14 DAY TRIAL // Apple used the recent press event to highlight 10 of the most important features coming in iOS 10, but it turns out that the company omitted one that’s critical to our iPhones.
By the looks of it, the new OS issues a warning whenever liquid, including here water and any other clean fluid, is detected in the Lightning port, so you are prompted to disconnect any accessory that you might attempt to connect and wait until the connector fully dries.
The warning has been spotted by reddit user lucioghosty, who says that the feature is part of the existing beta versions of iOS 10, so it’s very likely to be included in the final release coming in September for retail users too.
iPhone 6s/6s Plus and SE supporting it for now
For the moment, it’s not yet clear what iPhone models actually support it, but the latest 6s generation almost certainly does. The redditor explains that he spotted the same message on both the iPhone 6s and the SE.
“Disconnect Lightning accessory. Liquid has been detected in the Lightning connector. To protect your iPhone, disconnect this Lightning accessory and allow the connector to dry,” the message reads. Users can tap the “Ignore” option if they don’t mind taking the risk, with iOS then prompting them to confirm this choice, emphasizing that “ignoring this warning may damage your iPhone.”
Without a doubt, this is a neat feature addition to the iOS device lineup, especially because Apple is preparing one big change that will make the Lightning port the one and only connection method for iPhone 7. The 3.5mm headphone jack will be removed and replaced with an all-purpose Lightning connector that will allow users not only to charge phones and back them up but also to listen to music - new headphones with a Lightning connector will ship right in the box.
Also, it could be the first step towards a waterproofed iPhone, although this message clearly shows that the next model is unlikely to be ready for such a feature. The 2017 iPhone, on the other hand, is expected to come with what has been described as a “jaw-breaking design,” so waterproofing would make much more sense in this regard.
