No cold calls for iPhone stuck in an ice rink

Skaters at an ice rink in Milton Keynes, UK, will see an unusual item below the surface as they travel around the arena. The newly-installed temporary ice rink at Willen on Ice has a pink-cased iPhone stuck in the middle of the ice.

Out of reach a few inches below the surface, the iPhone is clearly visible for anyone stopping to take a look, but it’s not able to be rescued. Ice Leisure director Rob Cook explained to the BBC that the iPhone will be stuck in position for two months since digging it out could affect the rest of the ice.

One of the workers setting up the rink had lost his own smartphone, and had borrowed his daughter’s bright pink iPhone temporarily. However, he accidentally left the iPhone at the rink overnight, at a time when 13,000 gallons of water was being poured into the rink’s structure.

It is unclear if the iPhone was left by accident in the middle of the rink or whether a colleague placed it there as a prank. Either way, the iPhone cannot be retrieved without causing a lot of damage to the rink.

The worker admits that his daughter initially gave him the cold shoulder, especially because the case was brand new. However, her anger cooled off after she was promised a temporary replacement until the rink is deconstructed at some point after January 5.

It is unclear what model of iPhone is trapped, but the triple camera arrangement indicates it is a Pro model.

Apple does market the iPhone as having splash and water resistance, with the iPhone 16 Pro able to survive a depth of 19 feet for up to half an hour. Though extensive, it is unlikely that Apple tested freezing the iPhone in ice for months at a time.

That said, the iPhone has managed to survive some pretty chilling situations in the past.

In 2017, an iPhone 7 Plus was dropped into a river during an ice-fishing accident in Russia, with it retrieved the next day unscathed.

A 2021 incident in Saskatchewan resulted in an iPhone being dropped into a frozen-over lake. Approximately 30 days later, it was retrieved using a fish finder and a strong magnet.