Five iPhone myths we’ve ALL fallen for

Contrary to what some websites and tech videos might say, rice won’t dry out your water-logged iPhone, according to Apple.

Despite reputable sources claiming it works, the tech company specifically advises against it – warning that small particles of rice could ‘damage’ your phone.

Instead, the new Apple support document says people should effectively wait and let it drip dry in a ‘dry area with some airflow’.

Many people also close apps ‘to conserve phone battery’ – but that too is a myth so prevalent it is taken as gospel. 

Below are five of the most common myths when it comes to iPhone hacks: 

Putting your wet iPhone in rice will help dry it out

It’s not clear when the myth spread advising consumers to put an iPhone in rice if it gets wet, but Apple has made it very clear that this can actually do more harm than good.

Apple warns against using rice as a quick-fix solution because small particles of the rice could get into the iPhone and cause further damage.

Today’s iPhones are more water-resistant than their predecessors, but they still aren’t impervious to water, which is why Apple rolled out a liquid detection alert.

The alert will notify the user that they can’t charge the phone because liquid was detected and to wait until it’s dry to try again.

Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will conserve your battery

A common misconception is that turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi will extend the battery life, but when the features are on and not in use, they don’t use up any extra battery life.

Instead, turning on Airplane Mode is a better solution because it will disable apps that drain your battery, and can be particularly useful when you’re traveling or in areas with bad reception.

The feature prevents the phone from continuously searching for signals which will quickly drain the juice from your iPhone.

Private browsing mode hides IP address and location

If you’ve ever used your incognito or private browser thinking it would hide your location and IP address from third parties, we’re here to tell you it doesn’t work.

Incognito may hide your browsing history, but the website you are visiting still has access to your personal information and if you accept the use of cookies, your phone will still store the data, allowing websites to get information about your browsing habits.

Instead, Apple suggests subscribing to its iCloud+ service, which gives you access to the iCloud Private Relay app.

The app protects your IP address and browsing activity by encrypting the traffic on your device and sending it through separate internet relays.

‘This prevents websites from seeing your IP address and location and network providers from collecting your browsing activity. Neither one knows both who you are and what websites you visit,’ according to Apple’s support site.

Closing apps can save your iPhone’s battery

You can finally give up on the endless task of swiping up to remove your iPhone’s ‘open’ apps, because this too, is a lie.

Closing down your apps does nothing to conserve the battery because they aren’t actually running, and by closing them, you’re using more of your iPhone’s battery life than if you’d just left them alone.

This is because when the app is ‘open’ it is essentially in a frozen state, but if you close it and restart the app when you decide to open it again, it uses more energy than if you just restored it from the background.

Charging your iPhone overnight can hurt the battery

A common misconception is that charging your iPhone overnight can harm the battery by taking in more power than it needs.

The reality is that modern smartphones automatically detect when they’re at 100 percent and don’t take in any more current than is necessary to fully charge it.

‘All rechargeable batteries are consumables and have a limited lifespan — eventually their capacity and performance decline such that they need to be replaced,’ Apple said on its site.

‘As batteries age, it can contribute to changes in iPhone performance.

So if you’re battery is decreasing, it has nothing to do with how frequently or how long you’re charging it.