Liquipel Does Not Waterproof Your iPhone

A few months back, there was a viral video that espoused a new technology called Liquipel that literally repelled water away from the treated surface. The video showed treated surfaces acting as an invisible wall against water, which would maintain its dancing liquid form at the perimeter. When applied to phones, Liquipel claimed that the process ‘waterproofed’ your phone completely (keep reading).

In a YouTube comment, they described the technology as such:

“Liquipel uses a proprietary nano coating technology that is able to “inject” a coating that is a 1000 times thinner than a human hair which permeates the device entirely. It allows current to pass between components so it doesn’t affect the battery connection or the audio jack as you asked, while on a microscopic level the water molecules are actually “hovering” above the surfaces of the device. It’s truly a next level technology that will free us from the fear of water and electronics”

Interesting stuff, and nano-technology is definitely the future. Despite all of the hype, excitement, and viral video sharing, it seems Liquipel does not perform as promised and seems more like snake oil than magical phone protector.

The Tech Guy Tests his Liquipeled iPhone on Air

Leo Laporte hosts a technology focused podcast/radio show that reviews the latest tech gadgets. On episode 91, his phone is returned to him from Liquipel and he tests it on air.  Start the video around the 27 minute mark:

Leo Laporte 91 – Liquipel iPhone Test

The best part is the accompanying warning telling the user not to drop it in water!

While the phone initially worked upon removing it from water, the long term results were not good – check out 1:13:45 of the clip for the results. Leo says,

“Will it turn on? I killed it. Its not turning on. Our review is in on Liquipel: you can do it, just don’t get your phone wet afterwards”

The lesson here is that all sorts of writers jumped on the Liquipel bandwagon long before they ever thought of testing it themselves. In the end, they did their readers a great disservice. Leo followed the scientific method and drowned his iPhone so that others would not.

Liquipel Changes Their Story

Initially, Liquipel claimed that their technology waterproofed electronic devices: phones, ipads, whatever. As it turns out, this was not accurate. The company since changed their branding to say that the product is WaterSafe, a term they created (which conveniently allows them to define it). While they do not say exactly what this term means, their FAQ’s on their website say it all:

My device was treated with Liquipel; can I take it swimming or surfing?
No, the Liquipel treatment is a preventative coating and is meant to protect the internal, vital components of electronics from liquid corrosion in the event of accidental liquid exposure. Just as you would not intentionally throw your device on the ground after purchasing a case, you would not want to intentionally submerge your device in liquid after having Liquipel applied.

So it is not waterproof, and we are not sure what WaterSafe means. It seems like they are marketing this as a preventative measure that may or may not work.

The Costs

There are a number of costs involved with Liquipelling your phone:

• Service Cost – Liquipel starts at $59, with additional goofy options (such as ‘Gadget Film’) and rush service that can increase the cost.
• Shipping Cost – You have to pay to ship your phone to them; they charge you markup for shipping back.
• Time without phone – You will be without your phone for the roundtrip shipping time + the 1-2 days for them to perform the service. Major headache.
• Cost of failure – This is the worst cost, in that you pay all of this money and your device still may fail when subjected to water. It is not clear what this ‘service’ protects your phone from and, obviously, they are not liable to replace your phone. You may pay for this and still need to buy a new phone if yours is damaged by water.

Overall, Liquipel is clearly not waterproof and I don’t know if this even counts as water resistant. The definition of WaterSafe is questionable. While they have good marketing and viral videos, the cost coupled with the fact that the product does not work for real users would scare me off as a consumer. Hopefully the technology improves and can be used more confidently in the future.