All too regularly, smartphones can make you feel dumb. Even the most cool-headed among us have actually felt the perfectly understandable urge to wreak utter damage upon that pocket-sized gadget that renders us feel so clumsy and also stupid. But in a lot of instances, a phone’s demise is understood “accidental.” Here are ten straightforward methods to ruin a smartphone, and exactly how to avoid those costly, inconvenient mishaps…
Don't Try This at Home
Breaking cellphones seems to be a renowned pastime, also if it is accidental in most instances. According to sector estimates, Americans spend over $4 billion annually on repair and replacement of damaged phones. Popular YouTube celebrities attract numerous viewers by creatively ruining brand-brand-new phones - commonly iPhones, for some reason. Check out these videos if you've ever before wondered what happens when you drop an iPhone right into a river of red-hot lava, or attack it via a 4.5mm airgun.
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No volcanos handy? You could hop a airplane to Hawaii, however tbelow are much easier means to fold, spindle or mutilate your expensive smartphone. Here are ten tongue-in-cheek suggestions for breaking your phone, all of which you'll want to stop.
#1 - Drop your phone on a tough surconfront. Manufacturers love to brag that phones have the right to survive falls of up to ten feet onto a concrete floor. What they don’t point out is exactly how specifically those phones are oriented before they’re dropped, to avoid landing on their many vulnerable points. In genuine life, a phone that lands on its glass face is exceptionally most likely to shatter its display screen, bring about a repair bill of $200 or even more. Soft silicone cases not only cushion drops, they carry out a non-slip grip that renders dropping a phone much less most likely.
I use and also recommfinish Spigen Phone Cases bereason they fit perfectly, look excellent, and also are incredibly fairly priced, from $12 to $16. For additional defense, I add a Supershieldz screen protector to prevent scratching and nicks.

#2 - Get your phone wet. In a Geekly Upday segment, I mentioned the sailor who dropped his iPhone X right into the sea, and also it was still working after being subunified for 6 days. Chances are you won't be so lucky - you don’t need a big body of liquid to short-circuit the electronics in your phone. Just leave it on a counteroptimal at a bar, cafe, or restaurant and ultimately somepoint will spill and also seep into the phone. At the beach or swimming pool, set the phone down close to the water so you deserve to hear your favorite tunes clearly. Or take it for a chlorinated swim, favor I did. Another favorite way to drown a phone is to let it slip out of your back pocket into a toilet.
If your phone does acquire dunked, don’t break out the white rice! See my article Oops, I dropped My Phone AGAIN for tips on just how to rescue a wet phone.
Speaking of the back pocket, that leads us to our third a lot of renowned way to break a phone.
#3 - Sit on it. Bending iPhones or Android phones can cause them to cease functioning and also also shatter. This astounding discovery took the technology civilization by surprise through the release of the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, generating dozens of test videos and heated debates about whether or not a phone must break as soon as a 200-pound-plus perkid sits on it. Well yes, it need to, because it isn’t a paperback book, wallet, or a two-by-4. The more recent iPhone 11/12 and Samsung Galaxy S21 models seem to fare much better in bend trial and error, yet why take that risk? If you have a low-finish, much less expensive design, it most likely won’t have actually the tough building and construction of these flagship phones.
Another caution about placing your phone in your pocket has nopoint to carry out via physics. I was told by a Verizon keep owner that phones are a lot of conveniently stolen as soon as stored in the back pocket. In a crowd, a professional thief deserve to relieve you of your phone lengthy before you alert that it went missing.
#4 - Chef it or Freeze it. Phones and various other electronic tools don’t like extreme heat; watch my short article, Do You Know Your Computer’s Worst Enemy?. When overheated for prolonged periods, RAM will begin dropping bits, disk drives will construct poor sectors, transistors and resistors will burn out, and also the phone will “just speak functioning.” And by “cooking” I don’t mean putting your precious in the microwave. Most phones are rated to stand approximately 113 levels Fahrenheit, a temperature easily exceeded on a car’s dashboard on a sunny day. Even leaving a phone on a window sill in an air-conditioned room have the right to lead to overheating as a result of the phone’s absorption of radiant power. Freezing a phone to death is a bit harder; most are rated dvery own to -4 F.
Both Apple and Samsung recommfinish maintaining your phone in between 32 to 95 levels F during consumption. Apple warns that reduced or greater temperatures "can cause the tool to readjust its behavior" and might temporarily or permanently shorten battery life.
#5 - Leave it on always. If you don’t sleep, you acquire puzzled, sluggish down, and also eventually speak working; the same goes for your phone. Constant background operations muddy memory, wear out hardware, and cause early failure. Turn the phone off at night (you’ll sleep better!) or at least reboot it when a week.
Should you buy "gadget insurance" or a "defense plan" from your mobile phone carrier? My advice is no. See my article SCAM ALERT: Mobile Device Insurance and Extended Warranties to uncover out why, and also a much cheaper alternate.
#6 - Cram it full of stuff. Photos, videos, messeras, contacts, and also apps take up storage room. The more crowded storage becomes, the harder the phone has to occupational to store things arranged and also retrieve what’s required at a offered moment. I've additionally discovered that having actually a boatpack of saved text messperiods have the right to really slow-moving or even freeze my phone. If 90% or even more of your storage is full, it’s time to clean residence. Move documents and photos to offline or cloud storage, uninstall unused apps, and also delete old text messeras.
#7 - Don’t update anypoint. A phone that’s running an outdated operating device or apps is operating inefficiently, also dangerously. Updates and patches enhance performance (if they’re done right) by eliminating bugs and fine-tuning operating processes. Keeping your phone’s software program and also apps up to date will make it much less likely to crash, and more secure too.
#8 - Install sketchy apps. Althe majority of all mobile malware sneaks in as an outcome of making use of third-party app stores. If you jailbreak your iPhone, or readjust the settings on your Android phone to enable installation of apps from unknown resources, you're open up to a civilization of hurt. Almethods use the official iPhone or Google Play app save for your phone, and also then, install just trusted apps via numerous excellent reviews.
#9 - Use the cheapest charger you can discover. A two-buck no-name charger from China is not just as excellent as a $20-$30 OEM charger. Dirt-cheap chargers frequently omit feedearlier circuiattempt that avoids overcharging of a phone’s battery, and also that is just how smartphones burn dvery own dwellings. I newly bought a cheap wiremuch less charger for my Samsung Galaxy, and collection it dvery own to charge overnight. The following morning, the phone was super-warm, and also had charged just 20 percent. Cheaper is not better once it concerns connecting phones to various other gadgets, either. I defined some of the flaws and telltale indications of a dangerously cheap USB-C cable in my write-up, Don't Buy the Wrong USB-C Cable.
Speaking of wireless chargers, I very recommend them if your phone has actually wireless charging capcapacity. I’ve had actually numerous phones via broken charging ports, which have the right to outcome from inserting the charging cable over and over.
#10 - Never before clean the phone. Dust, crumbs, and also gunk will get in between the phone and that silicone instance, and also into the ports on the phone. If you ignore this ick, it will certainly ultimately clog electric contact points and your phone will sheight working. Remove the case and wipe it clean with a soft towel and water (not alcohol or soap) eextremely currently and also then, and also especially after a camping trip or other time spent in the great, filthy outdoors. Clean ports as gently and also very closely as you would certainly clean your ears; a soft-bristle toothbrush brushed up lightly over the outer rim of a port is often sufficient.
Have you tried any of these handy tips for damaging your mobile phone? How did they work? Your thoughts on this topic are welcome. Blog post your comment or question below…

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