No matter how hard we fight it, occasionally it will happen; our beloved iPhone will slip and fall into the water and, as a consequence, our heart may miss its beat. Here you’ll learn how to tell that your iPhone is damaged by water and how to dry it out.
What are the Symptoms of a Water Damaged iPhone?
If your iPhone is not working, the reason may be the damages caused by exposure to excess water. Here are some most common symptoms of water damaged iPhone:
- Getting Hot
If your iPhone is getting hot especially after it slipped into the water, it may show that your iPhone is suffering from water contact. A water damaged iPhone can get hot, very hot. In rare cases, the lithium-ion battery can catch on fire when very hot. So, when working with water you should be very careful.
- There’s No Sound on Your iPhone
When water seeps into an iPhone it may cause damage. This could affect the quality of the sound from your iPhone or even disturb its ability to play sounds. In that case, you couldn’t listen to music on your phone or you won’t hear the ringer tone when someone calls. As the water inside the speaker begins to evaporate, the sound quality may improve over time.
- Your iPhone Isn’t Charging
One of the most common signs of a water-damaged iPhone is that it would not be charged. If water gets into the Lightning port (the charging port) of your phone it will cause corrosion and prevent your iPhone from being charged.
Before coming to the conclusion that your iPhone is not charging because of water damage try charging your iPhone with another cable and charger to see if it works. If the problem persists, don’t try solutions such as drying with rice. Just take your iPhone to a nearby Apple Store for more inspection.
- Your iPhone Isn’t Recognizing the SIM Card
Without a SIM Card, your iPhone cannot connect to the cellular network and this may happen when your SIM card or SIM tray has been damaged by liquid contact. If your iPhone says “No SIM” check your SIM card and tray for water penetration signs.
- Your iPhone Has No Service
When water causes damages to iPhone’s antenna, it will be either out of service meaning or have very poor service. Either way, you can’t make a phone call.
- Apple Logo Is Flashing on Your iPhone
If your iPhone isn’t restarting or stuck on the Apple logo it may be a sign of serious water damage. First, try hard resetting your phone to see if you can fix the problem, then take your phone to an Apple Store for checking.
How to check if your iPhone was Water Damaged?
Liquid damage can be quite invisible, sometimes it could be in the form of bubbles under the screen or corrosion and discolouration inside the SIM Card tray or charging port. However, most of the times you cannot recognize water damaged iPhone from outside.
The best way to tell if your iPhone is damaged affected by water is to look at its liquid contact indicator or LCI. On newer iPhone models you ‘ll find LCI on the SIM Card slot, on older models (iPhone 4s or earlier) it may be in the headphone jack, charging port, or both.
Here is how to check LCI inside the SIM Card Slot:
- Turn off your iPhone and remove the iPhone case.
- Press the small hole at the bottom of the tray with a SIM tray remover tool and gently remove the tray.
- Shine a flashlight into the empty slot and check the colour. If you see red, that’s bad news; the LCI has been activated and water or another liquid has found its way into your phone, likely damaging it. Otherwise, you should see white or silver likely your iPhone has survived from damage for this time.
Can an iPhone with water damage be fixed?
Whether your water damaged iPhone can be fixed depends on factors such as how it exposed to water and for what time. If your iPhone was submerged in water for a long time there is no guarantee that your iPhone could be fixed. Anyway, let’s keep our hopes up and allow a professional to fix it for you.
On the other hand, if your iPhone was in the water for a short time or it’s only a liquid splash, chances are that water hasn’t gotten inside. Turn your device off immediately and try drying it out as explained below, or as a better option take it to a professional to do the job for you. This will ensure that that your precious iPhone won’t be damaged because of the wrong drying. Article Sponsored Find something for everyone in our collection of colourful, bright and stylish socks. Buy individually or in bundles to add color to your drawer!
How to dry out a water-damaged iPhone?
When your iPhone gets wet, your immediate action is very important. More quickly you go for drying a water-damaged iPhone it’s more likely you save it. Here is how to dry out a wet iPhone:
- Get your iPhone out of water ASAP
- Never turn on a wet iPhone:
You may be tempted to turn your device on to assess the damage. Never turn wet electricity on. The water can create short circuits and make unrepairable damage to the device that otherwise could be easily fixed. Disconnect your iPhone from the power device, shut it down and keep it turned off until it completely dries.
- Dry the Phone exterior:
- Undress your phone and remove the iPhone protective case.
- Shake your phone gently to get water out of holes, ports, sockets, etc.
- Remove SIM Card and shake your iPhone more strongly. This will get out water from the SIM Card tray.
- Wipe the iPhone exterior with a piece of a soft cloth and leave it to dry on a towel for 24-48 hours.
- Dry the Phone interior:
You don’t need to anything in this step. Your best-trying tool to fix a wet iPhone is to follow the above steps and leave it on a towel until it completely dries.
Some websites say that you should dismantle your iPhone and put it in rice or use a hairdryer to get rid of water. As both methods could harm your phone beyond repair we don’t recommend that. Rice or silica will absorb liquid from your phone but may cause corrosion or make minerals and impurities stuck to your phone’s interior.
Using a hairdryer may help dry exterior liquids but could not remove water trapped inside your device. The risk is that a hairdryer could cause trapped water to condense and spread further around the internals and thus, create more damage.
- Turn your iPhone on and hope for the best:
Wait 24-48 hours and check your iPhone for water, if it seems dry turn it on. If you are lucky enough your iPhone will turn on and everything will work smoothly. Otherwise, you should arrange an appointment with an expert to get your iPhone fixed.
Please remember that patience is your best tool to heal a water-damaged iPhone. Using another shortcut way such as rice, silica gel or hairdryer not only won’t help solve the issue but also could render your valuable iPhone into a useless device.
References
- https://www.payetteforward.com/iphone-water-damage-ultimate-guide-how-to-fix-liquid-damage/
- https://www.businessinsider.de/international/how-to-tell-if-iphone-has-water-damage/?r=US&IR=T#:~:text=You%20can%20tell%20if%20your,if%20there%20is%20no%20damage.
- https://www.imore.com/how-fix-your-liquid-damaged-iphone-ipad-airpods-or-mac#:~:text=If%20your%20iPhone%20or%20iPad,and%20follow%20these%20steps%20anyway.
- https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/wet-water-damaged-iphone-3633848/
- https://www.computerworld.com/article/3063750/how-to-fix-a-wet-iphone-in-9-tips.html