An app to test the waterproofness of your Android smartphone
Before starting, note that the application Water Resistance Tester only works with devices IP67 (resistant to temporary immersion) and IP68 (prolonged immersion). Your device will also need a barometer. The latter normally makes it possible to refine the GPS positioning, but here it will be used to check that the seals which protect your smartphone from water are indeed intact by calculating the internal pressure.
Wait 5 seconds for the device to calculate the ambient atmospheric pressure and press with your two thumbs in the places indicated …
A barometer to calculate the pressure
How? ‘Or’ What ? By pressing the screen. If the app detects a difference between the average atmospheric pressure and the internal pressure of the device, it means that the device is no longer waterproof. On our Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra we can see that everything is fine while on the Google Pixel 4a 5G (although equipped with a barometer), the app explains that the device is not water resistant. The smartphone is not broken, however, it simply does not offer this specificity.
If you want to know if your device has a barometer and an IP67 / 68 specification, just take a look at the manufacturer’s website. Note however that if your device is IP68, it will most likely have a barometer while the reverse is not necessarily true. If you have a flasgship of less than 3 years, you will certainly have both.
A very good test
You can very well ask to use Water Resitance Tester on a device you are keen to buy and even test a new device to see if it’s not faulty. You don’t have a waterproof smartphone and you want to know what to do if something goes wrong? We’ve written an article that will walk you through what to do and explain all about IP standards. Finally if you are clumsy or want a device that really goes underwater, you will find shielded IP69K devices in our Good Deals section.
