iPhone XS Waterproofing lifespan?

[Benhama]

I understand my 3 year old iPhone XS is IP68 rated (30 minutes at 2 meters) in terms of water resistance. It recently got damp for a few hours in my pocket whilst out cycling and on my return home my iPhone advised that “a problem was detected with the TrueDepth camera. Face ID has been disabled”. From my research it appears that this may be a water ingress issue, which is surprising as my iPhone has certainly experienced wetter conditions than that of the other day. So, my question is does the waterproofing of the iPhone degrade over time?

As a side note I’ve just taken delivery of an iPhone 13 as I find the loss of Face ID a PITA

 

[now i see it]

Yes and it’s never guaranteed on day one. There’s no guarantee of any type of water resistance from day one and the IP68 water resistance rating is only a possibility. Maybe it’ll leak, maybe not. If it does - not Apple’s problem.
There are pending lawsuits over this issue in Europe I believe - starting with the iPhone 7. False advertising.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I think Apple should cover water damage while it's under warranty like watch companies. After the warranty is up, the customer should be responsible as water resistance is most definitely not permanent

 

[foliovision]

My own experience suggests that the water-resistance fades badly after a few years, even on an iPhone 11 Pro Max. An iOS update from 13.7.2 to 15.6.1 may have made the internal sensors more sensitive (i.e. more likely to block the phone in software).

 

[goldenarm007]

Waterproof vs. Water resistance

 

[Andeddu]

I had been washing my iPhone 8 and iPhone 12 Mini underwater in a sink with hand soap once per month throughout the lives of those phones to keep them clean. Never had any issue with water resistance and both are in pristine condition to this day.

Obviously once getting a battery replacement I will think twice before testing the water resistance as the seals will have been compromised and may not have been properly replaced.

 

[compwiz1202]

I think Apple should cover water damage while it's under warranty like watch companies. After the warranty is up, the customer should be responsible as water resistance is most definitely not permanent

Yes even if there was a water deductible higher than the others