The iPhone 7 marked a significant change in contrast to previous generations of Apple smartphones for many reasons, one of which being the newly added, water resistant feature. While many buyers might see this as a pleasant, unremarkable perk, the waterproofing is an especially welcome addition for all those that love the great outdoors, keeping active and angling in particular. Johan Attby, the Founder of Fishbrain, the world’s biggest app for anglers (www.fishbrain.com), praises the feature, expanding on the impact it will have on the angling community.
The decision to get rid of the headphone jack in the new iPhone models is a hotly debated topic, which slightly overshadows the fact that the new handset is water and dust resistant. The iPhone 7 sports the IP67 mark, which means that it can withstand being in a meter of water for as long as half an hour. This news is welcomed by Fishbrain, an app that allows anglers to share fishing locations with each other, discuss their catches and techniques, and hone their angling skills.
As the target audience for Fishbrain is outdoor and angling enthusiasts, its users are most likely to find themselves in wet and sometimes rainy environments, with their phones being dangerously close to water. With 2.5 million users worldwide, almost evenly divided between iOS and Android, Fishbrain’s users welcome the changes in the iPhone 7 and the functionality that it brings. When previously, anglers would have to wrap their phones in bulky cases, or make-shift wrappings, the new phone eliminates that, making the process of angling and capturing catches, significantly easier than before.
Johan comments: “By making the new iPhone water resistant, Apple has kick-started a new era in the integration of personal technology within outdoor pursuits and hobbies, and, in particular, fishing. Though many people might consider the new waterproof casing as a comfort should it rain or they go on a beach holiday, for those across the world who love the great outdoors, they no longer need to leave their phones at home or to keep devices in their pockets. Since launch, our users have logged over 1.5 million catches on Fishbrain, and, with the arrival of the new water resistant iPhone 7, we anticipate this to surge. This will benefit both the hobby as well as our work with conservation organizations such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which uses Fishbrain users to crowdsource data on endangered animals and riverbank wildlife. An interesting by-product of the water resistant iPhone 7 will be a whole new popular genre of photography, as anglers will exploit the opportunity to photograph their catches up-close and in their natural underwater environment.
As well as providing anglers with a platform for socialising and finding out about the conditions in their respective areas, a key aspect of Fishbrain is also gathering data detailing which species prevail in certain areas, wind direction, water conditions and air quality In the US, users are also notified about which species of fish are endangered and should be released, or which species are invasive and shouldn’t be let back into the water. This has resulted in major collaborations between Fishbrain and angling authorisations and authorities, such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Fishes of Texas project at the University of Texas. The sharing of extensive data has made it significantly easier for researchers to look for trends, eliminating the limitations that were previously posed by stretched resources and manpower.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
