any of the other 364 days. Maldonado reports that the number of visitors increased despite the closure of pools and beaches due to the coronavirus.
"Everyone has been at home, so we anticipate a significant increase in people going on vacation and wanting to leave," he said. "We anticipate an enormous growth, even greater than last year's."
On the Fourth of July, claims and repairs for water damage and damaged screens are the most prevalent. Lost and stolen electronics also rank highly. Some misplaced phones are somewhere at the bottom of a lake, having fallen from a deck or their owners' hands.
"We know that cellphones are water-resistant, but a waterproof case, specifically a floating waterproof case, will prevent this from occurring," Maldonado explains. A floating phone case will keep a smartphone or other gadget afloat until it can be recovered.
While the majority of modern smartphones can survive a brief immersion in water, chlorine and salt can destroy any smartphone if they enter through a port or speaker opening. Instead of using rice, Maldonado proposes placing silica gel packs in a Ziploc bag overnight.
You should not place a damp phone in direct sunlight to dry it because the heat can damage the device. Another cause of smartphone failure is heat.
If your smartphone's screen or back is already broken, you should consider twice before exposing it to extreme heat. The humidity alone can cause irreparable damage to the phone by allowing moisture to leak through the crevices.
Maldonado's top piece of advice is to back up your phone before traveling.
"Ensure that all of your data is secure so that, in the event of an accident, you can always restore your data," he advised.
Enjoy the holiday, but watch out for that pricey phone you're holding.
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Author: Preston Summers
Tech News CITY // Austin Newsroom
