Did you know your iPhone may actually be up to 18 times dirtier than a public toilet? This is the claim being made by PhoneSoap, and the problem that the company is out to solve with its eponymous PhoneSoap 3 UV sanitizer. While PhoneSoap’s claims may seem shocking on the surface — and perhaps even a little bit self-serving considering that the company sells a cleaning product — when you actually take time to think about the way in which most of us use our iPhones, it may not be that surprising; after all, we handle our iPhones many times a day, every day, in a wide variety of circumstances, and unless you have the hygienic diligence of a germaphobe, chances are that you’ve transferred germs and bacteria to your iPhone from a variety of everyday objects, ranging from toilets handles to gas station pumps and subway turnstiles, even leaving aside the many surfaces you might set your iPhone down.
Enter the PhoneSoap 3, a relatively straightforward device that uses UV-C light that the company promises will kill 99.99% of the germs and bacteria on your iPhone in just 10 minutes, while charging your device at the same time. The unit itself is basically a large clamshell box, slightly larger than an old VHS cassette (yes, we’re dating ourselves here) that you place your iPhone in, where it’s bathed in UV-C light. The package also includes a power adapter, a quick start guide, and one of PhoneSoap’s microfibre cleaning pads to wipe down your screen. PhoneSoap 3 is available seven standard colors, along with a limited edition Cranberry Red for the holiday season.
PhoneSoap easily handles iPhones of all sizes, even with most cases, and provides a hole in one side to pass a charging cable through, which can conveniently plug into one of the USB ports on the back.
Both USB-A and USB-C ports are provided, although the latter is for compatibility only; high-speed USB-C PD is not supported. You’ll need to supply your own cable, but the charging aspect is also completely optional and may not be useful for everyone — PhoneSoap only requires 10 minutes of your iPhone’s time to sanitize it, so there’s no need to worry about charging, but it’s a handy feature for those who would rather just leave their iPhone in the PhoneSoap overnight. It’s worth noting here that PhoneSoap also now sells a Qi wireless version for $40 more.
Using PhoneSoap is otherwise very straightforward. Put your iPhone inside, optionally plugging in a Lightning cable to charge it, and close the lid. PhoneSoap will bathe your iPhone in UV-C light for 10 minutes, after which the light automatically shuts off.
The lightning bolt logo on top of PhoneSoap will illuminate while it’s in cleaning mode, but there’s also no need to wait for the cycle to complete if you suddenly need to use your iPhone — for example if it starts ringing while inside. Simply open PhoneSoap and the light will turn off and you can take out your iPhone and carry on.
Inside the unit are two UV-C bulbs — one on each side — along with reflective paint to make sure that the UV-C light reaches every nook and cranny of your iPhone. The bulbs themselves are rated for 4,000 hours, which equates to 24,000 uses of PhoneSoap before they burn out, but the company also backs them with a lifetime warranty and promises to replace them for free if they burn out before that. To those unfamiliar with the practice, the method itself of disinfecting with UV-C light may sound like a gimmick, but it’s actually a sound scientific method known as Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation that’s been in use for over 100 years, and is quite common in products like electric toothbruses. We’re obviously not equipped to actually test the effectiveness of PhoneSoap 3 at removing germs and bacteria, but we think it’s safe to defer to experts on this one.
PhoneSoap 3 solves a problem that many iPhone users probably don’t even know that they have, since of course germs and bacteria are basically invisible to the naked eye.
