It’s hot and it’s vacation, so there’s a good chance you’ll want to swim in the sea for the next few days. Leaving your smartphone with the towel is risky, because there can always be a thief lurking. This way you prevent theft.
By Bastiaan VroegopTip 1: Check whether your smartphone is waterproof
Modern smartphones are increasingly water-repellent or even waterproof, so you can take them with you while swimming. Look in the manual of your phone for the so-called IP rating. It consists of the letters ‘IP’ followed by two numbers, the second number determining the water resistance.
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A smartphone with IPX7 can go into the water for a short time up to 1 meter, and with IPX8 it can go a little deeper into the water. With the latter, the manual of the smartphone often states exactly where the limits are.
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Be careful with your smartphone, even with a high IP rating. Check if the manufacturer is also sure about water resistance and see if possible water damage is covered by your warranty. The latter is sometimes the case with waterproof telephones. Do you find it too exciting? Then don’t risk it and consider the alternatives below.
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Tip 2: Take an old Nokia with you
Leaving your iPhone or Galaxy phone of more than 1,000 euros on your towel is not smart. But you can also choose to take a special beach phone with you. Put your SIM card in an old Nokia and you can also receive calls on it. The chance that this phone is stolen is a lot smaller, because old phones are worth almost nothing.
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Scrolling a bit on Instagram is not possible on such an old device, but during a warm beach visit you are probably mainly in the water.
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Tip 3: Hide it in the cool box or a diaper
Do you want to take your phone with you at any cost? Then it is important to find a good hiding place. Try to think of what a non-obvious place is, where a thief wouldn’t just look. For example, you can put the phone in the cool box under the drink bottles – although we would also take a good look at how water-resistant the device is, just to be sure.
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Taking a baby to the beach? You can wrap the phone in a (clean!) diaper. A sniffing thief will not open it quickly, fearing that it is a discarded poo diaper.
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Tip 4: Buy a water-resistant cover
You can also put non-water-resistant smartphones in a special case, so that they are still protected against the elements. This way you can still take it into the water with you.
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There are more expensive cases from companies like LifeProof, which keep the phone sleek and usable. Prefer not to spend too much? Then you can opt for waterproof phone pouches.
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Tip 5: Take a smartwatch with you
The latest Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch have mobile internet support. Link the device to your mobile subscription and you can also call and send text messages when you are not near your phone.
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One drawback: these mobile smartwatches currently only work at T-Mobile. It is not yet known when other providers will also support this.
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