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How To Fix A Water Damaged iPhone

In this article, we're going to show you several tips to deal with water damaged iPhone and how to fix it too. Click to read full article

Author:Daniel BarrettMay 29, 202261998 Shares1823478 Views
iPhonewater damage
Taking the right first steps can be the difference between life and death for an iPhone with liquid damage. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation online about what really works when it comes to rescuing a liquid-damaged iPhone.
In this article, we’re going to show you several tips to deal with water damaged iPhone and how to fix it too. If you give everything in this article a try.

How To Know If Your iPhone Has Water Damage

Finding out if your iPhone has water damage is simple, just look for your water damage indicator. Depending on your model, it will be in a different place
Here’s where you’ll find the liquid contact indicator on every iPhone:
  • iPhone XS / XS Max – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone XR – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone 8/ 8 Plus – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone 7/ 7 Plus – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone 6s / 6s Plus – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone 6 / 6 Plus – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone 5s / 5c – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone SE– SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone 5 – SIM Card Slot
  • iPhone 4s – Headphone Jack & Charging Port
  • iPhone 4 – Headphone Jack & Charging Port
  • iPhone 3GS – Headphone Jack & Charging Port
  • iPhone 3G – Headphone Jack & Charging Port
The water damage indicator is a little white tab which turns red when it is wet enough to damage your device. If this has turned red, it is likely that your phone has a problem.

Common Types Of Water Damage

iPhone Screen Is Water Damaged

You can tell if your screen has been damaged by water if there are lines or dark spots under the glass. It is difficult to say whether this damage is going to be permanent or if it will lead to other complications, so the best thing to do is turn it off and leave it to dry for as long as possible.
However, there is no guarantee that circuitry under the water damaged iPhone screen isn’t going to corrode over time, and the screen will stop working. The only way to guarantee this is to have a certified iSmash technician look beneath the screen and repair any damaged parts.

iPhone’s Speaker Doesn’t Work

It is difficult to determine whether your iPhone’s speaker has been compromised by water because there are often bigger issues that will stop you from noticing. As with every water-related issue, leave your iPhone to dry for as long as possible. If you manage to turn your phone back on again, backup your data before you try to test the speaker out.
If there is water in your speaker, using it could cause the phone to short. If you’ve turned your iPhone back on after letting it dry for as long as you can, try and play a ringtone or some music through your speaker. This will allow you to identify if there is an issue, however, it should be one of the last things to check in order to avoid your phone shorting and causing more damage.

iPhone Won’t Turn On

If your iPhone won’t turn on after coming into contact with water, it can be one of two things; either the iPhone has short-circuited, or the water has damaged or corroded some internal components and compromised the circuitry. Both can be irreversible if the phone isn’t looked at by a technician.
There are a couple of tests you can do to check if your iPhone actually won’t turn on, or if there is another issue.

iPhone Won’t Charge

If your iPhone won’t charge after dropping it in water, there is probably a problem with your charging port, especially if that was the main place that water entered the phone. The charging port is one of the few places that has exposed electrical components, so there is a lot of potential for corrosion. If you’ve eliminated water damage as a problem there may be an issue with your iPhone battery.
The first thing you should do to make sure you don’t damage your iPhone charging port further is to make sure the charging port is completely dry before you plug your phone in. Plugging your phone in when there is water in the charging port will definitely lead to corrosion or a short circuit.

iPhone Thinks Headphones Are Plugged In

Your iPhone may falsely read that headphones are plugged into the headphone jack or Lightning port if water has entered either of these openings. When this happens, your iPhone may get stuck in headphones mode. The presence of liquid could be tricking your iPhone to thinking that headphones are plugged in even if they aren’t.

If Your iPhone Screen Is Black

Another common problem people had when they came into the Apple Store was that their iPhone screen would be black, but everything else worked normally. They could even still hear noise coming from the speakers!
When this happens, it usually means that the LCD cable got shorted out, making the screen completely black. You can try hard resetting your iPhone, but if the LCD cable is fried, it won’t fix the problem.

If There Are Lines On The Screen

Water damage can also make vertical lines appear on the display of your iPhone. Vertical lines on an iPhone screen usually indicates that its screen has become a little loose and the LCD cable has become disconnected from the logic board.
Water that has seeped into your iPhone may have loosen the display, damaged the LCD cable, or damaged the logic board.

iPhone Flashlight Is Stuck On

Don’t be surprised if your iPhone’s flashlight appears “stuck” after getting exposed to water. A simple way to try and fix this problem is to perform a hard reset, which will force your iPhone to turn off and back on. Oftentimes, this will successfully get the flashlight component of your iPhone “unstuck”, assuming that there isn’t any significant water damage.

iPhone Is Getting Hot

Water-damaged lithium-ion batteries can get very, very hot. Although it’s incredibly rare (especially for iPhones), lithium ion batteries can catch on fire when they’re damaged.

What To Do If You Drop Your iPhone In Water

It’s all too easy to get your iPhone wet. But it doesn’t matter if you got caught in a heavy downpour or dropped your device to the bottom of a lake…our advice is the same. Even for water-resistant iPhones.

Turn Off Your iPhone Immediately

Turn the iPhone off immediately. This removes the chance that the phone will short circuit, and need to be repaired.
Press and hold the Side button with the Volume Up button, then slide to power off.
And once it’s turned off, do not turn it back on.

Remove Your iPhone Case

If your iPhone is in a case, water might have gotten trapped when you dropped it. Remove the case and any other accessories from your iPhone, including your screen protector.
Dry off your bare iPhone by wiping it with a lint-free cloth. You want to absorb the liquid on the outside of your device without leaving it covered in material fibers. If you don’t have a lint-free cloth to hand, a t-shirt usually does the trick.

Remove your SIM card

Remove the SIM card from your iPhone as soon as the outside is dry.
Your iPhone might appear dry, but there’s probably still liquid inside it. Use a SIM tool, a straightened paperclip, or a pin to eject the SIM tray on the side of your device.
Remove the SIM card and carefully dry it off. Now store it somewhere safe. Leave the SIM tray out of your iPhone to create a vent, which helps the liquid inside to evaporate.
Note:It’s important to make sure the outside of your iPhone is completely dry before you remove the SIM tray.

Ease Liquid Out Of The Ports

There could be water inside the ports on your iPhone.Don’t stick anything in the lightning or headphone ports. Tilt your iPhone so the port faces down and gently tap it to encourage liquid to drip out. Do this for the speakers as well. Your iPhone should feel completely dry on the outside when you’re finished.

Wait For Your iPhone To Dry

Find an open, cool, airy space to leave your iPhone while it dries out.Wait 24–48 hours for your iPhone to dry.
Note:Don’t stick your iPhone in a bag of rice. Find a flat, open and well ventilated space to leave your iPhone instead.
Do not place your iPhone, iPad, or iPod in direct sunlight! Instead, choose a place that’s covered by shade.
Don’t use a hairdryer or a radiator to dry out the liquid in your iPhone, you could end up doing more harm to your device than good.
Wait as long as possible without using your iPhone. Do not turn your iPhone on during this time. If you use your device while the components are still wet, you could cause irreparable damage.
Only when you’re confident your iPhone is dry should you turn it on again.

How Do I Know When My iPhone Is Dry?

This is the million-dollar question. Unfortunately, without prying your iPhone open, it’s impossible to know if the liquid inside has evaporated or not. All you can do is wait as long as possible, then take a leap of faith and start using it again.
If it turns on, the first thing you should do is make a backup. You never know if a water damaged iPhone is going to stop working two weeks down the line. For added certainty, you should look into getting a repair or a replacement.

Try Turning Your iPhone Back On

While your iPhone is still on a flat surface, plug it into power and wait for it to turn on. You can try using the power button, but you might not need to. If you’ve waited the 24 hours we’ve suggested, chances are it will have run out of battery. When that happens, your iPhone should turn on automatically after a few minutes of charging.

Get Professional Help

Book an appointment at the Genius Bar in your nearest Apple Store.Apple doesn’t repair water damaged iPhones. This is because they can’t guarantee they fixed it without replacing every single component. So they offer a replacement device instead.
Apple’s warranty doesn’t cover liquid damage, even for water-resistant iPhones. So, unless you have AppleCare+, you need to pay for an “Out of Warranty” replacement device.
This is usually quite expensive, but it doesn’t cost as much as a new iPhone off the shelf.

Bottom Line

iPhone water damage problems are frustrating and difficult to solve, and we really hope this article helped you to fix your broken iPhone. We’d be grateful if you’d share this article with your friends, so they know what to do when they drop their phone in the toilet.
We’d love to hear about your experience with iPhone liquid damage in the comments section below. Have you tried any other at-home liquid damage fixes? If you decided to get a new phone, which one did you pick? If you have any questions, feel free to ask them there, and we’ll to our best to get back to you.
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