With all of the recent news of COVID-19, aka the coronavirus, lots of people are paying extra attention to sanitizing everything they touch and washing their hands. Your smartphone is something you touch a lot every day, both with your hands and face and so some folks may be wondering how they keep it clean.
Apple has updated its cleaning instructions for its products. Previously, Apple warned against using cleaning products and abrasive materials, saying that they could "further diminish the coating and might scratch your iPhone."
Now Apple says that it's okay to use a disinfectant on your device. Specifically, Apple says you can use a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to clean your device's display, keyboard, and other exterior surfaces:
"Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don't use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don't submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don't use on fabric or leather surfaces."
The Wall Street Journal put Apple's guidelines to the test. Joanna Stern got a new iPhone 8 and wiped the screen 1,095 times with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to see if it would deteriorate the oleophobic coating on the iPhone's screen. That number is the equivalent of wiping off your phone every day for three years.
After more than 1,000 wipes, the iPhone 8's oleophobic display coating was still in good condition.
To compare, Google says that it's okay to use "ordinary household soap or cleaning wipes" to clean your Pixel phone when needed.
Because you take it everywhere, touch it constantly, and put it on all types of surfaces, your phone can get pretty dirty. Even if it's not visually dirty, it can be covered in germs. Apple's previous cleaning guidelines may have made some folks nervous about keeping their expensive gadget clean so it's good to see Apple update its cleaning information, especially with all of the recent news about the coronavirus.