So you’ve dropped your iPhone in the pool and you can feel your heart beating through your chest. Your photos, apps, contacts, passwords… are they gone? The hundreds of dollars you spent for the latest phone, and the high deductible on your insurance plan… if you ponied up for it in the first place.
Sound familiar?
Don’t worry.
Yet.
A wet cell phone can be salvaged if you follow the right steps after digging it out of the pool.
1. Dry Out Your Cell Phone
The first step is to turn off your iPhone and immediately place the cell phone in a warm and dry place. If possible, remove the cover on the back, remove the battery and let the motherboard and other interior components dry completely. Never turn on a wet cell phone before it has finished drying.
2. Use a Vacuum Cleaner
While it might sound awkward, a vacuum cleaner is one the fastest ways to completely dry a wet cell phone. Hold the vacuum close to the cell phone and slowly draw it across the top, drawing all the remaining water spots to the ground. For wet iPhones, performing this task for 20 minutes should be sufficient to completing the drying process. Contrary to popular belief, you should never use a hair dryer to dry your water damaged iPhone. The force of the air hitting the phone m ight push water back into some of the crevices.
3. Place Your iPhone on a Towel or Other Absorbent Material
The final step is to place your iPhone onto an absorbent cloth or towel that will help remove any remaining water. Leave the phone sitting o n the towel and check it every hour for three hours. If you notice any remaining moisture on the towel, dry it with the vacuum cleaner again until all of the w ater is gone.
Once you’ve completed this process, wait for 24 hours before trying to turn on your iPhone. When turning on your cell phone again, check for funny nois es or for anything else that might seem odd or that would indicate that your iPhone is broken.
Cell Phone Repair Shops: How Do They Fix Wet iPhones?
After thoroughly inspecting you wet iPhone, the repair company will make a determination based on what parts of the phone were actually damaged.
If damage was done to parts that aren’t related to the motherboard such as the battery, charging port or screen, they’ll likely be able to fix it because these parts are replaceable.
If any of the components on the motherboard itself were damaged or pieces of the wiring on the board no longer work, your phone might not be repairable.
When the iPhone repair shop tells you that he or she can fix the phone, they’ll quote you a price for the parts and labor to complete the job.
In many cases, your water damaged iPhone will be repaired within a matter of hours if the store has all the parts to complete the repair.
