PhoneSoap Pro

I was skeptical at first about this product. How can a UV light get rid of common everyday bacteria from your phone (or any other small objects like keys, credit card..etc)? After doing an in depth research of all available resources online, I became a believer and ordered 2 of the PhoneSoap Pro model. When the package arrived, one of the 2 was defective. The lightening icon on the top cover would turn RED after the cleaning cycle is complete. I called customer service and was asked to return it for a replacement unit. The replacement model arrived within a few days and did not have any issues. I then went online to chat with PhoneSoap customer service about the defect and was told the RED light on a new unit may be a cracked light bulb that occurred during shipment. The RED light may also occur if the unit is over used to let the user know it is overheating and needs to cool down. I was also informed that the PhoneSoap unit comes with a LIFETIME warranty on the bulb and a 1 year warranty on normal wear and tear of the product. Their website also offers an 1 year extended warranty for $4.99 which includes shipping both ways and normal wear & tear of the product. I bought the extended warranty just to have a peace of mind for 2 years. So far my wife and I have been using the product for a little over 2 weeks now and we absolutely love it.

I would consider this an essential device for any healthcare worker. It has become an important part of my daily routine. Get home, phone goes in, and it's done by the time I get out of the shower. It doesn't require setup, and is incredibly easy to use. As far as efficacy goes, you can find independent studies in academic journals assessing it, which found it to be more effective than various chemicals. I've been using similar UV tech for water purification in the developing world for years. The device itself was very well packaged, and arrived early. I felt the price was fair, and would highly recommend this product.

Sorry this is going to be wordy but I have a lot of information to include. First here is a timeline of events, then I will include more details. And I will update this review when I receive new replacement. Ordered on 3/8/2020...Delivered on 3/18/2020...Used a few times and then Broke later that night (will explain more below)...Sent back next day for repair, then received replacement on 4/4/2020. Contacted customer service right away about potential defect (will explain more below). Waiting for return label so I can mail this back and hope that the third time is a charm! So first I want to say that as someone who has been washing their phone with rubbing alcohol for years, despite knowing that is not the best for your phone, I have always wanted a product like this. So I was very excited when I came across this product. At the time when I ordered there were 2 models available: The PhoneSoap3 ($79.95) and the PhoneSoap Pro ($119.95) The difference between then besides the price was that the Pro was a little bigger and sanitizes in 5 minutes vs 10 minutes. I was originally going with the cheaper one but am SO GLAD I went with the Pro. NOTE ABOUT SIZE OF THE MODELS: I have an original Google Pixel phone, so it's not even that big. It does have an otterbox and a popsocket on it which of course adds to the size. I can fit my phone with the case and the popsocket pushed in (not extended) into the Pro. But there is not a lot of room to spare. Since my phone is so old I know it will need a replacement one of these days that will most likely be a larger size, so fortunately I went with the Pro so it might fit. I would be concerned with a future phone potentially not fitting in the smaller model (PS3). Obviously I could take the case off to save room if needed, but it's nice that right now it does fit with the case on. In my Pro I could NOT fit my Fitbit Charge2, a wallet, some bluetooth headphones. I was only able to fit a phone or some earbuds. Obviously you could fit some loose change or loose bills, anything small and the right shape. NOTE ABOUT STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT: I do not know if it was a design flaw, a way to manufacture and ship the units out faster, a way to cut costs for both manufacturer or consumer, or if it was simply a way to try to gain a little extra space inside the unit. But the unit is very fragile. When you open it up, on the bottom the bulbs are covered so there is a flat surface to lay your phone on. BUT on top lid there are two exposed bulbs. Which makes them very fragile. As I said, I don't know if this was left open as a way to try to 'gain' some space. If there was a covering you would lose a few centimeters of space that perhaps was left open so you could fit something CAREFULLY between the bulbs that need a little more height. Or perhaps it was left open as a flaw/cost saving measure. Either way, it means you have to be exceptionally careful when placing something inside the unit or you can very easily crack a bulb. While I understand not trying to force something to fit in or force close the lid, i do wish that top side was more durable so you didn't have to walk on eggshells when placing something in there, out of fear it might crack a bulb. When my Pro arrived I was very excited to use it. Even my husband who doesn't generally sanitize his phone said he would absolutely start using it. We used it a few times without any issues. The lightning bolt was white for 5 minutes and then turned off. It seemed to be working properly (I didn't actually test with a petri dish or anything so I can only assume it's actually sanitizing.) Later that night I noticed that the lightning bolt would start out white and then turn to red. I searched the manual, Google, etc. and could not find anything about what red meant but I assumed it was bad. I called customer service the next day (given the pandemic they're exceptionally busy.) The wait-time was well over an hour and the girl who answered was nice but admitted they had been getting calls all day about broken units. She explained to me that the red light was like a 'check engine' light. Which meant we needed to look the unit over and if we didnt find anything wrong with it, it might be fine. Upon further thorough inspection we noticed that one of the bulbs on the top (as I said above they're exposed) had a crack in it. So she said I would need to mail it back to have the bulb replaced. And possibly the whole unit would be replaced. She said they were out of stock so if I had it replaced it might need to be a refurb, but if that happened I could request a discount. My replacement unit arrived, it's a different color so I know it's not my original one and that's ok but I have no idea if it's brand new or a refurb. But the first thing I noticed is that the white light stays on for 10 minutes instead of only 5. I was glad to have a working unit again so I honestly don't mind the extra wait time but I contacted customer service to find out if this indicates a defect or if it's working as intended. I was informed that does mean it is defective and I can send it back for yet another replacement. So now as of 4/3/20 I am waiting to receive my packing slip email so I can mail this back. I will update this when I hopefully receive my 3rd unit. As of today I am giving it 4 stars. Perhaps I am am giving too many. Given all the cons I have mentioned. BUT I am also rating on how nice customer service has been. And how much I want to believe in the product and like it.. I am hoping my next replacement will work beautifully, and be the last replacement I need. I am being cautiously optimistic Depending on how the rest of this experience goes, I would absolutely consider purchasing the $199 HomeSoap model that fits larger items like tablets and Switches, etc. .

Very good sanitizer for phone

This product came in handy at just the right time. I was initially looking for something to clean my phone, but I never thought it could also clean other things like my eye glasses, credit cards, driver's license, lanyard (with metal clip), rings, car fob, pill box, pen, and more. As long as the lid closes, the device turns on and it cleans. It's simple to use - just close the lid and wait for the light to turn amber. I highly recommend (which I did and my family all have one now). I wish I knew about this sooner. I use it every day.

It's super easy for the lid to slam shut on this thing busting the delicate bulbs inside. Such a poor design that ruins a useful and expensive product. I would have thought after several generations they would have not let such an obvious oversight make it to the final product. And here we are years later with still no updated design to resolve that issue.

Great buy! Useful product!

I like the phone sanitizer because it looks good and fits my iPhone 11 well. You do have to trust that it works because you can’t see the germs on your phone! LOL! The unit is large enough to put other things in it (take your phone out first). I’m thinking of putting my credit card in the unit but waiting to hear the answer about the UV light damaging the chip. And this one also allows for other items to be charging through another port. I do recommend this unit. And I believe the seller (the individual,not Amazon) is very committed to providing a great unit and follow up!