iPhone XR: Waterproof Or Water-Resistant? Here’s The Answer!

You’re thinking about buying the new iPhone XR, but before you do, you want to know if it’s waterproof. This iPhone is rated IP67, but what does that really mean? In this article, I’ll explain whether the iPhone XR is waterproof or water-resistant and show you how to safely use your iPhone around water!

iPhone XR: Waterproof Or Water-Resistant?

The iPhone XR has an ingress protection rating of IP67, meaning it is designed to be resistant to water when submerged up to one meter for no longer than 30 minutes. This is by no means a guarantee that your iPhone XR will actually survive if you drop it in water. In fact, AppleCare+ doesn’t even cover liquid damage!

If you want to make sure your iPhone XR won’t get liquid damage when you use it in or around water, we recommend a waterproof case. These Lifeproof cases are drop-proof from over 6.5 feet and can be submerged underwater for an hour or more.

What’s An Ingress Protection Rating?

Ingress protections ratings help us understand how dust- and water-resistant a device is. The first number in a device’s ingress protection rating lets us know how dust-resistant it is, and the second number lets us know how water-resistant it is.

If we take a look at the iPhone XR, we see that it received a 6 for dust-resistance and a 7 for water-resistance. IP6X is the highest dust-resistance rating a device can get, so the iPhone XR is completely protected from dust. IPX7 is the second highest score a device can receive for water-resistance.

Currently, the only iPhones with an IP68 rating are the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max!

Splish, Splash!

I hope this article cleared up any confusion you had about whether or not the iPhone XR is water-resistant. I’d like to reiterate that it’s designed to survive being submerged up to a meter in water, but Apple won’t help you out your iPhone breaks in the process! Leave any other questions you have about the new iPhones in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading,
David L.

About Author

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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Sabi
4 years ago

I was just wondering this, I have an XR and I’m wondering if it will mess up if I try to take an under water pic, I’ll prob just use a water proof case

Liam Shotwell
4 years ago
Reply to  Sabi

Even if the phone is water resistant to a certain depth, it’s never a great idea to try and test that. Water resistance degrades over time and sometimes just doesn’t work off the factory line. It should protect your phone from accidents, but I’d say it’s a good idea for you to use that underwater case instead.

Alain
4 years ago

Hi, our iPhone XR bought in April 2020 spent less than a minute at less than a foot depth in a swimming pool before we got our son to take it out. Black stains appeared on the lower part of the screen the next day. The screen was totally damaged in less than a week. Apple store refused to consider it a warranty incident although the water exposure conditions didn’t exceed the IP67 rating standards. Repair is charged 400 usd. Very disappointing…

Shingie
4 years ago

I dropped mine in water,will there be problems later on?

Tinesha Mongkeya
5 years ago

I tried to ask the company that I bought the phone and they said if i just drop into a pool of water itll ruin the charging area and speakers?? I just want to make sure if it can go underwater or just get wet a little from water?