Time to turn it off!
The most common way to get your phone back to life is by turning it off as soon as possible after the accident. Touching the buttons shall not only put pressure on any existing liquid inside your phone, but will further cause water damaged iphone or worse, shock you through the electricity and water. Hence, it’s the best solution to keep it switched off before jumping to other remedies.
As hard as it must be to not check if your device if working or not, you have to resist the temptation for the greater good.
Get rid of the case
After turning it off, it’s time to get rid of any extra accessories or case that your phone is wearing. These accessories may have water trapped in them, which shall flow to your phone’s internal system as time passes. Thus, it’s wise to avoid the trapping of any liquid in the case or other additions of your phone.
Along with the phone case you should get rid of the screen protector as well; it might have water underneath the protector that cannot dry off it it’s not taken off entirely. Following these steps, you’ll be able to wipe the phone clean with any cloth free of lint. The goal here is to absorb all the liquid from your phone without keeping any remnants behind. If you don’t have anything fancy around you, a tee shirt can be of great help.
Liquid-less Ports
Next, the ports need to be dried off. Often, dropping your phone causes water to get inside through the charging and earphone ports. These liquids usually get trapped and cause further water damage in iPhone as most people do not pay heed to these ports. However, it is essential to tilt your phone at different angles to ensure no port has liquids inside it. To go one step further, you can even use a mild hair dryer on the ports to ensure the water has dried off completely; remember the keyword- MILD.
Another thing to avoid during this time is charging or plugging anything into your phone. Not only will this disrupt the internal system of your phone, but it is extremely hazardous. Make sure to maintain all precautions before dealing with your phone- it’s electricity and water we are talking about.
Take the SIM card out
Even drying off the ports might fail to water damage repair your iPhone if liquid is still trapped inside. Taking your SIM card out and leaving the port open increases another ventilation space for your phone to dry off. Moreover, taking your SIM card out ensures that it stays functioning and dries off completely. Be careful while ejecting the SIM card out, as the process can be dangerous. For iPhones, you can use a pin or a paper clip that is straightened out to eject your SIM card.
It’s always a good idea to use protective gloves to avoid any mishaps or electric shocks.
Wait, wait, wait
If you have completed all the aforementioned steps, now is the time to store your phone on a window sill or an open shelf to dry off. Remember to not put it in a box or closed container, as the humidity will not let your device dry off completely. In most cases, you have to wait for one or two days before being able to turn your phone back on. Therefore, resist the temptation to turn the phone on and check- it shall cause further water manage on your iPhone. In addition to these, make sure there is adequate ventilation available for your device to dry.
It’s vital to NOT store your phone under direct sunlight as it can hamper the system rather than reviving it. A cool and dry place is perfect for the steps to be performed.
How can you tell your phone has dried?
This is a common question for people with water damaged iPhones. When can you possibly understand if your phone has dried? Well, there’s no way to confirm if it has dried off completely or not; there might still be dangers of using the phone and it can also stop working three weeks down the line.
The best way to cope with this is to turn on your phone after two whole days of the drying procedure. In most cases, this works as the phone is given plenty of time to dry off. However, it’s better to stay safe than sorry. As soon as your phone turns on, make sure to retrieve a back up of all your information from the device. This ensures that even if it stops working some day in the upcoming weeks, you’ll still have a backup of all your data. It’s wise to keep a backup device ready as well, in case of emergencies.
Rice Method?
Often the online sources will tell you to stick your iPhone in a bowl of rice. Don’t do that.
Refrain from using the rice method as the grains can enter through the ports and break your phone eventually. Moreover, enclosing the iPhone in between uncooked rice will make the drying process go slower. Don’t believe the stories of people who managed iphone water damage repair through the rice method- chances are, they could have done it faster without the rice itself.
Bottom Line
Your phone is arguably your most prized possession and letting it slip into water might cause you immense stress. Use the steps to water damage repairyour phone for the time being, and don’t forget to remain cautious!
