Protect your tech at the beach

Clearly, Summer is finally here and everyone lucky enough to be able to go to the beach should definitely do so!
However, we understand the need of being connected at all times, which means that going to the beach also requires you taking your technology with you.
But how do you properly care for your smart phone or tablet while sticking your toes in the sand?

This month’s Tech Tips will cover a bunch of tips and tricks all around traveling with your tech devices, so if you are a beach person – keep reading!

What to do when your phone got wet

It has happened to the best of us: one brief moment of negligence and your phone end up in the sink. Or the toilet. Or the ocean, for that matter. But don’t worry, because if you act quickly, you might just be able to

Here is the fastest way to hopefully save your phone:

  1. Retrieve it as quickly as you can
  2. Take the battery out (if you can’t do that with your phone, power it off immediately) to avoid a short circuit
  3. Wipe off as much moisture as you can with a clean towel
  4. Carefully use compressed air to blow out traces of water inside cracks and openings
  5. Put your phone in a bag full of dry, plain, uncooked rice for anywhere between 24-48 hours (make sure to loosely wrap your phone in a paper towel before doing so, as the rice gets mushy and sticky when absorbing water and you don’t want rice stick in the creases and I/O ports…)
  6. Turn it on and HOPEFULLY it will work – but there is no guarantee.

What to do when your phone fell in the sand

Unfortunately, sand and phones/tablets don’t go well together. Once that smart device falls, it pretty much becomes part of the beach: sand everywhere! Aside from sand creeping into every opening of your device, it might also leave behind nasty scratches.

So just as a precaution: wrap your phone in plastic cling wrap, which won’t protect it from any water damage, but you might be able to at least minimize the risk of getting sand everywhere!

If it’s too late and you already have sand inside and on your phone, make sure once again to turn it off first before performing any kind of rescue mission. You can then try using compressed air (gently and carefully) to blow the sand out of those hard-to-reach openings. Sometimes, a vacuum cleaner with a tiny attachment might help as well.


[ Disclaimer: Those ideas mentioned above are merely suggestions. Even though it might have worked for some doesn’t mean it works for everyone. ]