Is using my Galaxy Note9 in the shower bad due to the steam?

[Android Central Question]

So I often find myself watching cooking videos in the shower because I love being warm and cozy in the shower, and I am wondering if the steam from the hot water is bad for my phone? I have a Galaxy Note9 and it's water resistant but I just want to make sure I don't start a habit that I will regret.

 

[Velenoso]

Well there are two issues with showering with your note 9, frist the phone is water resistant not water proof, meaning you might not be covered if it get water damge and secondly samsungs usually have their back cover plate glued on, the heat of the hot water might cause it to come away from the back letting in water.

 

[MaxAwesomeness GB]

No. The IPS 68 Water Resistance should be fine, I did it with my S8 all the time, even swimming in a pool for half an hour and sitting in a hot tub for an hour more.

Velenoso is correct, although water resistance is a feature, if it fails it's on you. However you would burn your skin before the back came off from the glue melting.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'd also point out that if you've ever dropped your phone (or if it's had any other kind of physical trauma), that increases the possibility that there could be some small break in the integrity of the phone that you're not aware of. The water resistance depends on the original integrity of the phone's build, so anything that affects it could make it more susceptible to water damage.

 

[hallux]

The IP ratings are based on immersion in still water. A shower is pressured water and steam. The steam can get into places water can't. I wouldn't. I don't consider the water resistance rating of a device to be a license to get it wet but rather a safety net for those "oops, it fell in a puddle on the way to the car".

 

[Kodak2]

Steam is very fine particles of water suspend in the air and could penetrate the phone more easily than larger drops like rain. I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[Rukbat]

Humid air is still air, so unless the phone is airtight, steam (which is a gas, water vapor is tiny particles) and humid air will get into the phone. When it cools off, the moisture will condense, causing water damage. It will be very slow compared to dropping it into the ocean, but it will happen.

So, yes, not only is using the phone in the shower a bad idea, having in the bathroom when taking a shower is a bad idea.