Skydiver's iPhone survives 14,000-foot fall from a plane

By Malcolm Owen

A TikTok video shows a skydiver dropping his iPhone from a plane during a dive, with it somehow surviving the 14,000-foot fall to the ground.

[TikTok/@capt_rumcoffee]

Dropping an iPhone can be a fear-filled occasion for most users, worrying over potential cracks to the screen or other damage. In a video doing the rounds on TikTok, a skydiver showed what could possibly be the most extreme version of that situation.

Published to the video-sharing service on February 20, the video by Hatton Smith titled "When your phone falls out of your pocket at 14,000 feet" shows him leaping from a plane, and quickly being separated from his device just after exiting. The iPhone is seen to spin and flutter away from the camera at speed.

The short video cuts to a shot of the iPhone, partially wedged into the ground "like Excalibur" as one off-screen voice put it. The iPhone is then pulled from the ground and deemed "completely fine."

@capt_rumcoffee When your phone falls out of your pocket at 14,000 feet #fail #screammovie original sound

It is unclear what model of iPhone was shown, but it was placed inside a reasonably rugged case. More importantly for its survival, the iPhone landed in ground that was very muddy, giving it a softer landing than typical.

While Apple doesn't offer a height the iPhones can survive a drop from, most rugged cases are marketed as capable of fending off a drop of about 6 feet.

This is far from the first instance of an iPhone being dropped by a skydiver during a dive, but the survival makes it a rarity. The iPhone has also encountered other tough survival situations over the years, including numerous instances of being submerged in lakes for long stretches of time.

Much like a rollercoaster or other high-octane activity, AppleInsider recommends participants stow their iPhones and other valuables safely and securely, preferably away from any activity that may cause damage or loss of the devices.