Health officials recommend cleaning smartphones to contain coronavirus
Smartphones act as a host for bacteria and should be cleaned regularly to combat the spread of coronavirus according to UK health officials.
With COVID-19 now declared a global pandemic, the general public should be wary of “high-touch” surfaces such as smartphones and go to greater lengths to wipe them clean.
Smartphone owners pick up and unlock devices more than 70 times per day on average, and recent tests found they are home to a variety of different microbes and bacteria.
However, cleaning them with liquids, spray cleaners or heavy-duty products can prevent them from functioning afterwards.
Apple has offered official guidance for cleaning iPhones and other connected devices for a while now, and it previously recommended using a soft-lint free cloth.
It updated that advice recently, noting that an alcohol wipe can remove germs, which can live for several days depending on the surface and room conditions.
Apple said: “Using a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox disinfecting wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, non-porous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces.”
Most modern smartphones are resistant to water, so users could also use a thin layer of soapy water.
Phone cases can be cleaned more thoroughly and just need to be left to dry before being reassembled.
With almost 2,000 cases now confirmed in the UK and a peak expected in the next two months, cleaning a phone is a small but important step people can take to help contain the virus.