Tucson Computer Repair

I Soaked My Precious iPhone! Now what? 

What to do, and what not to do, when your IPhone, IPod, or IPad gets wet

Did you run your new iphone through the washing machine, go swimming with it, or drop it in the bathrub? It's no secret that liquid and electronic devices don't go well together. Water is a very good conductor and is likely to short out various circuit board components. But there are a few simple rules you can follow to minimize the possibility of permanent damage to your Apple device in the event that it comes in contact with liquid.

1. Do not power your iPhone on, or if it is already turned on, immediately power it off!

This is by far the most important preventative measure to take. It's not the liquid per se that will do damage to your phone but the electricity conducting through the liquid that will fry your iPhone by short-circuiting it. So if your iPhone is not already turned on, do not turn it on. If it is already turned on, immediately turn it off. This is true for laptop computers as it is with most any electronic device that comes into contact with water.

2. Once powered off, the iPhone or iPod needs to dry. What are the best ways to dry the iPhone out? 

Personally, I believe the best way is to take your iPhone to an iPhone technician and let him or her do it properly. "Properly" can mean the use of a silica bag or the use of some other dessicant to leach out the moisture from the device. A hot air gun, with heat set on lowest setting and the iPhone partially disassembled, is going to the be the fastest and most thorough method to dry out the iPhone, but it's best to let a professional do this as too much heat applied to the device can ruin it. I don't recommend the use the hair-dryers for this reason. One method people have used to varying degrees of success is to submerge the wet iPhone in a bag of rice. The rice, much like silica gel, leaches the moisture from the device. If you do choose to use either the silica or rice bag technique, you should leave your iphone in it for at least 24 hrs, but 48 to 72 hrs is preferable. Basically the longer the better.

3. Power the iPhone back on and pray, pray, pray ;)

Hopefully your iPhone has been saved from the brink of drowning and all will be well. It should be noted that any water damage to an iPhone will probably void the warranty. There are stickers inside the iPhone that will turn from white to pink if they come into contact with liquid.