Chattanooga
Partly Cloudy
H 96°
L 75°
96°
Altamont
Partly Cloudy
H 99°
L 74°
98°
Athens
Partly Cloudy
H 96°
L 74°
95°
Benton
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Chatsworth
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Cleveland
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 72°
96°
Dalton
Partly Cloudy
H 98°
L 74°
97°
Dayton
Sunny
H 94°
L 71°
93°
Dunlap
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Murphy
Partly Cloudy
H 96°
L 74°
95°
Pikeville
Sunny
H 94°
L 71°
93°
Scottsboro
Partly Cloudy
H 100°
L 73°
98°
Summerville
Fair
H 98°
L 73°
98°
Ringgold
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Trenton
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Chattanooga
Partly Cloudy
H 96°
L 75°
96°
Altamont
Partly Cloudy
H 99°
L 74°
98°
Athens
Partly Cloudy
H 96°
L 74°
95°
Benton
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Chatsworth
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Dalton
Partly Cloudy
H 98°
L 74°
97°
Dayton
Sunny
H 94°
L 71°
93°
Dunlap
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Murphy
Partly Cloudy
H 96°
L 74°
95°
Pikeville
Sunny
H 94°
L 71°
93°
Summerville
Fair
H 98°
L 73°
98°
Ringgold
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
Trenton
Partly Cloudy
H 97°
L 76°
97°
You’ve packed the sunscreen, towels, cooler, chairs, and everything else you need for the Fourth of July. But there’s one thing you may not be thinking about enough: your smartphone. It may be the most expensive thing you take to the lake, beach, or pool. And according to Asurion, the company behind many smartphone protection plans, the Fourth of July is consistently one of the worst days of the year for damaged, lost, and water-logged phones. It’s easy to see why. People are outside. They’re around water. They’re carrying drinks, coolers, towels, chairs, and kids’ stuff. At some point, almost everyone wants to take a picture of the kids, the sunset, the fireworks, or everyone having fun in the water. That’s when phones take a swim.
A few years ago, holding a smartphone over the pool or standing in the lake to get a photo made people nervous. Now, many of us have gotten comfortable. Maybe too comfortable. Part of the problem is the phrase “water-resistant.” Most newer phones can survive a splash or even a quick drop in water. But water-resistant does not mean waterproof. It does not mean lake-proof, pool-proof, saltwater-proof, or “oops, it fell off the dock”-proof. Asurion says water damage claims jump on the Fourth of July. Cracked screens and backs go up too. So do reports of phones that are lost or unrecoverable, such as those dropped from a boat or dock. Before you leave the house, take a few minutes to protect your phone. First, back it up. Use iCloud, Google Photos, Google Drive, or your computer. If your phone is lost, stolen, or ruined, at least your photos, videos, contacts, and messages won’t be gone too. Second, if you’ll be near water, put your phone in a waterproof pouch. Some of them float, which can make a big difference if your phone goes overboard. Third, check for cracks. Even a small crack in the screen or back glass can weaken your phone’s water resistance. Summer humidity can work its way inside and damage components. If your phone does get wet, don’t panic. And most importantly, do not plug it in. Shake it gently with the charging port facing down to help remove water from the ports. Then let it sit somewhere dry with good airflow. iPhone users can also try the Water Eject shortcut. It plays a sound that may help push water out of the speakers. It’s not magic, and it won’t save a phone that has been sitting at the bottom of the lake, but if water is muffling the speaker after a splash, it may help. The best advice is also the simplest: take the pictures you want, then put the phone somewhere safe. The lake may be beautiful, but it’s also where a lot of smartphones go to die.
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