Apple sets the record straight on two popular hacks shared around by iPhone users for years

Apple has debunked a popular method for removing water from an iPhone along with a widely followed trick to extend battery life.

According to official documents released this year by Apple, the tech giant specifically advises iPhone owners not to “put your phone in a bag of rice.”

The theory goes that dried rice will draw out and absorb water if a phone has been submerged, but Apple said it is no more effective than allowing the device to air dry and that the rice particles could damage the phone.

Apple also explained that users who try to squeeze more minutes of charge out of their batteries by closing background apps are actually draining more battery.

Apps that are put in background mode are paused in the phone’s RAM, which does not drain the battery and allows for easy resumption. The phone maker said that deleting apps in the background consumes more power as it drains the battery when they are reopened.

All recent iPhone models are waterproof, which should prevent damage to components if dropped into water; however, they also have a feature that alerts users that charging is disabled if water is detected in the Lightning cable port.

Apple said users should follow these three steps if they receive this alert on their phone.

First, gently tap the phone in your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid.

The phone should then be left outdoors to dry where there is air flow.

Users can check if charging is enabled after 30 minutes, but it could take up to 24 hours to dry completely.

After a day, if the phone does not charge, unplug the cable from the phone and the wall and plug them back in.

The company said that inserting cloth or cotton swabs into the connector port could damage the metal pins, as could rice particles.

For those looking to improve battery life, Apple said a more effective way than closing background apps is to turn off “background app refresh” in settings.

Location services can also be disabled to consume less battery.

Brightening your phone’s screen also uses up a lot of battery, and dimming your screen or using dark mode in apps will help your phone stay charged longer.

Heat can also affect the battery, so it’s best not to leave the phone in direct sunlight, but the manufacturer said leaving it plugged in to charge overnight is generally fine, as the software will turn off charging if the phone it gets too hot.