Apple Shows How It Tests iPhones for Durability
Apple thoroughly tests its products during development to ensure they last a long time and are reliable even in tough conditions. The company tests at least 10,000 iPhones before they are released, trying to cover every aspect of their protection. Apple doesn’t often let outsiders into its labs, but this time it invited some WWDC 2025 attendees to visit one of these labs to see for themselves what conditions new devices have to endure before their debut.
In total, the tests are divided into four categories:
Climate tests
Water tests
Crash tests
Vibration tests
Climate tests are conducted to prepare devices for operation in a variety of weather conditions – officially, Apple equipment is sold in 175 countries.
As part of the testing, Apple exposes its devices to salt, bright light, and dust from the Arizona desert for 100 hours to find out what happens when small particles of sand get into the iPhone speakers or charging port. In the case of AirPods, some tests include the production of artificial versions of sweat and earwax.
Water tests check the equipment for compliance with IP standards, for example, IP68 in the case of the iPhone 16 Pro. This is the highest level of protection, which means complete resistance to dust and the ability to continue to function normally after immersion in water to a depth of up to 6 meters for one hour.
Despite all the non-obviousness, iPhones also have to withstand things like being in the back of a motorcycle riding over rough terrain. Again, the number of variables involved in these tests is huge, so Apple’s testing is designed to expose devices to a wide range of vibration frequencies:
