Cell phone carriers as a standard places water detection devices inside cell phones. Ok that I can understand, water and electronics don't mix well. Well along comes Apple who does something sneaky - water detections on the OUTSIDE of the phone. Hummm could these possible trigger false positives - oh yeah. It seams some have complaints that the detection were showing false positives for something so simple as sweat.

Apple iPhone Abuse Detection Sensors: Who Is Abusing Whom?

Most cell phones have water detection sensors on the inside that change color from white to red in the presence of water. So why does Apple place two additional sensors on the outside of the iPhone?

In addition to the two industry-standard internal moisture detectors, Apple puts on the exterior what they call “built in Liquid Submersion Indicators that will show… whether liquid has entered the device.” Apple places one sensor in the iPhone headphone jack and one adjacent to the dock connector (pictured). But according to a number of reports from news organizations and consumers, these sensors have been known to give false positives. Many have posited that the indicators are set off by sweat, which one would think should not happen in normal use.

According to an Apple Inc. representative speaking on behalf of its general counsel’s office, Apple’s protocol when responding to a customer whose iPhone has a triggered external liquid indicator is to say that the warranty is now void and to turn the customer away. The warranty states that it does not apply “to damage caused by… liquid spill or submersion,” (from Apple’s Warranty (pdf)) yet, again according to this representative, “Apple’s standard protocol” is to not open iPhones and investigate for real signs of liquid damage, such as water damage to the motherboard or corrosion.

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