The Catalyst Waterproof Case is supposed to protect your iPhone from submersion in water up to 10 meters. But before you trust your iPhone to a brand new case, you’ll want to make sure that the one you have doesn’t have any leaks in it.

Products used in this guide

How to test your Catalyst Waterproof Case for leaks

To test your Catalyst case, you’ll want to use a sink that you can plug. You’ll also want to make sure that your iPhone is out of the case when you run this test.

  1. Snap the back cover onto your empty Catalyst Waterproof case, starting from the top and working your way down around both sides, then the bottom. Be careful to firmly press the back cover back into place, and watch out to make sure the silicone gasket doesn’t move from its position.

  2. Press your fingers around the edges of the case to ensure a proper seal.

  3. Place the silicone Lightning port cover back in its place to complete the seal.

  4. Fill your sink with water. you can now drain your sink.

  5. Submerge your Catalyst case into the water and hold it there for a minute or two. You might notice some bubbles arise from the case while it is submerged. This is normal.

  6. Remove your Catalyst case from the water.

  7. Thoroughly dry the outside of the case off with a towel.

  8. Pull back the silicone Lightning port cover.

  9. Push up on the access tab on the back panel of the case using a coin or your finger (coin recommended).

  10. Pull the back panel away from the rest of the case. Do this carefully, as you don’t want water from the outside of the case splashing into the inside, as it might confuse your results.

  11. Inspect the interior of the Catalyst case for water. It is normal to see some water in the area where the back and front panels meet. But if you see water anywhere else in the case, such as around the inside of the Lightning port cover or on the inside of the speaker membranes, you might have a leaky case.

You have now tested your Catalyst Waterproof case for leaks. Assuming you found no leaks, you can now feel safe putting it on your iPhone.

What you’ll need

Of course, to test the Catalyst case, you’ll actually need to get your hands on one.

The case

Catalyst Waterproof Case

Keeps your iPhone protected without disrupting use

The Catalyst Waterproof case keeps your iPhone away from water and dust and protects it against impacts, all in a slim, easy-to-pocket package that doesn’t get in the way of you using your phone.

The Catalyst Waterproof case offers excellent protection for such a slim product. While a lot of other protective cases are meant to protect your phone from absolutely everything, the Catalyst keeps it safe from most sources of damage that you’re likely to encounter.

iMore – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog