Water is the great enemy of electronics, and like other companies, Apple's limited warranty does not cover damage caused by liquids. That is true even for water-resistant products like the iPhone and Apple Watch, which feature a Liquid Contact indicator that changes color when the device comes into contact with water.

9to5Mac discovered that Apple has added a weapon to its arsenal for detecting water in Mac USB-C ports. in Sonoma 14.1, the latest build of macOS, a new system daemon called "liquiddetectiond" runs in the background running in the background to collect liquid detection analysis from the Mac's USB-C port.

It is described as a "liquid detection and corrosion mitigation daemon," and if you have ever tried to plug in your iPhone after walking in the rain, you have experienced something similar with your iPhone. iPhone detects water in the charging port and to prevent damage It will tell you that you need to unplug it immediately to prevent damage.

But here it appears to be only for Apple's benefit. The site points out that the code is only used for "analysis" and suggests that it is not used for end-user functions - at least not at this time.

Apple may enable an alert feature in the future that warns users to unplug, but for now "it seems more likely that the data collected by this daemon will be used by technicians to determine if a Mac is eligible for a free repair," the site It concludes.

It is unclear if this update is for all Macs running macOS Sonoma or if it requires additional hardware for the upcoming M3 MacBook Pro to function.

However, just because you're rocking an older MacBook doesn't mean you can start using your laptop in the bathtub. According to the company's website, "Mac laptop computers and some Apple wired and wireless keyboards have a Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) to help determine if these products have been exposed to liquids."

The company's website states, "The LCI is a "liquid contact indicator" that helps to determine if the product has been exposed to a liquid.

Of course, given that most people don't take their computers for a walk or run in the rain, the chances of a MacBook getting wet are much less likely than a cell phone or watch.

Still, if you prefer to live wild, you might consider enrolling in AppleCare Plus for your Mac to save money in the event of accidental damage. Coming from someone who has spilled rum and Coke on an old MacBook Pro, I can tell you that even a basic keyboard replacement can be expensive.