What the Tech? Why the Fourth of July Is a Dangerous Time for Your Cell Phone – Alabama News Network

Posted: Jul 2, 2020 11:42 AM CDT

by Alabama News Network Staff

There are 366 days in 2020. And of all those days, the 4th day of July is the most dangerous for smartphones.

According to a study by Asurion, there is always a surge in reports of damaged and lost phones on Independence Day.

It stands to reason. More people are out celebrating at the pool, a lake or the beach, not to mention all the folks watching firework shows. In the dark, where a phone can easily disappear.

According to the study, reports of lost or stolen phones jumps 75% on the 4th. Water damaged phones skyrockets 250-percent compared to other days. Cracked screens? up about 40%.

So with this knowledge, take a few steps to protect your device before leaving the house.

If youre going to the beach or pool, use a waterproof case that floats, or put it in aziplock bag. If the phone gets wet, act quickly. Shake out any water. Shake the phone hard. Thatisnt going to hurt it. Blow into the charging port and earphone jack (if you have one) to remove any excesswater. If the phone gets soaked and doesnt turn on, dont try to turn it back on right away. let itsit to dry out a bit. Covering in rice doesnt work well. If you have any of the silica gel packs you get in newpackaging, empty them and cover the phone with those.

To prevent a phone from getting lost, take a look at Tile trackers. These devices clip on your keychain or bag or anything else you dont want to lose. Using the Tile app you can find your keys, but it works the other way around too. Hold down the Tile button and your phone will ring.

The Tile Slim is a credit card sized finder that fits easily in a wallet or purse. Press the button and your phone will ring even if youve got it silenced.

If you lose your wallet or keys with a Tile attached to it, you can find it using the Tile app. If youre far away, the app will ping other Tile devices owned by other people to find yours.

It does this anonymously so the person whos Tile device is being pinged does not know it has located a device. The location will show up on your phone in the Tile app.

Its also a good idea before venturing out to back up your phone and photos. And turn on Find My iPhone to locate the device from a computer or another connected phone.

For Android devices you can go to Google.com/search to locate your lost device.

Go here to see the original:
What the Tech? Why the Fourth of July Is a Dangerous Time for Your Cell Phone - Alabama News Network