It happens to everyone no matter how hard you try to prevent it. You have a shiny new smartphone, and you guard it with your life to keep it safe and new. You buy a protective case for it and stick an anti-glare, anti-scratch plastic over the screen. You even put it in your pocket a specific way.
Time passes, and you start allowing yourself some liberties with your phone. You become careless. Then there’s a spill, a slip or an unfortunate accident involving a loose grip and a toilet, and suddenly you’ve got your very own smartphone horror story.
The Cracked Screen Catastrophe
A cracked screen is one of the worst things that can happen to your smartphone. While sometimes you can still use it, that’s not always the case — especially if you have a touchscreen. Even worse, if the front of your phone gets smashed, it doesn’t look new any longer. Your brand new BB10 is suddenly ugly. It’s been hurt.
How does this happen? You may trip while you’re texting and drop your phone. All unknowing, it could slide out of your pocket or your handbag, hitting the pavement with an ominous crack. You may even inadvertently throw it, which happens more often than you might think. How can you prevent this? Cell phone insurance is a great idea, but you should always make sure you have a sturdy screen protector and ideally a case as well.
The Dreaded Adventure of Getting Your Phone Wet
Mobile phones and water do not mix. While a few drops here and there theoretically won’t do any damage, you never know. The worst phone misadventure occurs when your phone gets fully submerged. Insurance helps with this as well, but how do you tell people about some of the biggest mistakes? Sometimes you just have to make up an excuse that isn’t as embarrassing as the truth.
Would you believe a story about a couple trying to take a photo on the edge of a cruise boat who dropped their phone in the ocean? How about the unfortunate girl who stowed her phone in her brassiere, bent over and watched it plop into the toilet? There’s also the washing machine failure: a phone accidentally left in a pocket, undiscovered until after the rinse cycle.
The Agony of Autocorrect
Not all mobile mishaps have to do with broken or otherwise damaged phones. In fact, sometimes your phone can damage you—or at least your reputation. Everyone loves to text. It’s a fast and easy form of communication that makes it effortless to keep in touch. In trying to help, however, your “smartphone” might prove itself quite dumb.
Some of the biggest texting horror stories have to do with accidentally sending risqué messages to a boss, making a significant other believe there’s cheating afoot and sending something so garbled with corrected text that it makes the sender look like the worst kind of degenerate. While insurance helps with cracked screens and serious water damage, you’re on your own with autocorrect. The best way to avoid this scenario is to always proofread your texts before you hit send.
Your phone is important and even essential for your daily life, so you have to keep it safe. What’s the most horrific thing you’ve ever done to your phone?
Author Bio: Elliot Martinez is a freelance writer and social media junkie. He is currently preparing for graduate school and covering all tech topics.