GoKawiilUnfortunately for water lovers and the perpetually clumsy, these water resistance claims aren't really designed for real life. When the IP value is tested for, the water isn't hot, salty, muddy, chlorine-laden, or otherwise impure, it's not moving, and the phone is submerged gently. Unless users are actively recreating all of these conditions, there's a myriad of other factors at play determining whether your phone survives.
The phone being tested is also brand new — even with a high-quality phone case, every impact your phone takes can cause small, otherwise imperceptible damage that can change how it's affected by water. Combine all of this with the fact the specifics of an IP68 are highly dependent on the manufacturer, perhaps only meeting the bare minimum technical qualifications for the rating, and you've got a recipe for a waterlogged phone.
If you were hoping to circumvent this issue by upgrading to an IP69 device instead, you're out of luck. Though they're uncommon, IP69-rated phones do exist, but even those devices shouldn't come along in your pocket to the pool. The nine indicates the phone can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, but there's no additional submersion protection. To truly keep your smartphone safe, water should be avoided at all costs, regardless of IP rating.