[Unexpected Event] Toilet bowl and iPhone are not friends.

[Bigweezy911]

what a dumb ass i am, dropped that shit right in the water. Pulled it out as fast as possible and shut it down, the screen was flashing and the volume was doing things by itself. I read online that i should let it dry for 2 to 4 days. should i take it apart and let it dry or just leave it.....damn im soo pissed rightnnow:mad: :mad: :mad:

[997TT]

what a dumb ass i am, dropped that shit right in the water. Pulled it out as fast as possible and shut it down, the screen was flashing and the volume was doing things by itself. I read online that i should let it dry for 2 to 4 days. should i take it apart and let it dry or just leave it.....damn im soo pissed rightnnow:mad: :mad: :mad:

If you can take it apart, do it and let it dry (warm and dry place).
2 to 4 days may not be enough, I would leave it a week or so.
If the screen was flashing and the volume was doing strange things, I think it is too late but you never know.
If you're afraid of taking it apart, just leave it like it is but make sure there is enough airflow, don't put it in a drawer, etc. and leave it dry.

There are many different recommendations on how to handle situations like this but from my past experience(s), it is more a matter of luck. ;) Good luck.

[scandalex]

I've read many times that you need something (like what they put in new shoe/sneaker boxes- those things that feel like packets of salt- not sure what they're called) but if you put them around your phone, they'll pull the excess water/moisture out.

It'll take a week; maybe longer; to completely dry your phone out.

Sorry that happened to you. I still dont understand why people take expensive phones to the bathroom with them.

[Murfunit]

Been there, done that. I wrapped mine in paper towels (to wick any moisture out of the case) and trained a hair dryer on it for 2-3 days then put it on top of the stove (also warm and dry) for the better part of 2 weeks. The best I could get out of it was a perma restore state.

I went back to the Apple Store with a very sheepish grin and hoped my halo wasn't too tarnished when I swore I'd no idea what happened. They diagnosed it as a bad power adapter and replaced it.

[Murfunit]

I still dont understand why people take expensive phones to the bathroom with them.Mine was in my shirt pocket. Went into the washroom to put towels away and bent over to grab one I'd dropped... Even as I was bending over I was thinking this wasn't the best idea. No sooner had the thought than I heard the SPLUNK....

[Bigweezy911]

cause im a dumb ass, as i put it down i said to myself its gonna drop in the water, boom there it is in the bottom of the sea

[Gibberish]

Definitely don't want to turn it on. If you are in an area that is very humid, you will need to dry it a few more days, or even 10 days. Try having a fan blow at it all the time. Like the previous poster said, if you can take it apart, do so. Good luck.

[nonobeez]

go to your nearest store and buy a gallon of distilled water. Distilled water dries without residue.

Fill a tall glass and dunk the phone twice, replace the water and repeat.

Each time you replace the water, extend the number of dunks untill you feel the phone is clean.

Try to shake all the excess water out and place it in its cradle. After about 4 hours place it under a hot halogen lamp. Don't get it too close but make sure it gets nice and warm.

You should be able to charge and power up the phone after 2-3 days.

Hope this helps.

[Bigweezy911]

Yea is broken, i cant even turn it off, its flashing on and off.

[nonobeez]

even if you cannot turn off the phone, you will see results fast. Rinse until the phone starts acting normal.

Pure distilled water is inert and your phone should work dunked in it.

The most important thing is to get all the contaminants out of the phone. If contaminants stay inside, it will eat away the tiny mettalic components.

[997TT]

even if you cannot turn off the phone, you will see results fast. Rinse until the phone starts acting normal.

Pure distilled water is inert and your phone should work dunked in it.

The most important thing is to get all the contaminants out of the phone. If contaminants stay inside, it will eat away the tiny mettalic components.

Why not dunking the iPhone into 100% isopropylic alocohol then? Much better. :p

Seriously: the distilled water method works ONLY if the iPhone was never turned on. Since it already does weird flashing/noises, I'd say that it is a brick now.
Another problem is that you can't immediately remove the battery. If a cell phone falls into water, the first thing is to remove the battery and if it was turned on, chances are very slim that it is going to work afterwards.

Today's electronics are using very little parts which sometimes need only a DROP of water to get destroyed if electrical current was flowing through them.

There is hope that one of the above methods work as long as the phone wasn't turned on and the battery was removed immediately (even if the phone was off!!!).

iPhone making funny noises and flashing after submerging it in water? Bad luck, this phone has gone. Some people may want to dry it completely and try to return it to Apple for a refund or a new phone but in my country, this would be considered fraud and I'm not sure I would sleep well at night doing such a thing. To each his own I guess. ;)

[nonobeez]

100% isopropylic alocohol will eat away at the plastic.


When you say water, you mean tap water. Distilled water in inert... there is a big difference. I an not just saying this just 'cause, I have fixed phones using this method.

But don't take my word for it , GOOGLE it!

[nonobeez]

check it out...

http://www.wikihow.com/Save-a-Wet-Cell-Phone

you need to go with alternate method since you cannot remove battery


whatever you do, you need to act fast! Good luck.

[scandalex]

Mine was in my shirt pocket. Went into the washroom to put towels away and bent over to grab one I'd dropped... Even as I was bending over I was thinking this wasn't the best idea. No sooner had the thought than I heard the SPLUNK....

cause im a dumb ass, as i put it down i said to myself its gonna drop in the water, boom there it is in the bottom of the sea

Karma... you bought it on yourself by thinking it. :eek: Seriously though, it is when we have those thoughts that something terrible and least expected happens. Been there before.

I dropped a cell phone in a bathtub full of water about 8 years ago. Have not taken a phone in the bathroom ever since.

I hope yours dries out for you. I just brought an iPhone today and having a great time with it, while at the same time feeling bad this happened to you. I guess I am the type that doesnt like misfortune to come to anyone...........unless they had it coming.

[ebika]

Like the others said, taking the battery out is best, and not turning it on is another good idea. As for the little packets, they're a type of silicia gel desiccant normally. A poor man's desiccant is uncooked rice. You put the phone in a box with uncooked rice and let it sit in there for a while. You can also find silica gel desiccant at craft stores. The desiccant part isn't really going to improve your chances of saving it much, but it may help dry the device out faster. A hairdryer/any heat source is extremely bad and will hasten circuit shorts. Deionized water or alcohol rinses are supposed to work well too.

[izim1]

keep telling you guys: if you just gotta choke that one-eyed lizard while sitting on the throne, just stick to good ol fashioned mags. Leave the laptops and media players outta the john.

[n000b]

I had the similar story like yours except my phone dropped into (soft of) clean water, after 4 days of drying out using several ways, it's now functioning, but the touch screen seems to be permanantly damaged. there're 2 areas that don't respond when i tap, one is in the middle, the other is at the bottom, so while i dial up i can't dial the 7,8,9 numbers, while using keyboard, i can't press the enter key (which really sucks).

[Bigweezy911]

Does anyone know what is apples opinion on water damaged phones. Is there maybe a price reduction for a new one, or are they willing to fix it? Any info would help...

[Dimsum]

I've read many times that you need something (like what they put in new shoe/sneaker boxes- those things that feel like packets of salt- not sure what they're called) but if you put them around your phone, they'll pull the excess water/moisture out.

Silica Gel is what those little packets are called and yes, it would be a very good idea since they absorb moisture. It needs to be air tight for them to work though, and if you are keeping it in a sealed environment then the water won't evaporate. However still handy to keep them around it.

The battery is soldered on - So firstly taking it apart is messy as Apple have made the job so difficult and then to start soldering it apart is just asking for trouble.

[rap0493]

Hey, can you check something for me(those who dropped there phones in water).

Look down the headphone port.(With a light or something) and see if you see a white or red dot.

There is a rumor that a water sensor is at the end tip of the headphone port.(Nearly all phones have these..so its not like the iPhone would be special.)

[997TT]

Does anyone know what is apples opinion on water damaged phones. Is there maybe a price reduction for a new one, or are they willing to fix it? Any info would help...

They send it in for a repair and if it is damaged beyond repair, you need to buy a new one.
I'm actually pretty sure they're not going to repair it or even accept it for repair but I would really dry the iPhone VERY VERY well, maybe even for a couple of weeks and THEN try to talk somebody at APPLE, trying to have it repaired, playing the "dumb" guy. They certainly will find some moisture inside the iPhone but you just play dumb. Maybe you're lucky and you get a new/refurbished one for less money, maybe.

[Bigweezy911]

Hey, can you check something for me(those who dropped there phones in water).

Look down the headphone port.(With a light or something) and see if you see a white or red dot.

There is a rumor that a water sensor is at the end tip of the headphone port.(Nearly all phones have these..so its not like the iPhone would be special.)



Its half white, and half red....so i mean it ovbiously has water damage. I am just looking for a price break or something from apple, I really dont need to be spending 800 dollars on cell phones

[thecompkid]

Its half white, and half red....so i mean it ovbiously has water damage. I am just looking for a price break or something from apple, I really dont need to be spending 800 dollars on cell phones

Okay, dude, new plan, and i'm not even joking when I say this. Wite-out. You have to do it really, really carefully, but the fact that the water sensing sticker is inside the headphone jack makes it hard to tell if the sticker itself was tampered with. Make sure the phone is really dry, and take it to the genius bar. Everything should work out fine.

[Bigweezy911]

Okay, dude, new plan, and i'm not even joking when I say this. Wite-out. You have to do it really, really carefully, but the fact that the water sensing sticker is inside the headphone jack makes it hard to tell if the sticker itself was tampered with. Make sure the phone is really dry, and take it to the genius bar. Everything should work out fine.


I think when they open the phone for repair they will see that it has water damage, there will be white water spots from the water, and they will still see the sticker.

[vfxdude2]

At least you didn't flush...

Then you'd have an iPhone jammed in your toilet; you'd have bricked your toilet, too!

(Which, all things considered, would probably be worse...)

Sorry to hear about it... I'm gonna be more careful. I, uhh... sometimes tend to bring my phone into the toilet so I can play a game on it while... uhh... taking care of business. (Five Dice is particularly beneficial to the GI tract...)

I'd say let it dry out and try it again. And why not send it in for repairs? You could just play dumb and say you had it in your pocket while walking in the rain. My ex-wife destroyed three iPods, and in each case, they gave her a brand new one at the Apple store! (But then again, that's 'cause she's a girl...) Maybe you could go to the store and take a hot chick with you? Hot chicks always get this kind of treatment. Gotta say, I'm a sucker for it myself. (The divorce cost a HELL of a lot more than an iPhone...)

-vfxdude

[Bigweezy911]

so how does this repair service work? i have to get one of the employees to accept my phone. then they ship it off to Cali, then they fix it and ship it back?

[vfxdude2]

I don't really know... This was at the downtown San Francisco store, so maybe they're more lenient or something; after all, the store is two blocks from the Moscone center where Steve Jobs gives all his announcements. Maybe they have to maintain their image.

I wonder if Steve Jobs knows George Lucas? This question has nothing to do with anything; just wondering....


-vfxdude

[PathDaemon]

I dropped my iPhone in the toilet as well a couple days ago. It was glitching out and whatnot, but I left it in front of a fan for a day or so and was amazed to see it recover perfectly *cough*for now...

The water damage dot was triggered, though, so I'm afraid my warantee's void.

If yours remains dead by now, DiH2O may be a valid option, but I'm worried about it getting caught in the screen and other tight spaces.

There is hope for replacement if that fails: I've heard Apple only charges $200 to swap out a water damaged phone.

[Marky]

Like the others said, taking the battery out is best, and not turning it on is another good idea. As for the little packets, they're a type of silicia gel desiccant normally. A poor man's desiccant is uncooked rice. You put the phone in a box with uncooked rice and let it sit in there for a while. You can also find silica gel desiccant at craft stores. The desiccant part isn't really going to improve your chances of saving it much, but it may help dry the device out faster. A hairdryer/any heat source is extremely bad and will hasten circuit shorts. Deionized water or alcohol rinses are supposed to work well too.

RICE!!!!

thanks for telling me that... I had an iphone bluetooth headset that went through the washing machine... it worked, but it was awfully crackly... a day later and i can actually hear things, but there is still a lot more static in the headset... i'll leave it in the rice a couple more days and fingers crossed, but the rice has definately made it better!!!