How Long Does the Coronavirus Live on Your iPhone?

How long does coronavirus live on an iPhone? Credit: Yuricazac / Shutterstock
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We all know by now that you can get the coronavirus by being close to people who are infected. This is due to the respiratory droplets an infected person lets out when they sneeze or cough.

And while that is the most common way to get COVID-19, a new study suggests that people may become infected just by touching contaminated objects or through the air.

The study, that was conducted by Dr. Vincent Munster and researchers of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), shows that the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the virus that causes COVID-19, remains infectious on several surfaces, and in the air itself.

They tested the virus on plastic, stainless steel, copper, and cardboard, which are surfaces frequently found in hospitals. However, it goes without saying that these surfaces are found in your everyday objects, such as your iPhone or your Apple Watch.

How Long Does Coronavirus Live on an iPhone?

The results showed the virus remains on plastic and stainless steel for 2 to 3 days. While this theoretically means that the virus can live on your devices up to 3 days, the times will vary in real-life conditions, such as humidity and temperature.

The virus also remained active on cardboard for 24 hours and on copper for 4 hours. And it remains active for up to 3 hours in the air.

Unfortunately, the researchers didn’t test how long the virus lives on a glass surface. However, they did compare their research with the results from a similar test made to the SARS-CoV-1, which is the virus that caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, also known as SARS. They found that both viruses share similar results regarding their stability in the environment. Based on this, we can expect COVID-19 to remain active on a glass surface for 4 days.

How Can You Keep Your iPhone Clean?

You don’t only need to keep yourself clean, you have to keep your gadgets clean. We’ve all known that your iPhone can be dirtier than a toilet seat. If that wasn’t a good enough reason to clean your devices, then this is.

There are many ways to keep your devices clean. Here are a few of our recommendations to keep your iPhone clean. In addition, you can also check how Apple wants you to clean your devices. Besides the aforementioned tips, we’ll provide additional recommendations below:

  1. If you need to go out, clean your iPhone and Apple Watch before and after you do it.
  2. You need to clean your iPhone and its case. Cleaning one and not the other won’t cut it.
  3. Avoid lending your devices to other people. Your iPhone needs social distancing too.
  4. Keep your iPhone with you at all times, but avoid using it in public spaces.
  5. Try to not answer phone calls outside. If you need to do it, don’t put it close to your face.

We don’t know how long this epidemic will last, but following the guidelines set by health officials is the best way to prevent contracting and spreading the virus. Stay safe.


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