Apple iPhone Water Damage
94Did your iPhone or iPhone 3GS just experience water damage? If so, read on for details on what to do, how to save it, and if all else fails, how you can get a new one at the Apple store.
Recently, I completely damaged my boyfriend's iPhone. How? I did the worst possible thing and threw it into the washer.
I had no idea it was in the pockets of his robe! Somehow, he had put it there after waking up. I, trying to be a great girlfriend, decided to wash all of his clothes, even his robe. Unfortunately, for the both of us, his iPhone was in it.
So, what to do if this happens? Well, after completely panicking, we started to do a ton of research and found a lot of information about what to do.
Easy Steps to Follow for iPhone or iPhone 3GS Water Damage
Below are 12 easy steps to follow if you're iPhone has experienced water damage. Read on below for more details on each step.
- Do not turn it on - that means, do not touch any buttons.
- Do not turn it on - that means again, do not touch any buttons!
- Do not turn it on - again, this will cause the phone to short circuit if there is ANY amount of water in it
- Take it out of the case and remove the sim card.
- Shake out any extra water.
- Use a blow dryer on low heat for about 15 minutes to try and blow air through it and get rid of some of the water. Make sure it is on low heat.
- Shake it out again.
-
Put it in a bag of rice, make sure it is completely covered
- Leave it in the rice bag for 2 -3 days if your phone was in water for less then a few minutes and 6-7 days if your phone was in water for more than that.
Each day, take it out of the rice and use the blow dryer on low heat again for an additional 15 minutes. Then, put it back in the bag of rice. - After 2-3 days you can check to see if it is still wet by shaking it a little to see if any water comes out. Sometimes, water may not come out so if you want to be sure, leave it there for 4-5 days.
- After you've left it in the rice bag for enough time, then try and turn it on to see if it works.
Remember: This is not foolproof, but it has worked for many people. The whole point of putting it in rice is to help it dry and remove the moisture.
What to do if you just damaged your Apple iPhone or iPhone 3GS
First, do not turn the phone back on. By instinct, I wanted to turn it on to see if it was working. However, if you do this, the phone will short circuit because you are putting electricity through it while there is still water in it. Water in an electronic device may not break the item. However, too many times, people turn on the item right after to check if it is still working. The act of turning it on causes you to put electricity through it. Before, when it was off, no electricity was running through it. By putting electricity through something that has water in it, you will cause the item to short circuit.
I repeat this a couple of times just so everyone understands. If you can dry out the item and remove the water, it just might work. The water will eventually cause the electronics inside to rust, but it may not cause the item not to work.
So, after not turning on the item, what do you do? You try to dry it out. You let it sit. Some people recommend putting the iPhone in rice. Take a large amount of rice, put it in a gallon ziploc bag, and then stick your iPhone in the middle of it. You don't have to wrap it or anything, the rice won't damage it. See the video below for an example of how you do this. Basically, the rice will help to suck the moisture out. If you try this method, change the rice each day. Another method is to apply some form of heat against the phone - whether it is your blow dryer or a small room heater. You want to run low heat air through it for 30 min. to an hour every couple of hours. This will help dry out the moisture. Your entire goal is to help remove the moisture. Until you know the moisture is completely gone, do not turn it on. Depending on the amount of water, some people have recommended waiting anywhere from 2 to 7 days.
Finally, after doing all of that, slowly turn on your phone. Surprisingly, for many people, these methods of waiting and drying out the phone completely worked. Many people online had accidentally dropped their phone in the pool, tub, sink or some other source of water. For us, none of this work since the phone had been washed and sat in water for more than 30 minutes. However, if you drop your iphone into water for only a few seconds or a minute, then, a lot of times, drying it out will cause it to work again.
Apple store policy and procedures for water damaged iPhones or iPhone 3GS water damage
One other tip. If it doesn't work, or it doesn't work right, you can now get it replaced for $199 at the Apple store. Previously, they wouldn't replace it since water damage automatically voids the warranty. Yes, the 2 year or 1 year warranty you have is not safe if you get water damage. There are 4 sensors on your phone (picture examples are below) - 2 that you can't get to while opening, and the other 2 that you can see. The first one is in the small round hole on top left of the phone (the earpiece hole), and the other one is in the bottom middle that separates the connector. If you shine a light and look at either of these, the sensor will be pink if water has touched this area. Because of this pink sensor, the folks at the Apple store will not honor your warranty which is what happened to me and my boyfriend.
But, the good news for us all is that Apple has now changed its policy. If you have a water damaged iPhone (pink sensors!), Apple will now allow you to replace it for a refurbished phone for a lower cost. It's $199 for a refurbished phone and the warranty is only 90 days, but this is a huge difference between the full price of $599 or $699 contract free phone that we had to pay to replace the water damaged phone. Also, don't forget, if you've bought your phone from Best Buy or used a credit card that offers protection, you may be able to get some of your money back or get the phone replaced for free. Don't miss out on these options since you will have to pay to replace the water damaged phone.
An example of putting the iphone in a rice bag
Example of pink sensor on top left of phone
Example of the pink sensor triggered in the bottom middle of your iPhone
If you have to buy a new one, why not upgrade to the new Apple iPhone 3GS
- New Apple iPhone 3GS
Apple just announced its new Apple iPhone 3GS which is available starting June 19, 2009. For all of you current iPhone users, you’re probably wondering why you should even consider buying it. For all of...
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Fortunately he did! He wasn't too happy for the first few hours and from now on, when I do the laundry, I triple check his pockets!
a great place that repairs water damaged iPhone www.northbayiphone.com
This is a great guide for those who find themselves in your shoes.
yup i definetly tryed to turn mine on right away
I dropped mine in the pool 6 months ago and tried everything to get it back to life. Randomly plugged it in today and it works!!!! I cannot believe that after 6 months its back to life.
Yeah bine fell in the toilet and it was on so I just let it do whatever it wanted and hoped for the best
Yesterday, as I was on the phone I slipped and fell outside (it was raining). I have a phone case on my phone and the phone actually fell face-down into a very shallow puddle. When I picked the phone up, it was still on and I in a panic, called my mom back (who I was speaking to) to let her know I was ok. But, the speaker was bad, the sound sounded like it was very distant and like it was going to blow. I could barely hear. I made two more calls to see if the same thing happened. When I got home, I turned it off and it has been in a bag of rice, in my pantry - where it will remain for the next few days. I am hoping this will remedy the problem. I am afraid that there could be actual damage to the speaker since it took a hard hit. We will see. Thanks for the info, I have been hearing from many people to do the rice trick...so here we go. I only hope that since the phone didnt discharge at the fall and my keeping it on for 15 minutes does not damamge the phone further. It's a 3rd generation and I am not eligible for an early upgrade so if I have to pay $599 for a new 3GS I am going to freak!
Wow, good luck! Sounds like it actually might be OK except the speaker. From your description, I can't tell if the speaker was damaged during the fall or by the water (although I haven't heard of speakers being damaged by water so quickly).
If it is completely damaged, Apple may let you pay the $199 for a refurbished phone instead of $599 for a new phone. Definitely go to the store and ask!
Let me know what happens!
So I dropped my iPhone in the pool on Friday and I immediately grabbed it out. It dried in a bag of rice for 2 days, then I turned it on today and it is working. All my apps, pics, music is there. Only thing, is that it doesn't seem to want to charge. Is it possible that the water could have killed the battery. It comes on while plugged into the charger then it just shuts itself down completely. If it is a battery problem, could I get a new battery and if so, where do I go to get that?
Thanks for any assistance
iphone in rice bag. MIRACLE! you rock my world~!!!
Christina - Apple will definitely recognize the water damage (the pink sensors) so they won't replace your battery or anything else. The only option they will offer you is to buy a refurbished phone for $200. On the other hand, you may be able to get a battery from a third party for a lot cheaper so you should definitely look around. The only thing is that based on your description it could either be the batter or the charging circuit could be damaged. If the charging circuit is damaged, replacing the battery will not help and you will have to get the refurbished phone from Apple. If it is only the battery, you can try to buy it.
One other thing - sometimes, it takes more than 2 days for it to dry, especially if you dropped it into the pool. I would give it another 2-3 days to dry and then test it again. Also, if it is in a case, don't forget to remove the case so it can completely dry.
Good luck!
Aha...that makes sense. Well last night I shut it down completely and let it charge all night. This morning I woke up to a fully charged battery and it has not shut down on me yet. In fact my iPhone is currently syncing without any problems. Thank you everyone for your tips and expertise. My husband who does not have the privilege yet of owning an iPhone and who is extremely jealous of mine, refuses to let me get a new one. His words are, you better get that thing working or back to the Nokia's you go. :-(
I dropped my phone in the bath last night, I did switch it on straight away but then turned it off again, I restored it back to the factory settings last night and then left it switched off all night. This morning I can make calls and send texts etc, the only faults I have is that the home key doesn't work and sometimes the phone will flash on whilst in standby mode. I can't tell if the trigger in the headphone jack is activated or not but the one in the docking part at the bottom definitely isn't activated?
where do u go to get the refurbished iphone after having water damage???
cboetz@yahoo.com
Colten - you can now go to the Apple store to get the refurbished phone.
Sarah - I would suggest that you turn off your phone and leave it in a rice bag for a week. The problem is that by hitting the home button, you are turning it off and on too much and a little bit of water might still be in there. This could cause severe damage to your phone since each time you turn it on, it may short circuit and damage a part of the internal system. You have to let it completely dry out before you turn it on. Try leaving it in the rice bag for a week and then see what happens. If you are still experiencing the same problem then most likely, a part of the system has been damaged.
Finally, once the sensors have been touched by water, they will turn pink. In order to see this, you have to shine a flashlight in the right area of the phone. The sensor is pretty far back, but you will see a pink line if you look. The same goes for the one in the headphone jack. Make sure you shine the light and look straight on to see the sensor.
Alright I just got a new phone after having to replace mine due to blatant water damage. I had a 3GS 32gig and they replaced it with a NEW 3GS 32gig for $200. And because I purchased the phone with my AMEX, and it was less than 90 days, AMEX is covering the cost. Obviously if you are reading this it is probably too late, but this made me learn about the AMEX 90 day Purchase Protection Policy the hard way and I am thrilled.
That's fantastic! I'm glad they gave you a new one! Thanks for sharing the AMEX Purchase Protection Policy. That is a great tip for everyone!
So i went swimming in the pool today and I was dumb enough to forget about taking my iphone out of my swimsuit pocket. This really is depressing, its only been about a month since i got it. I guess im gona try that rice trick. It was completly submerged in the water for like close to a minute, and other suggestions?
That's how I felt when I realized I threw the iPhone in the washing machine! Definitely do not turn it on. The key is to let all of the moisture dry up before you do anything to it. This may take a week or even a little more, especially if it was in the pool for close to a minute and completely submerged. To speed up the process, we also tried to use a low space heater to dry up the water, but your best bet is to leave it in a rice bag. Also, don't forget, if it's in a case, take it out of the case. The case can prevent some areas from fully drying.
Finally, one quick note - if you used a credit card to pay for it, check to see if that credit card has some protection policy that may cover it. Just like the AMEX Purchase Protection Policy, some cards may cover the cost of replacing it. You never know unless you ask!
Good luck and let me know what happens!
Hello friends, i dropped my Iphone in a bucket for 2 min now it wont start from last 1 week, in 5th day i dry it for 15 min by hair dryer and on 6th day i kept it in air tight rice bag for 1 night but it wont work so pls let me know if i have opportunity to play with my iphone once again, Thanks
crap, i did the bathrobe pocket through the washer AND dryer without noticing. i also tried to turn it on, but it didn't light up. then i plugged it into my charger and was thrilled to see the white apple light up, then extinguish some 20-30 seconds later, then light up again in a cycle. after a few of these i unplugged it. have i definitely short-circuited it and screwed up any chance of drying it out in the rice bag? is there any way to say i LOST it and get a better deal?
this is to Rob from 4 days ago - how did you get a NEW 3GS 32gig replacement for your water-damaged one? Was it because of the AMEX payment, or did you do or say something to avoid getting the refurbished one with limited warranty.
and how do those refurbished ones do, in a longer-than-90-days scenario, anyone know?
=[ i went to the beach today and it got wet for like 3 second's =[ it hasent even been a month since i gotten it hope the rice trick work's
Melisa - you may have short circuited the phone by plugging it in and trying to turn it on a few times. The problem is, each time you tried to turn it on, you potentially damaged it because there was still water in it.
One thing I've heard is that it really depends on the rep that you get at the Apple store. I think some reps may give out new ones although they aren't supposed to and are really supposed to give you a refurbished one. I would try and find a nice rep, explain your situation and see what he can do. My boyfriend got the refurbished one and it's totally fine. It still works well and you can't tell the difference. Good luck!
Marcos - you might be fine. Just make sure you give it enough time to dry
Mandar - I'm assuming the bucket was full of water? I would leave it in the rice bag for a lot longer than the 1 day you mentioned. The hair dryer only accelerates the process, but the rice bag will pull out all of the water and help it completely dry. Try leaving it in there for 4-5 days and then try it. If it doesn't turn on, then it's completely damaged. Sorry!
thanks so much, dabbler. i put a low setting hair dryer on it for 2 hrs late last night then put it in a bag of brown rice. Kept searching the internet for comfort, and heard some say the kind of rice matters, white, instant, do you know? and will silica gel work better or the same? i hope it's not shorted out, and it was nice last night to see the screen get clearer - it's almost completely normal looking - tho' i did see water dripping out of one of the bottom speakers. my daughter says i can get a new 3G for 100$ since it's no longer the latest version. i'm checking if this is true, both with the Apple store and the ATT store. any more advice or suggestions?
quick help needed! i made an appt at the "genius bar" for tomorrow afternoon to replace my iPhone 3G with another. the guy at the Apple store today said they're mostly new with only a few parts that are re-used, so they don't call them refurbished. is this just sales talk? because he couldn't turn it on, laughing to see me take it out of a bag of rice, he said it definitely won't work.
but tonight, after a day in rice, and last night's 'blowdryer bath' it showed the apple logo when i plugged it into the charger, and in about a minute it showed a red plug and asked for iTunes "only in emergency." it is now in its 2nd hot air bath, and i borrowed some white rice from a neighbor....could it be that it might still work if i plug it into my computer? i hesitate to experiment since i CAN'T hurt the family computer, too, and I don't want to mess up my remaining data/songs on the computer. Suggestions?
Hi Melisa -
Sorry for the delay. First, the type of rice DOES NOT matter. All you need to do is make sure you leave it in a full bag of rice and completely cover it.
Second - the $100 replacement that your daughter mentioned is only for cases when a person is signing a completely new 2 year contract with AT&T and only if AT&T believes you have sufficiently paid back their subsidy. The only reason why you can get the iPhone for that cheap is because AT&T is subsidizing the cost of the phone. They subsidize the cost of the phone because you sign up for a 2 year plan with them and they get that subsidized amount back during the 2 years you have a contract with them. Therefore, unless your contract is out, you cannot get the $100 price.
Third - no, they are still refurbished units. If you look on the box, it will say it is refurbished. This can mean any number of things. It can mean exactly what the sales rep at the store told you or it can mean that the unit was gently used or lightly used and returned within 30 days. They will check the phone again to make sure it is working, but it means that it is not 100% new. This doesn't mean it won't work well, but again, when something is not 100% new, it may not work as well as something that is brand new. My boyfriend has a refurbished one though and it is still working well.
Finally, I noticed that you only put your phone in a bag of rice for 1 day or so (unless you already put it in there?). You need to put the phone in the bag of rice for at least 2-3 days if the phone was dropped in the sink or the tub for a little while. Since you put it in the washer, I would recommend you leave it in there for 7-8 days. The water in the phone needs to completely dry out.
You can take the SIM card out of the phone and use it in another AT&T phone if you want to make calls, but do not use the phone. It takes time for the water to dry and the rice is helping to suck out the moisture.
I would still not turn it on and definitely DO NOT plug it into the computer. If you do this, you run the risk of damaging the phone AND the computer. Sometimes, you can tell if the phone doesn't have any more water by shaking it and seeing if any water comes out. Either way, it might be good that you got a message about iTunes, but I would still wait a little longer.
Of course, this is not full proof so even if you wait another few days, your phone may not work. However, it is always worth a try. Some people have reported that it has worked for them. In your case, I am not sure since you've already tried to turn it on a few times.
Regardless, don't plug it into your computer, especially if you do not know if it is dry yet. You can damage the computer if you do this and I wouldn't want to see you with a damaged iPhone and a damaged computer.
Good luck!
Thanks for this I just my Iphone last week now I have to protect it like a baby thanks for this !
dear dabbler,
thanks for your long answer. it's great the rice doesn't matter, n my iPhone is back in its rice sleeping bag again now after a 2 hour stint with the hairdryer again. it is now turning on with the bottom center button, showing ATT bars, battery 1/2 charged, a lock symbol, and a "slide for emergency" button under the picture of the usb cord pointing to the iTunes symbol. the touchscreen registers my finger and moves the slide a tiny bit, then won't continue. BIG question is...do I wait to dry it out more or go into my genius bar appt and spend the 200 bucks to replace it? it bugs me that you sound so wary of plugging it back into the computer, cause i never want to risk hurting the computer, but how will i know when the time is right, 2 to 8 or more days after the rice, even so? some of the messages on your site and some others mention people getting a message that sounds like mine, then restoring their settings using iTunes. Do you think this is so for me? Do you think the genius bar guy would know more, or test it for me there? Is the rice better alone or with the hairdryer, and does length of time heating it up matter?
i know i'm getting to be a pest, so sorry for all the questions but you really saved my sanity last night, and the hope i got from your info and the other posts really matters right now....i'm temporarily out of work, and my husband has only assorted part time consulting work right now. he got this phone for me when times were better, and they'll get there again, but he'll really be sad and stress out about about this when i tell him, so you're kind of my only outlet
ps - how do i take the sim card out? your video insert on the rice bag was great, so maybe you know another one on youtube or elsewhere that shows this?
Melisa:
Here is a link showing how to remove the sim card: support.apple.com/kb/HT1438 (copy and paste it into your browser)
Did you turn it back on again after the hairdryer? Basically, you want it to completely dry out. Usually, this takes more than a day, 2-3 minimum if not 5-6.
I would suggest you leave it in the rice bag for another 2-3 days and let it dry out. Do not plug it in or turn it on or check the battery.
After that, try turning it on and see if it works. You will know if it is working or not. If you get different error messages, it is worth a try to take it to the genius bar. I would recommend that you take it in and ask them to try and restore the settings instead of trying to plug it into the computer yourself. You don't want to risk damaging your computer just in case there is still a little bit of water in the iPhone.
I am sorry to hear about your hard times. Totally understand what it is like. Things will get better!
My Phone fell in the toilet yesturday for a less than a few seconds!! I dried it out right away and took the sim card out and let it dry infront of a fan for 4-5 hours. Left it over night and checked it in the morning. It worked fine, there was a few stains on the screen that are going away.
My question is do i still need to put it in a bag of rice? or is it ok if it works ?
thanks
Samar - as long as it is completely dry, you don't need to put it in a bag of rice. You may want to put it in a bag of rice for 1 full day or you may want to leave it alone to dry out for 1 more day before turning it on and using it. The key is to make sure all of the water is completely gone. It's great news if it works completely fine.
I would recommend leaving it alone 1 full day to let it completely dry just in case there is still a little water left. You definitely don't want it to start and then to have the water sit there and continue to damage it.
Great! I will leave it over night in a bag of rice - Better be safe than sorry
thanks :)
Hi Dabbler, that bucket having a less level of water and my phone dropped from headphone side, the charging side is not even in water so its totally dry, but today i saw my phone sensor i.e into headphone hole is half pink just like above mentioned picture, i kept my mobile in rice bag for couple of days,so please let me know a further procedure, Thanks in advance
Mandar - It the charging side wasn't in water and you already kept it in a rice bag for a few days, then the phone should be dry. You can now try turning it on and see if it works. Good luck!
My phone plunged into the porcelain whirlpool 5 days ago and it has been in rice since. This morning, when I plugged it into the charge, it turned white. When I unplugged it, it went dark again. What does that mean???? Do I give up and buy another one, I am not up for an upgrade until January. I took out the sim card and put it in an old phone so at least I have something.
Elha - if it's white, it's not a good indication and it may not work. You may want to try to leave it in a bag of rice for another week. Each day however, take it out of the rice, put a blow dryer on low heat in front of it for about 15 minutes to help it dry and blow air through it. Then, put it back into the bag of rice. Then, at the end of the week, try plugging it in again. If you get the same result, then you are definitely looking at a damaged iPhone. If I were you, I would wait until January to buy a new one. Apple might come out with something new for Christmas and it may be worth it to wait. Good luck!
i already try to turn it on but it wont start,so again i kept it in a rice bag; please let me know if any more procedure need to be follow....
I tried again this morning plugging it in and the screen is a bluish grey and it is flickering. Is that a good sign??? I am trying to be patient, I don't have $200!
Mandar - unfortunately, there are no other procedures for you to try. You have to wait until it is completely dry before you can try to turn it on. Shake it around a little to see if any water comes out. Then, follow the steps above to help it dry completely. If it is completely dry and it still hasn't turned on, then there is nothing else to do. Good luck!
Elha - you actually cannot keep plugging it in and turning it on. Each time you do this, you are increasing the likelihood of damaging the phone. If the phone has any water in it when it is turned on, the water could cause it to short circuit. This may have happened already since you plugged it in and tried to turn it on. Your best bet is to use the blow dryer and leave it in the rice bag (follow the procedures above) for another 5 days or so or until you've determined that it is completely dry. If nothing happens after that, then your phone is completely damaged. So sorry, good luck!
I feel for all of you! I decided to take my iphone fly fishing yesterday, (bad idea) and it got a little wet, the thing was in my water proof pants which took on a small amount of water, so it was not submerged.
When I got out of the water, it was still on, however the screen was fading. I went to turn it off and the off button would not work. Eventually I did get it to turn off and before I did so the functionality of the phone seemed to be working. I am going to use the rice, who knows it may even add some flavor.
I want to see if anyone knows what kind of odds I have since I couldn't get it to turn off right away.
Just wanted to come back and provide you with an update....the rice trick absolutely worked. After three days in the pantry, in a bag of rice, my iPhone worked like new. The speaker was completely dried out. Thanks again, Dabbler, for posting this info. DaveyJones, I say give it a go.
If I'm not mistaken, isn't the phone "on" at all times? It's never truly "off" unless you manually power it down, which people normally do not do. Otherwise, it's merely in sleep mode and has power from the battery. My phone gets push email when its "off" (as people are referring to) so that indicates to me the phone isn't truly "off". Someone who has submerged their iPhone has done so when it was already "on", which would cause a circuit to short anyway. I think the real key here is to just give it time to dry out and hope for the best.
WackieStackie - that is great! I'm so glad it worked!
Chris - you are right. The phone is never truly "off" unless you've manually powered it down. However, you don't want to touch anything on the phone to cause it to do something because this is when it could short circuit. Even if you want to shut it down, you probably shouldn't because it will cause the phone to do something and this may cause a short circuit.
Instead, what you want to do is remove the sim card so you don't get any signal or email and then let the battery drain on it's own. So, do not do anything else besides removing the sim card. When you remove the sim card, be careful not to touch any buttons. Also, don't touch anything else - no keys, no power button, nothing that would cause it to attempt to do something because this is when it might short circuit. Then, after removing the sim card, proceed to follow the steps outlined above.
Dabbler - thank you so much for all your help. My iPhone is finishing its 5th day of alternate rice packing and blow drying. I have decided to wait until Friday before trying it. I dropped it in the loo, but couldn't turn it off. I'll let you all know...
Could some please describe the process of getting/ordering a refub replacement? I called a local ATT Store and called our business Premier 800 line and they both said I'd have to pay full price for a replacement since I'm not eligible for a contract "upgrade". What is also confusing, if you're going to a local store, it seems odd they'd a stock refurb iphones. Please advise...
I dropped mine in a public toilet, I know disgusting, because it was only 2 months old out of instinct i grabbed it, and boy I'm glad I did it fast.
I had it on and had to go to school, so it stayed on, not the brightest idea but i needed a phone because it was storming outside.
I got home and put my phone in a bag of rice for 4 days, after removing the SIM card to put in another phone for the time being. After the four days the sound came back.
Originally the ringtone, external speakers and microphone broke.
After the rice they started working.
I wish I'd seen this before i turned it on though, or rather left it on.
The rice is miraculous though.
As for water damage, the dot in the headphone jack is clearly red, so I'm wondering if they'll fix it, if i pay the 199$?
Thanks Mate. I had accidentally dropped the phone in bath tub and then tried to turn it on. Then, after reading the posts, I had the phone in a bag of rice for 36 hours and then tried it on....Unbelievable...it works...there are slight issues with the display...probably needs to be kept in rice a little longer....
I dropped my iPhone 3Gs in a public toilet last night (my hand still feels icky from pulling it out even though I've washed my hands over & over & over)... I too had JUST bought it a month and a half ago... Since I was in such a panic, I tried turning it on & off again time and time again ... NOW, I read this SUPER HELPFUL posting but I'm thinking I may have already caused a "short circuit"... My addiction to the iPhone is so bad that I actually had a dream that my iPhone worked & I woke up thinking this was true ... Sadly, I tried to turn it on again & nothing... I'm going to try the rice trick, but I still don't know what I'm going to for a phone in the meantime... CRAP! If I have to buy a new one it'll be my 3rd iPhone in 13 mohths.
I dried it out for a few days, everything works but the screen is really dark and you can't hardly see anything. Anyone know any tricks?
Iphone is fully functional.
Here's what I did.
Put in ziplock filled 3/4 with rice.
Did hairdryer once a day.
Took out of bag once a day and put
standing up, on floor register, and
turn house a/c fan "ON" instead of "Auto"
to get air constantly flowing up into
bottom of IPhone. After 1 or 2 hours,
put Iphone back in rice ziplock.
Did this 3 full days without
turning on. After 3 full days, plugged into
power adapter, Iphone powered up but said "no SIM
Card installed" removed SIM card, took outside and
put in full sun for 1/2 hour. Reinstalled the SIM,
Iphone now recognized the SIM. Iphone works.
As I was washing my hands tonight, I stupidly knocked over my i-phone and sent into a shallow pool of sink water. It actually sat directly underneath the running tap (facing up)for a good few seconds. Altogether, it was in the water for no more than 6 seconds? This message saying "Application not applicable to the i-phone" keeps appearing and disappearing AND I can't make or receive calls. Panicking, I started texting my friend to see if that function still worked and the conversation went on for about 10 minutes until the signal started getting really weak and I couldn't receive any more texts. My sound is also gone. Having read what people have written, I'm scared that I've caused a lot of damage in short circuits by trying to turn it on and off and texting.
Upon reading various suggestions, I've since submerged my phone into a sealed container of rice and kept in room temperature. Hopefully that will work and save me from having to buy another phone. It's become my camera and organizer. I don't want to part with it! =(
Here is something that worked for me after I dropped mine in the toilet, just blow the headphone hole and charging hole with a can of air (like the ones used for computer keyboards) and it works great!
I too dropped my beloved iphone in the toilet 2 days ago. I immediately dried it off & tried blow drying it. It seemed to be back in working order, with the exception of the button on the front. Late last night when I tried to recharge it with the wall charger I got a message saying plug it into itunes (the chaging jack & itunes picture). i did as instructed & itunes made the attempt to restore my phone to no avail this morning. Major bummer. I am now hoping your rice tip will save it. I am also interested in getting the info on removing the sim card. I'll be checking that out next. Any suggestions would be helpful.Thanks in advance.
i posted a comment earlier, could it also just be the dry cali weather that helped?
Hey my drink bottle's cap came off and emptied itself in my bag, my phone was in a tight leather case and i realized after a few minutes and fished my phone out. The screen had already gone blank and i tried turning it on once but shook all the water out and wiped it, the bottom bit already had gone red, and I then dried it with a hair dryer and its now sitting in a container full of rice hopefully it works, Does the apple $199 refurbished phone deal work in Australia too?
Very interesting HubPage. I wouldn't have known about the pink sensors! I guess Apple was expecting a lot of people to drop a lot of phones in water. I wonder how much it costs them to put those sensors in there! Thanks for the tip with the rice. That's very clever.
Jas - Unfortunately, I don't know if the refurbished phone deal works in Australia. You will have to check with your local store.
Alex - I don't know about the dry California weather. It is possible that your phone just completely dried out after a while. Either way, it is important that it is completely dry before you use it so you don't short circuit it and the water doesn't continue to damage other internal parts.
hi dabbler, i had droped my iphone in loo one month ago,but i had read all the comments mentioned above n i had kept my iphone in a rice bag from last 20 days but today i took out my iphone from the rice bag n tried to turn on but it wont and i saw that the headphone hole has become half pink which u hav shown above...is my iphone sensor has been damaged??what can i do,,should i hav to change my sensor or my iphone has totally damaged,,,please suggest me what can i do further....
:'( i droped mine in the tolet!!! i was panicking so i quickly got it out and dryed it off with a towel i thought it was fine cuz it barley even got in the water and it had a cover on it so i was stupid and tryed to see if it would work it turned on but was flashing so i shook it and water came out i was stupid enough to yet again see if it would work and it wouldnt even turn on -_- i had to go to school so while i was gone my mom put it in a bag of rice then she found some info on putting it in the freezer works better so thats where it is right now i rly hope i didnt mess it up by turning it on. im pretty sure i did. im so sad :'(
Hey, I took my phone out of the rice today & It didnt work :(
Got my appointment with the genius bar on tues morning...
Puja - if it still is not working after you have followed all of the steps, then there might not be anything else you can do. You will have to take it to the Apple store and see if there is anything else they can do. Most likely, since your sensor is pink, they will not be able to do much.
Jas - sorry to hear that!
my two year old drop my iphone in the toilet on yesterday morning i blowed-dryed and let it air dry over night. This morning there was ni moisture around the camera area so i turned it on. The apple sign did come on once i plugged in, but it went to a blue screen. I just read your postings on this site so i didn't know about the rice and not turning it on for a few days. I will still try that now. Do you think the apple sign coming up is a strong sign of beating this?
My problem is that it would turn on for a quick second enough to see the apple icon then shut right off. They looked at all my sensors and said the one where the battery charger goes into is the one that has the pink indicator so I have no idea when I got water in it or why it just suddenly kicked it. I will still try this at home tonight. Wish me luck!
hey i went to the lake and only swam for a few seconds before realizing my iphone was in my pocket comming out in a hurry i put it in a bag of rice and after 4 days i tried to turn it on it did but the screen was messed up so im leavin it in there for a while do you think the screen will be ok?
Hey this really work!!!!! I was hunting/fishing in Alaska and fell in the water up to my shouldres with my hip boots on and my 3GS iphone in my pants pocket. Initially, it would not turn off and made a whole bunch of strange beeps and buzzes. I took out the sims card and covered the slot with scotch tape and poked a few holes in the tape so the moisture could escape and the rice would not plug up the hole. I did the same to the charger connection and then placed all of it in a zip locked bag of rice and went off to a spike camp and returned in eight days. By then, the phone was dead and would not turn on and I was concerned. I plugged it into a charger and returned in eight hours and viola, it worked. Initially, the screen had a significant water spot, however, after two days the screen returned to nornal and the phone is once agian fully functional. The little (water indicator) dots are still pink but who cares the damn thing works just like new. If you experience water damage try the bag of rice it worked for me and save me hundreds of dollars. Thanks to everyone who discovered this little trick and shared it with the rest of the world.
Desparate - I'm not too sure since you tried to turn it on. Hopefully nothing was damaged and the rice will work for you. Good luck!
Mirmy - best of luck to you!
John Richard - Not too sure. It really depends on what part of the phone the water touched. Hopefully the screen will be OK, but you never know since nobody knows what part of the phone the water soaked into when you went into the water. Good luck!
Double Jay - glad it worked for you!
It worked!!!! My iphone is back to normal functioning. Thank you all for posting, y ou have been a lifesaver. it felt soooooo good seeing my iphone light up and beepnbecause i had text messages waiting :)
my brother pushed me in a lake without knowing i had my iphone in my pocket. ive been turning it on after drying it out for a day and it will turn on but the touch screen wont recognize my touch. i can still recieve calls and texts .... ill assume this means that it isnt shortened out and that its just water in the screen. you can see the water streaks under the clear screen. im about to try the rice idea. i was wondering if anyone had insight on whether or not the touch-screen capability will come back once its completely dried or if im in trouble. any feedback would be helpful
My iphone sustained water damage and seems to be working fine except for the speaker. Have you heard of water damaging a speaker? Is it not dry enough or permanently damaged?
I have a lil tip to share so u guys wont waste time getting the refurb phone. Goto apple.com/retail then find your store then click "Make a Reservation" and then click "Guest" then you probably can figure it out from there. I know there's people trying to call the paple store or go into the store to get the refurb phone, well apple doesn't work like that u strictly must have an appointment, btw its a hassle to pay with cash cuz they'll end up making u buy a Gift Card. anyway good luck to you all.
Last night someone moved my phone into a water-filled cupholder, so I'm not sure how long it was submerged for. It was on while this happened, and it originally had a white screen with black lines across it, but pressing the home and wake buttons at the same time got it to display the Apple logo. It stayed like this for about an hour, so I decided to turn it off, but pressing the power button alone didn't shut it off, so I used the same combo as before and it turned off. I've tried to turn it on after that, but with no luck. Does anyone think it has a chance of working if I use this guide, seeing as I've pressed buttons on it while having water in it? Thanks alot for your advice.
PS: Another thing I noticed is that when I picked it up this morning, it was pretty hot to the touch. I'm not sure if this was due to the water, or the sun beating on it all morning. Dunno if this matters, just thought it might've been caused by the water overheating the phone.
Just happened, I removed the sim and sim holder shook it out, then grabbed my portable vacume put my hand over the end of the hose to restrict it and put the sim end of the phone up to my hand where I was allowing air to pass and perfect suction, I put the plug end up to my lips to feel the suction thru the end and then put that end near the exhaust of the vacume where warm air comes out so I was gettin warm air sucked thru the phone. Careful not to hold it to close to the exhaust, it may get to hot, you anly want warm dry air. I did that for a few minutes and honestly think it probably removed all the H20. One note, as soon as it happened the phone strarted viberating and turning on by itself, so....Then I stuck it iin a box of rice. I'll let you
I put my company iPhone in my washer by accident. It went through the whole cycle and spin. I didn't realize it until later that day. This happened yesterday. Like an idiot, I tried to turn it on and nothing. It's cracked on the face too. Is it worth this drying out mess?
I dropped my iPhone in the toilet too. It was switched on and I grabbed it out of the toilet bowl immediately, but now it's switched off and won't turn on. I have been stupidly trying to turn it on and even plugged it into the copmputer and wall outlet. Have I short circuited it and completely screwed up any chance of it fixing? I am so annoyed!
All - it's always worth a try with the rice bag and drying it out, but this is definitely not a guarantee.
That being said, if you've turned it off and on a lot before this, you have a greater likelihood that you've short circuited it already.
These steps above have worked for many peope though so it's definitely worth a try.
Good luck!
Hey I just dropped my iPhone in the toilet on accident and it was only in there for a couple of seconds. I immediate dried it with a rag and blow dryed it for awhiled. I also texted a friend telling him it died on the phone and then searched online ways to fix my phone while it was on the whole time. Once I found this site, I turned off my phone and placed it in a bag of rice. I have 2 questions thought -
1. Is it okay if I leave the sim in there? I have lost where that sim remover pin is and can't open it right now.
2. Could I use the same rice? I seriously used the very last of the rice that is in my home and it fills up my litlte ziplock bag very well and covers my phone. My iPhone was in the toilet for 3-5 seconds tops so I only plan on trying the rice thing for 1-2 days ish. Do you think that's long enough? And would it be okay to use the same rice for those days then?
Messed up dropped in glass of Pepsi. Bought mine with AMEX Platinum they had very few questions, refunded my account the full purchase price.
WORKED!!! THANK YOU!
Wife washed her iPhone. Sent her out to get distilled water, as I could see soap in the camera, etc. Once she was back, I soaked it in the distilled water, and sucked water through it, from the dock connector up through the SIM slot. I did this a number of times, and replaced the distilled water it sat in a few as well. It's now in a Tupperware container of Nishiki under a 60W desk lamp. Already I've seen a bunch of the water in the display start to evaporate.
If the phone was in ionized (non-distilled) water for a while, which is pretty much every situation on this list, will the battery discharge through the water? Perhaps that's why folks have to fully charge the phones after their swim.
hey so i dropped my phone in the toilet on saturday night. It was working perfectly fine right after since I picked it up right away. I think I left it on overnight since I didnt notice any damage. The next morning the home button wouldnt work and some message about airplane mode keeps showing up. Since yesterday afternoon I have the phone sitting in a rice bag. What was someone talking about an AMEX protection plan? If I buy the protection plan from apple for $100 will that cover the water damage? Ill take any suggestions. Thanks!!!
If I bought my iphone at the AT&T store, should I take it there? Or will the apple store still give me a refurbished phone for $200?
i got a brand new ihpone 3gs yesterday and today i got back from a highschool sports game and i noticed i had three little dots in the upper left hand corner, and i asked a girl what that was and she said water damage. i checked the water damage signs and it wasnt a different color and the phone is fine. but i dont kno wat the dots are should i still try and dry it
My phone dropped in the toilet for a couple seconds. I dried it off and used a blow dryer for a couple minutes. Then I left it in a bag of rice for over 60 hours...I turned it on this morning and it was fine...this afternoon, however, the screen is not as bright. I'm turning it off again and will put it back in rice after work. I'm guessing that 2 1/2 days was not enough time.
I was at a friends house, used their restroom and as soon as the pants came down i heard a "plop" sound, and there went my beautiful iphone that i have only had for 2 months. From what i hear if your phone has the water damage apple will tell you that you are SOL (sh-- out of luck) I even have the sign of water damage which could have happened simply by condensation near a cup or body sweat while it is inyour pocket. This lovely 1/2 red 1/2 white dot under the headphone spot will tell apple you dropped it into water or not, and they WILL NOT TOUCH IT.
So my phone, i took the case off and continually tapped it on my pant leg where the usb charger goes to get the water out, And I know"Dont turn it on" well i did and the phone worked fine except i kept getting a message "the accessory is not availible for iphone" which (according to an apple rep) means the a/v or a/c jac you have it plugged into wont fully work. ie: use a iphone jac in your car sterio, it wont charge it but it will play music. So i went and did a hard reset, when it came back up, my screen wasnt working, I was still getting texts, im's all that stuff but couldnt touch them.
I was told by my IT guy to put the phone in an open container submerged in uncooked rice, I slept for 5 hours, hesitant to check the phone i did anyways. When i powered it on i got the apple symbol then time to enter the password, I could now use the touch screen. So my advice to you, place your phone in a container of uncooked rice, leave it open to not keep moisture in, depending on how long your phone was in the water judge how long you need to keep it in rice, but turn OFF the phone with the top power button, for some lucky reason mine eventually slidided this am before initiating RICE, Good luck hope this helps.
Dropped iphone in the toilet. It was only in there for a couple of seconds. Instinctively i tried to shake water out and dry with a towel then I tried turning it on... oops! The screen was dim. I took the blow dryer to it and then tried tuning it on again... double oops! The phone would not turn on which is when I turned to the internet and found this site. I have used the blow dryer for about 15 min and not it is in an airtight container surrounded by rice. I am hoping for the best and will report my results. Wish I had turned to the internet right after I recovered the phone...
So, my lovely 2 year old thought it was quite funny to throw my iphone in the pool 2 days ago...I dashed in to grab it, it was only in for a couple seconds. The screen was really dark and couldn't see to turn it off, but then it went black and wouldn't turn back on, so I left it like that...(it was quite warm to touch as well)...went to the web and found all these sites. I left it in the rice container for a day and last night I check to see if there was water...I saw a bunch of condensation on the camera lens part, so I put it back in the rice and in the oven (with only the light on) for the night. This morning, all the condesation was gone and when I turned it on the battery indicator came on, but the battery was dead. I pressed the home button again and the apple logo came on and started flashing. I turned it off again and thought to charge it. After on the charger for about 30 min. I checked it...the phone was really warm. I took it off, shut it down and will let it sit again for another couple days. I want to know what it means if the phone gets warm like that though....please give some advice! Is the battery shot? I live in Dubai, so getting a new battery is not really an option as I don't trust any service people here to do it right. I may just have to send it back to U.S. for repairs?
i dropped my phone when it was raining outside in very shallow puddle. I can't see any of the pink lines on it and it all works perfectly except my backlight, which i can not really see anything on the screen unless i tilt it or i am outside. any sugesstions?
please help, my iphone was in my cupholder and when i turned a corner apparently my water cup fell over and filled the one up next to it..with my iphone sitting there. I didnt notice for a few minutes and the phone was on. I let it dry and it comes on and functions fine, but if i take it off of the charger it just waits a minute then flashes the apple sign on, then off, then on and does this repeatedly until it either dies, or i put it on the charger then it works no sweat. HELP@!!! What do i do??? Also, my button on the top wont work so I cant shut it off normally????
Carrie - unfortunately, you may have to send it in. I don't know what's wrong with it if it is warm. Sorry about that.
grace, sarah b - You should definitely turn it off and let it dry. Try following the procedure above for a few days. There might still be water in the phone that could do long-term damage to it. If, after you do what's listed above and it still doesn't work 100%, then the water may have already damaged the phone. Good luck!
I dropped My iphone into a small puddle, but did not think to turn it off immediately until my boyfriend came over, made me turn it off and put in a bag of rice.
This morning I turned it on. It works except the security buttons on the lower end don't?
last night I dropped my phone in a cup of water. I immediately turned it off, knocked all of the water out of the bottom and tried to turn it on once and then kept it off for the rest of the night while it was standing upright on tissues draining out. This morning it worked fine for about an hour and a half then started randomly turning off. But works with a charger. I didn't find this until halfway through the day and now have left my phone off and put it in rice. Is there any chance of it recovering or is it a lost cause because it was on for so long?
You'll never know if you can recover it unless you try. I would say, it never hurts to try the method above since it helps the phone completely dry out. Then, you can turn it on to determine how much damage has been done.
Good luck!
I dropped my phone in the sink and the screen looks like it has a crack. I didn't put it in rice until the second day. after a day i tried to turn it on and the apple symbol came up for a second. I let it sit in rice for another day i tried to turn it on again symbol came on again for a little longer. how much longer should i leave it in the rice before i try and turn it on again or is it fried
jbarr789 - Since you have been turning the phone off and on, you may have short circuited it already. I would suggest turning it off for 3 days and making sure it is completely dry before trying to turn it on again. I'm not sure if you have already experienced water damage. Hopefully not. Good luck!
My iphone fell in toilet on Sat. I followed your steps Saturday and turned it on today and it worked but My screen is so light. Will it come back to normal or should I put in back in rice. Synchs and everything.
My wife's crystal light spilled in her purse with her iPhone in it. I sat there for 7 minutes at most. I dried it off. I hard reset it after awhile, (not knowing about this) all of the buttons work fine. The screen is really dim. Any suggestions?
It's been two days since I dropped my iPhone in a puddle it's been sitting in rice although I turned on a few time in hopes to use it. The security lock I initially set up prior only work on the upper area and the bottom number such as the pound star and nine do not. The phone charges but I only have trouble with the security lock. Is the phone done for?
If nothing else works...you can send it in to 3rd party repair shop. There is a repair shop in Orlando and they will fix water damamge for 99 bucks all inclusive. I let mine dry out for 10 days and it still wasn't working, but since I live overseas, it was too pricey to ship it over there...I took a chance and got it fixed by some local repair shop....worth it not having to buy a new phone. How the rice trick works for you guys!
I turned my phone on today it come up connect to itune but it will not register when i connect it to my computer. i took my sim card out. do think it is done
Carrie,
Where in Orlando is the shop located? Do you have the address?
Thanks!
i found a great place that will repair water damaged or any other type of damage to the iPhone
i found them after my daughters dropping their phones in the toilet numerous times ...i was tired of buying new ones so i started searching and found www.brokemyiphone.com i called the number on the website and actually got to speak with a technician about what to do... they did have to go without a phone for a few extra days but the money i saved compared to apple was well worth it...
Thanks
Kim
kimcandream@hotmail.com
Ok. so at work i dropped my iphone into the toilet and i took it out and put it under the hand dryer... but not for long.. i had tp get back to work the nest couple of hours. but i let it sit with the case during the time. got home.. and started the treatment .. i really hope it works... this will be my 2nd iphone... 1st one stolen ... =-[
dropped iphone in bath only there asecond i grabed it right awaay....workks fine except no sound but ther is sound when earphones plugged in or on speaker phone what do i do its already in rice
only had it 3 days please help!
My Iphone fell in the toilet too. I followed yr blow dryer and rice bag combo solution and, as promised, after three days it was perfect!!
Have patience folks- LEAVE it off and leave it in the bag. ps- It was completely dead after I took it out, don't stress. A simple charge sorted it all out.
how do u turn it off? mine won't turn off and i don't know wha tto do..it fell in just over an hour ago and it wasnt working but now the screen keeps going on and off and it says that "no sim card installed" cuz i took it off... how do i turn it off? I originally left it alone and it was going on and off so i just pressed on the start button and the power button and it went off. I hope this didn't cause more damage.
Wadey101m says:
6 months ago
I hope you're boyfriend forgave you quickly, as I know how you feel. I dropped my girlfriends ipod in the washing up bowl, it wasn't on at the time. But like you said, the natural instinct is to switch it on to check if it still works. Luckily I didn't and tried different ways of making sure it was dry. I must admit your rice idea would have come in handy at the time! I decided to leave it for a few days, not in sunlight or anything, but in my room. I braved it, and tried it after a week.....Phew! it worked, I've told her about it, and she still won't let it go. :-(