Waterproof smart phone on PFD with no case?

[Glenn MacGrady]

I shattered the screen on my beloved Google Pixel 5a when I put it on top of my car and it slid off onto the pavement. I had no protective case on the phone at the time. So . . . it's time to shop for a new Google Pixel, likely one of the new model 9s announced in August 2024, for which I get big discounts as a Google Fi customer.

I've used my smart phones leashed to my PFD for photography, but have always used them in a waterproof case such as a Dry Pak:



I had never paid attention to the IP ratings of my phones, but I noticed that the Pixel model 9s have a rating of IP68, which is claimed to be protection against immersion in up to 3.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. That, if true, sounds as if the phone is waterproof enough for all but the most dire canoe situations such as rain and swims.

Has anyone used a naked IP67 or IP68 phone for canoe photography—i.e., without a waterproof case—leashed to the PFD? That could be done through the lanyard holes that are available on some phone cases. What's the argument against doing this?

 

[TimG]

I’ve swam many rapids with my iPhone 12 just in my pfd pocket without issue. However, a “water detected” warning comes on the screen if you try to charge it too soon after. The port usually dries out in an hour or two though.

 

[Chip]

As a Google avoider, I can't comment on your Pixel phone. However, I carry my iPhone 11 in my PFD pocket, swim with it, get splashed with it in the PFD pocket, and don't worry about getting it wet. The phone isn't on any kind of leash, and I worry about dropping it when I take it out of the PFD to make a photo, but that's a different hazard.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

The phone isn't on any kind of leash, and I worry about dropping it when I take it out of the PFD to make a photo, but that's a different hazard.

I don't mean to state the obvious, but the purpose of the leash or lanyard is to prevent harmful drops. I keep my PFD-attached lanyard long enough to bring the phone to my eye for shooting photos, but not so long that the phone would hit the floor of the canoe if I dropped it . . . much less sink overboard into the aqueous depths.