You’ve heard the warnings: Keep magnets away from your computer! Keep magnets away from your credit cards! Keep magnets away from that old floppy disk (if you still have one around.) Historically, much of our data has been stored magnetically, so there was a good reason for these warnings. But if you’ve been recently warned to keep magnets away from your smartphone, the truth is, magnets probably won’t interfere with your next “Words With Friends” game. The impact of a magnet on your smartphone actually depends entirely on what you use your phone for. You Won’t Lose Your Information or Harm Your Screen Our phones are filled with apps and data about work and personal lives, but thankfully, there is no chance of losing an important email to a nearby neodymium magnet. That’s because we’ve changed the way we store our memory on our electronic devices. In the past, we exclusively used hard disk drives inside computers. These circular drives held a series of magnetized particles that could be read as data while the disk spun. These days, however, smartphones (and many computers) rely on solid-state drives.  Current drives have no moving parts, making them more compact, and not reliant on magnetism to store data. Instead, they rely entirely on electrical signals to orient transistors –– similar to how iron particles are oriented in a hard disk or a credit card but more modernized. You can place your phone right on top of a neodymium magnet, and you won’t lose any data. And for those of you who are worried about the integrity of your screen –– modern screens are either LCD or LED-based, meaning there’s no chance of magnets interfering with function. Why Some of Your Apps Might Not Like It While your data isn’t threatened by magnets, your phone’s compass sure is. A powerful magnet can slightly magnetize the steel in your phone, which could continue to interfere with future compass readings once you’re out of the magnetic field.  Even if you don’t use the compass app, you’re not totally out of the woods yet. Some GPS and other way-finding game apps such as Google Maps, rely on the compass to discern your orientation. Corrupted, they become nearly impossible to use. Remember that most phones keep their magnetometers toward the top half of the phone. So, as a precaution, if you choose to attach some sort of magnetic accessory, keep it close to the bottom. Bottom Line You don’t need to be concerned about a magnet compromising your smartphone’s data. However, an industrial-strength magnet could permanently interfere with your phone’s internal compass, making some apps difficult –– if not impossible –– to use. As a general rule, don’t set your phone on top of any high-powered magnets. If you think your phone has already been affected, confirm by checking the accuracy of your compass. For more information on how magnets can influence your life at work, browse through some of our other industry topics or contact us today. Our team is standing by to help you make the right purchase.