Magnets as electronic accessories can be quite useful. For example, phone cases with a magnet on the back allow you to attach your phone to mount on a car. This can be helpful if you need to answer a call from someone, but do not want to take your eyes off the road.
However, many have raised the question: Can magnets be harmful to your phone?
Recently, both Apple and Google advised users to be vigilant when using certain third-party accessories.
Read on to understand what the effects magnets may have on your phone and whether it is indeed harmless.
What Is the Effect of Magnets on Phones?
It is first important to understand that magnetic phone cases are made up of materials, such as nickel, iron, and cobalt. These compounds may rub involuntarily against your phone and invoke magnetic fields, affecting functions that require magnetic sensors.
The following can be affected: signal, data, and battery.
Signal
Some materials in a phone case can affect signals, such as metal.
That begs the question, can magnets interfere with a phone signal?
Research suggests that a magnet can have an effect on a phone’s internal sensors. This can potentially cause a malfunction with the three-axis magnetometer and Compass, especially if the magnet is strong.
Google has not made their guidelines available, but Apple has made their guidelines public, stating that it recommends “avoiding the use of magnets and metal components in accessories”.
For example, with regards to the Compass application in Apple and Google, both manufacturers do not recommend buying certain phone accessories from third-party manufacturers.
If you use applications, such as Google Maps, and the magnetic sensors are being affected, then Google Maps might give you incorrect directions.
Data
Some also say that phones with magnetic cases, kept in wallets, can corrupt magnetic data storage in credit or debit cards.
Meaning, a magnet can potentially wipe memory off a phone, if the phone’s memory is recorded magnetically.
Battery
Apple suggests that you avoid “magnetic mounts, magnetic cases, or other objects between your iPhone and the charger.”
With regards to wireless charging, some materials such as aluminum in a phone case can prevent wireless charging signals.
If you struggle with your phone’s battery life, you might find it beneficial to read about the best battery phone case.
The reason why magnets won’t actually damage your smartphone
A magnetic phone case needs to either be extraordinarily strong or improperly designed to mess with a phone’s functions.
Even then, a magnetic phone case will not cause damage to your phone.
Magnets will only have a great effect on credit cards or hard drives because their data are stored magnetically.
It should be noted that most hard drives are not magnetic anymore. At present, most phone data storage uses solid-state drives or flash memory. These methods of storing data do not use magnetism.
Thus, your phone’s memory will be safe from magnets.
With regards to your phone’s battery, magnetic phone cases are not strong enough to affect it unless the case is improperly designed. For example, some phone cases can affect your phone’s battery life, such as those cases that generate excess heat.
Meaning, depending on the quality of the phone case, any phone case can cause phones to overheat.
Lastly, there is no evidence indicating an association between magnetic phone cases and whether it may cause cancer.
If anti-radiation and cancer is a topic that concerns you, it might be beneficial to read up on the best anti-radiation cell phone case.
Conclusion
In essence, magnetic accessories are harmless.
Magnetic phone cases are not powerful enough to cause any adverse effects on your phone.
Phones are created, with the knowledge that it needs to be compatible with trendy accessories in the market.
It is also best to look at Apple’s guidelines, to ensure that your iPhone will not be affected by a magnetic accessory.
If you want to be extra cautious, it is always good to read up on a magnetic phone case’s reviews before purchasing it.
Are magnetic cases safe for phones? FAQ
Do you need to calibrate your Compass app when you have a magnetic phone case?
When you use an app that accesses the magnetometer (i.e., your phone’s Compass) then a magnetic accessory can give some problems.
More specifically, the problematic presence of Ferromagnetic materials in the environment and the phones themselves.
Ferromagnetic materials can either manipulate the magnetic field or produce their own magnetic field.
This interferes with the phone’s Compass function.
This is why calibration is useful. Calibrating is when you move your phone in a particular direction.
The calibration can compensate for the field produced by the Ferromagnetic materials with an actual magnetic field.
In essence, you need to adjust your phone to the changes, through calibration, to provide a more desired result.
