No doubt you've experienced this situation before, or at least witnessed it. Your phone or other device malfunctions, and the inner technician awakens. You grab screwdrivers, and perhaps even knives, to disassemble and repair it yourself. You find yourself bombarded with a torrent of "information and methods passed down through forums, friends' advice, or viral TikTok videos—all aimed at garnering likes and views. You might even invent a method based on your own ideas, only to have disastrous results. The strange thing is that, over time, these tips have become accepted as absolute truths, especially if they worked for someone once. But these myths have not, and will not, withstand the scrutiny of academic science and the realities of technology.
We've all heard those golden rules of thumb: "Put your wet phone in a bag of rice," "Close background apps to save battery," and "Never leave your phone charging overnight." While some of these tips may have worked in the past, relying on them today with modern iPhones can be quite counterproductive. In fact, most of these beliefs stem from a profound misunderstanding of how these sophisticated technologies actually work in our pockets.
Today, we will set the record straight, revealing the most famous tech myths, why they are wrong, and how they can damage your precious phone if you use them. Be aware that they are myths.
Myth number one: “Rice” is the magic savior for a wet phone
That's the classic trick everyone knows: as soon as your iPhone falls in water, quickly put it in a bag of rice! The logic seems convincing; rice absorbs moisture. But the shocking truth is, this is one of the most harmful myths. Yes, rice is a desiccant, but it's very slow at doing so; it doesn't "pump" water out of the phone, but merely absorbs moisture from the surrounding air.
Even worse, putting your phone in rice gives you a false sense of security while the trapped water does its destructive work, corroding internal components and copper connections on the motherboard. Furthermore, the fine grains of rice and the resulting dust can seep into charging ports and speaker openings, causing further malfunctions.
What should you do instead? Apple officially advises against using rice altogether. Instead, position the charging port facing down, gently tap the iPhone to drain the liquid, or hold it firmly and squirt water once or twice, then leave it in a dry place with good air circulation for at least half an hour.
Or take it immediately to a trusted professional technician who will dry it with special equipment.
Myth 2: Manually closing apps saves battery
There is a psychological need, primarily, to pull up the apps and clear the task screen; it feels like you are tidying up a messy room to make room for the phone's speed.
But the technical reality is that this behavior does not save the battery, but may drain it! In iOS, when you leave an application and switch to another, the application does not remain running in the background and consume processor resources as in older operating systems, but the system “freezes” it and saves its state in RAM without consuming power.
When you force-close an app and then reopen it later, you're forcing your phone to load all the app's data from scratch into memory—a technical effort that consumes far more battery power than simply waking it up from a frozen state. Apple itself confirms: "Only force-close an app if it's frozen or unresponsive."
Myth 3: Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from the Control Center completely disables them.
When the battery indicator flashes red, many people start turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from the “Control Center”, thinking that they are stopping power consumption.
However, be aware that changing the icons from blue to gray doesn't completely disable these features. Since iOS 11, this action only disconnects the current network or accessory, while the features themselves remain active in the background.
Apple does this to ensure that essential system features like AirDrop, AirPlay, and Handoff continue to function, and to maintain a stable connection with your Apple Watch or Apple Pencil. If you want to disable them completely, you'll need to go to Settings and turn them off manually from there.
Myth 4: Charging overnight damages the battery
This myth dates back to the era of old nickel-cadmium batteries. Modern phones use lithium-ion batteries supported by smart power management chips (PMICs).
The truth is, your phone is smarter than you think; once the charge reaches 100%, the power flow to the battery stops completely, and the phone starts working directly from the charger.
Furthermore, Apple added an "optimized battery charging" feature that uses artificial intelligence to learn your lifestyle. If you charge your phone at midnight and wake up at 8 a.m., it will charge to 80% and wait, then complete the remaining 20% shortly before you wake up, thus reducing the battery's chemical aging.
Myth 5: Apple slows down older phones to force you to upgrade
This myth is the most controversial, and although it is based on a real event (the famous Batterygate case), the goal was not what many people think.
The technical explanation is that Apple does indeed slow down the performance of older phones, but not to push you to buy, rather to prevent "sudden shutdowns." Over time, lithium batteries lose their ability to supply the processor with fast, high-voltage power surges during demanding tasks. If the processor requires power and the battery cannot provide it, the phone will suddenly shut down to protect the internal components.
Therefore, iOS implements what's called "performance management," which slightly reduces the processor speed to ensure phone stability. You might experience sluggishness when playing games or opening apps, but it's still better than your phone shutting down while you're on an important call!
last word
Understanding how your iPhone works, beyond common myths, will not only give you peace of mind but also extend the life of your device and allow you to take full advantage of its capabilities without unnecessary worry. The next time someone advises you to put your phone in a "rice sack," remember that science is always more effective than such superstitions!
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