I have lost more than one cellphone to water damage. I once actually sent a phone of mine through the wash on accident. That was embarrassing.
Normally, though, one could take the phone into their carrier’s store and feign ignorance. “It just stopped working, I dunno?” and walk out with a replacement. Don’t try this with the iPhone.
The iPhone, as well as the iPod touch, have a small white disk inside the headphone jack that, when in contact with water, turns color. Many high-end phones have this as well, usually under the battery or battery cover. Apple has its clearly visible on the outside, so your local genius bar rep can tell right away what happened. Good for Apple, bad for you. Sorry, scamboys.
iPhone water-damage sensor [Apple Insider]
I dropped just about every phone I owned in the toilet at least once. Lucky of me after letting them dry they worked find. Note: Both times the phone was dropped in before the toilet was used. Otherwise I would have tossed/flushed the phone away.
I put a Moto MPX200 through the wash and about 15 minutes of dry cycle before I pulled it out.
It was admittedly never the same, but it still worked surprisingly well considering.
So, just get a small rubber stopper that fits in a headphone jack perfectly. Then, if you get the Phone wet, just take the stopper out and run to the store and break down at the return desk and start crying saying “my iPhone just… stopped working!”.
And just how would you plugin your headphones then…?! ;)
Just take the plug out when you want to use the headphones…
so what if a rain drop falls in the jack? my iphone froze and i sent it back to apple and they refused to fix it because of water damage. i never dropped it in water or spilled any water on it. i am suing them in small claims court for failure to repair. maybe they better put warning stickers on the iphone that any moisture contact may break your phone.
I found that if you put your iphone on a table where drinks left water drops it WILL be the end of the phone. The water enters in the seam between the silver and the black plastic. This is definitely a design defect. After many complaints the manager offered a 10% discount on my next purchase. They basically call you a liar saying the indicator will only go off if immersed or water is poured on it.
How did court GO? I currently have the same problem. Never been wet but had it in the bathroom on the counter while I was in the shower. The condensation seems to have tripped it. 25% of my calls have been droping for some time now and they will not take it back.
“maybe they better put warning stickers on the iphone that any moisture contact may break your phone” … wow. Hammers also hurt the phone, should they put a warning on it for that? Use commen sense! It’s litmus paper.. it turns red when it’s wet. thats not my opinion thats a fact. grow up. Take ownership for the fact that YOU got it wet.
I dropped my Iphone in the toliet and crabbed it soon as it hit less then 2 sec would it still work???? it wont come on should i let it dry out first then wait to see whats happens??? the hole isnt all white where it can show water damage!!
I dropped my iPhone in the toilet this weekend. It was in there completely submerged (clean water!) for 1-2 seconds. It is working BUT the screen is garbelled, looks slightly like thermal sensor or a pop art green film over my screen. Every now and then the crisp, normal screen flashes on it. I am waiting to see if it dries out any more over the next few days. A replacement phone will cost $249.
Same thing happened to my iphone yesterday, took it out of the water in less than 2 secs dried it and turned it off but it kept turning on and the speakers were not working until finally i got a blank screen and it turned off…I thought it was dead!!
I used the hair dryer (cold air of course) and left it for a few hours then turned it on…it worked perfectly and still working till now !!!
I think i got lucky but frankly i am surprised it made it
just dropped mine in the toilet today. then went to shake it to get the water out, and it flew out of it’s case and went head first into the wall.
it came on for a sec, told me that it was broken and needed repair then died.
took it to apple, they noticed the water in the indicator and told me warranty is void.
i am not happy, it could have just been from sweat, and they would have denied me.
it would have been nice as a consumer to have been told about said indicator as i would have plugged the hole when not in use. that feels to me that apple has duped me, and pulled the wool over my eyes, by not informing me of this potential hazard to my warranty.
my phone just started working, there’s a few water spots on the camera lens from the inside… but at least it’s not dead.
now, if it didn’t work i’d be more upset, however if my phone breaks due to manufacturers defect, i’m screwed…. cause of the water damage first.
I found that if you put your iphone on a table where drinks left water drops it WILL be the end of the phone. The water enters in the seam between the silver and the black plastic.
This is definitely a design defect. I don’t know of any other phone that would have this problem from placing it on a table. After many complaints the manager offered a 10% discount on my next purchase. NOt only do they charge $249, but they do NOT extend the warranty.
They basically call you a liar saying the indicator will only go off if immersed or water is poured on it.
Jim – I think the same thing happened to me. I left it on the table over night, picked it up in the morning, there was no spill around the phone, but the screen was wet. Can’t figure it out for the life of me. I’m dead at the moment, but it’s only been an hour or so. We’ll see if silica packets or rice or something helps.
Thinking about taking them to small claims also. Let me know how court went.
IT GOT WET! it’s a design defect that the phones electronics aren’t water proof? Honestly, do you believe that? If you placed your laptop in a puddle and it broke is that a defect or just your fault?
OK- i just dropped my iPhone in a toilet and stared at it for like 5 seconds before taking it out cuz i was in shock… but everything seems to work absolutly fine… i dont know how or why- except that the headphone jack isnt working. I plugged in my headphones and the sound still comes out of the speakers… i want to know if my phone just needs more time to dry out.
ur gay
So.. my phone just took a swim in the small dead fish bowl too.. Damn. It’s very depressing. I grabbed it out as fast as I could with feces all over my hand. Just kidding, it was clean :). Anyway, I got onto a million threads and forums. The best thing I could find was to put my phone in a bag of unused rice. So, I tried to turn my phone off, and it just kept cycling on/off, on/off, on/off… I think finally it turned off sometime last night. But, it’s been in the bag all night. I just took it out and tried to turn it on… nothing. Plugged it in, and the apple logo came on!! I was pumped.. but then the screen slowly but surely turned completely white and a fuzzy. Now it’s just frozen on the battery with a white display.. Looks like I need a new phone.
dropped my iphone yesterday morning in a half cup of water on my bedside table for about 3 seconds. the half that went in was the side with the sim card. when i pulled it out, it was still working, then immediately said looking for service, then went black. i actually used my mouth to suck out any water from anywhere (wouldnt probably do this if it was in the toilet). but agree with above since the air was easily able to pass through those seams–so i’m sure water easily can run in. then i pulled out my sim card and there was water on it so i took it out to dry. i shook out anymore water, wiped it down, then took some thin pieces of cloth and pushed it in the sim card & ear jack holes. only half the circle turned red. then i put it in a bag of unccoked rice. after about 12 hours i took it out and it turned on but the screen was still black & the images were so dark you could barely see them. after another 12 hours i turned it on again and now the full screen is full of color (like normal) but the top row is not responding to my touch. i could see the screen still looks like there is water streaks in it. i put it back in my bag of rice. i pray to god in the next couple of days the streaks dry completely and i’m able to use that top row. everything else works fine. does anyone know if it’s possible that you can fry out only a portion of the screen in terms of the touch capability??
did your top rows ever start working again. I’m having that same problem now.
four or five days ago my friend accidentally dropped my iPhone into a cup half filled with water also. i immediately took it out and took off the case and dried it with a towel. it wouldn’t turn on unless i charged it and then it wouldn’t go past the apple logo start- up screen. then after about an hour it would go to the “slide to unlock” screen and the whole night it kept flashing on and off, the same screen. i was on a trip during the whole time so i couldnt plug it in to the computer or see the apple store. later on in the next few days i noticed that only the top half of the screen responded to my touch and since the slide to unlock bar is at the bottom, there was no way i could unlock it. a girl who was on the trip with me turned it off and back on and it went straight to the home screen with the icons, however only the top 8 worked. luckily my phone icon was on the top but once i clicked the phone icon i couldnt switch it to “keypad” or “favorites” or “recents” etc.. i had to use the contact list to call ppl. when i took it to the apple store they said they would not repair/replace it because of water damage even though i played dumb about it. i definitely do not want to buy a new phone so i looked on the net of course. i found a video of how to “fool” the apple store into thinking it wasnt damaged with liquid. if that doesnt work i will try the bag of rice thing it seems very interesting. i do not reccomend using the technique on the video, it is your decision to use it or not. if anyone has any advice or past experiences that will help me i would gladly appreciate them!! thanks all
Sent my iphone through the wash. Took it out and it was dead but nice and clean. Placed in on the ledge of my window in the sun for an hour and then plugged it in and it came back to life. Water was still behind the screen so i placed it in the craddle infront of a fan for 2 days and all the water was gone. Phone works great.
I was icing my shins in a bucket with water and ice a couple of days ago, earplug fell out and i reached to get it before it went in the water. big mistake. instead of worrying about my $400 iphone i was worrying about my $75 headphones. Well the iphone dropped in and i tried to get it out as quickly as i could. It stayed on for about a minute. i was stupid and didnt even try to turn it off. then i used a blowdryer (hot) probably another mistake, and it seems completely dead. after looking around on some sites i discovered my mistakes, and i shook it and some water came out. Then i stuck it in a rubbermaid with uncooked rice and silica packets. Hopefully it will work again. im waiting till its been 2 days to take it back out.
I was trying to show the missus something on youtube while she was about to wash up then the slippery snake fell in the the frying pan. Within a second I took it out. and could not belive what had happened.
While it was still on, the sound was off. I then shook it for a while and turned it off.
When it cam back on, the sound got better and it was fine. It then kept restarting after I turned it off.
After a while, it went off and I blew the dryer into the bottom of it, because most of the bottom went into the water.
So far, it charges fine, but the only thing wrong with it now is that the bottom of the screen does not work. Everything else works.
Because of the touch screen keypad, I cant enter the password to unlock the phone.
So far, the bottom of the screen is not working and I have also tried to put the phone on rice overnight.
I am currently using the sun treatment to see if it works.
Because it is unlocked, I am not whether the warranty is void.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
same thing happened to me but it was the top of the screen not responding to my touch (see my post 4/15). i also unlocked my phone. so i did a restore and signed up with AT & T. you can cancel w/in 3 days with full refund including activation. i walked into a apple store and showed it to them saying it just stopped working & i tried to restore it and still doesnt work. everything else worked, so i think that’s why they didnt bother checking the water indicator. the guy (kid) tried to press the same buttons that didnt work (i guess to confirm), then basically threw it into a drawer and opened a new box and gave me a new phone. i asked him if that’s common and was told a few came in with the same problem. i was in/out in 5 min. remember dont give too much info & go when they are busy. you need the AT& T account or else they wont help you. just cancel ASAP. you can unlock new firmware easily with ziphone.org.
Fill a Zip-Loc bag with uncooked dry rice. Throw your iPhone in there and seal it for 2 days. The rice will absorb all of the water in the iPhone.
How I fixed my iPhone after dropping in the river. It took a bit more than rice.
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=416062563&blogID=435512784
i found a great place that will repair water damaged or any other type of damage to the iPhone
they work with AT&T and Apple with non warranty repairs
you can mail it in or if you are in the San Francisco Bay area they are up 101 north of the Golden Gate
http://www.northbayelectronics.com is the website i was in the bay area and just called and they fixed my phone the same day
I was waiting at the bus stop(not all to happy about that) when i got into a little arguement with some old guy friends of mine (real duch bag). the bus was late so i set down my backpack. dumbly i walked away from it and the duch bags took my fone out of my bag and put it in a puddle. i didn’t notice it was gone until the end of the day. so i walked down to my stop to see if it was there. I was already in a panic because i couldnt find it but then the worst part came, i found my $500 brand new costome engraved iphone 3g in a puddle. i was crying hystericly and i thought all hope was lost. but little did i know there were ways to dry it out. now my iphone is sitting on rice and i am praying it will work!!!! wow i am pissed please help!!!!!!!!!
My iphone went in the toilet. I took it out within 3s, then the screen is white and finally it turned off. I put it in uncooked rice now and waiting see if can fix. Anyone tried the rice method and get it working before? Thank you
This is unbelievable. I went in to the Apple Store to replace the phone because of a hairline fracture, and they tell me they can’t because the liquid damage indicator has been “triggered.” I have NEVER dropped my phone in water. Maybe it was a raindrop or something. This is INFURIATING! I am a battered consumer.
I am going to get a Blackberry Storm when they come out. I am so pissed at Apple right now. I hope their stock plummets even further.
i just dropped my fone in a cup of pepsi next to my bed… huh i guess ur thinkin how is that possible!!!! the alarm was ringing. i got up so quick!! i kep tap in the fone down thinkin mayb the water can get out through the hole!;took out the sim card the screens light didnt work u can hear me when i can someone. and i dont know what to do! im soooo pissed. all ive done is put it in a bag of uncooked rice.. ;;man i just hope i dont lose it; It the best thing ive ever had!
I was messing and play fighting with my boyfriend. He stole my iPhone and then dropped it in my cup of tea. I have tried leaving it on the windowsill to see if it will work, i have left it in a sock on the radiator. I can feel the iPhone vibrating but the screen is just black. I want to know if anyone has a clue what i can do to potentially fix the problem of the screen. I am mega annoyed at this. It was a birthday present. I looked at the indicator in the jack socket and it is half red half white which means it isnt totally without loss. I will try it in rice but if anyone has an amazing idea how to fix it please be sure to let me know!
moral of this storey dont use phone when your piss1n and sh1tin dumb m0ther f00ks
spilled pineapple juice on my iphone(yes…pineapple juice)
i sprinted to the bathroom and wipped the juice off and it still works perfectly fine, but the juice only spilled on the screen.
My phone stupidly went thro the washing machine and dryer. I only noticed the next day when i couldn’t find my phone after an hour i checked the shorts in the dryer i was wearing the day before. I left it in my window for 2 days and then tried to turn it on and nothing, i then put it on my logitech speakers i have for my iphone which also recharges it and 2 seconds after that the phone turned back on and started to work. The only problem with it is the screen has gone a lil cloudy, i have turned it back off and put it in with some rice to try and get rid of anymore mostiure wich i hope will fix the screen, but i’m just happy it’s working at all.
okay, my iphone fell in the toilet a couple of weeks ago. i panicked and i pulled it out within 2 seconds. i called my dad and he said to put it in front of the fan. he came by later and took it to my grandparents house and blew it out with some air thingy. so i tryed to turn it back on and it was a faded ad it said it needed to be charged. i put it on the charger and it was very bright and the apple came on. my sisters boyfriend tryed to restore it but nothing happened. they took it to apple and apple said they cant do anything about it! I am so PISSED right now.
Just recovered my Iphone!! dropped it down the toilet, out in couple of secs, shook it, and then managed to get it off. Put it over a heater in a towel for a couple of hours, then put it in a sealed container with warmed silica gel (A lot of it!!)
After two days of drying it was working but screen was foggy, but a further 6 hours and Wahay!! it cleared and seems to be working great!!
Got it in again while at work, will take it home soon!!
I dropped my 3g in a glass of coke. Pulled it out within 2 secs and probably the wisest thing i ever did in my life was shut it off immediately. Those 5 secs you have to wait after u press the power button and the power off slider comes on seemed like eternity. You do’nt want the motherboard circuit live with water inside. I immediately dried it , took sim out (which btw had coke traces showing coke managed to squeeze in), and placed the phone in laundry room with a dehumidifier on full blast to suck all moisture out. After two days continous running, i turned the phone on and thank God it behaved like normal. Now its been running for two weeks so I think i`m good.
i don’t understand, what turn white ?
I fewll in a river with my i-phone in my pocket,i stood up and took it out right away.We talked to the man at the AT&T store,and he said to take it to the Apple Store and don’t tell them that anything happened. Is it me,or does anyone else think that guy didn’t work there? Now i have a white screen with vertical gray and colored lines on the phone.