As COVID-19 continues to spread through countries around the world, there’s a renewed focus on keeping yourself germ-free. A lot of what’s recommended is fairly standard for a viral outbreak – stay at least 1m away from others, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face – but there are also guidelines that suggest avoiding touching your face after using digital devices like iPhones and iPads.
That’s because digital devices can harbour a lot of nasty germs over time, especially if they’re used by multiple people. It’s recommended that you keep your iPhone clean, avoid letting others use it and wash your hands regularly – but how do you clean an iPhone? Despite the water resistance on offer from newer models, there’s more to it than rinsing it in the sink.
You can give your iPhone a standard clean by turning it off and using a damp lint-free cloth, being careful not to get liquid into any openings on older devices. But while that’s enough for the occasional grubby fingerprint, viruses like Coronavirus need something a little stronger.
Apple recently updated its guidelines to reflect this, and now actively advises using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe to fully disinfect your iPhone before use. In the UK, you can pick up the likes of the Sanicloth 70 Percent Wipes along with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes in the US – a product directly recommended by Apple.
Simply wipe it over the display and body of your iPhone, making sure not to submerge the device in cleaning agents for any amount of time. A wipe should be more than enough to disinfect your iPhone.
We’d also recommend wiping it over with a lint-free cloth to remove any excess liquid, and although it may be tempting to give your iPhone a good old scrub, you should avoid cleaning it with abrasive materials.
There is also a risk that the alcohol could wear away the oleophobic coating of your display, so don’t do it too often, but it’s certainly worth doing every now and again to avoid accidental transmission of the virus.
For those looking for general smartphone cleaning advice, we recommend taking a look at how to clean a smartphone.
Author: Lewis Painter, Contributor
Lewis Painter was once a Tech Advisor Senior Staff Writer. He covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware.