Samsung has landed into trouble with the Australian authorities over Galaxy ads. The latest ads showed that Galaxy smartphones can be used while swimming. The Australian competition regulator has filed a lawsuit against Samsung and alleges that the ads were misleading.

“Samsung’s advertisements falsely and misleadingly represented Galaxy phones would be suitable for use in … all types of water, including in ocean water and swimming pools, and would not be affected by such exposure to water.”- Rod Sims, Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Samsung may have to pay fine in the tune of millions if proven guilty. Recently the law has been changed to accommodate a maximum fine of 10 million Australian dollars for each violation. The regulators also added that Samsung boasted their phones are water resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. On the contrary, they are being shown used in oceans and swimming pools.

Furthermore, according to the regulator, Samsung didn’t have “a reasonable basis” for claiming its phones were waterproof. Apparently, some Galaxy devices started facing an issue when used in water and Samsung refused to honor the warranties. To make matters worse Samsung has put a warning that reads “not advised for beach or pool use” on the new Galaxy S10 product page.

Our Take

Samsung Galaxy S10 comes with an IP68 rating. In other words, the Galaxy S10 can be taken to the pool but is not suitable for sea diving. It also means that the device can withstand some degree of dust and sand.

Moving on, the IP68 rating mentions fresh water and this is for a reason. The devices are tested in fresh water with no contaminants. However, the swimming pool and ocean is not fresh water and the devices might get damaged. Samsung’s latest ads fail to consider this limitation. Have you taken ever taken your waterproof phone for a swim? Let us know in the comments below.