Why do cellphone waterproof ratings have a time limit? Example 6 meters for 30 minutes.
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It’s really difficult to make something completely watertight if it has any sort of openings (like a charging port). It can be done, but the engineering and materials required drive up the cost of production, and therefore the cost to the consumer. You could purchase a pretty much “forever” waterproof phone, but the cost would be significantly higher than whatever you paid for your phone (and would likely not be worth it – most people change phones for reasons other than water damage).
That said, we can make things that will keep water out for a good long while, but water pressure is pretty relentless and it will push water molecules into any crevice, eventually overcoming the strength of whatever is used to keep the water out. The deeper you go, the more pressure there is, and the more the force behind the water pushed into crevices. This is why a water resistance rating is a combination of depth and time – the materials and design of the seal are engineered to last only so long at a certain depth.
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