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Ice fisher's iPhone 7 Plus survives 13-hour immersion after dunk in Russian river

An ice fishing accident has led to an unexpected demonstration of the iPhone 7's water resistance capabilities, after an iPhone 7 Plus was retrieved from the bottom of a frozen-over river, and found to be in perfect working order.

A resident of the Russian city of Yakutsk dropped the iPhone 7 Plus into one of the ice fishing holes on the river over the weekend, according to the Russian-language Ykt.Ru. Unable to retrieve it, the iPhone was left in the water overnight until a friend of the owner who was proficient in diving was able to assist.

An Instagram account by the diver, identified as Fedor, explained it took three attempts to find the iPhone in the cold water. Shortly after being pulled from the water, the iPhone turned on successfully, showing it had not been damaged from the drop and the 13 hours of submergence in 4C (39.2 F) water.

A video posted by Fedor (@emfedor1983) on

Before entering the water, it is believed the iPhone 7 Plus had 35 percent of its charge remaining. Once pulled from the river bed and back in the owner's hands, it was found to have 19 percent battery life remaining.

The iPhone 7 isn't actually a waterproof device, with its IP67 rating advising it is capable of surviving immersion at a depth of one meter (3.3 feet) for 30 minutes. This is intended more for accidental splashes or drops into water, such as a sink or at the beach, instead of being used for swimming or other underwater purposes.

Apple designed the iPhone 7 with water resistance in mind, adding adhesives and rubber seals to the chassis to try and prevent or limit water and dust ingress. The previous iPhone 6s also had partial water resistance, with seals and gaskets added to strategic positions inside the casing to help protect it, but ultimately Apple decided against advertising this as a feature.