Did you spill your drink on your iPhone? Did you get it wet after taking a dunk in the pool? Learn more about liquid damage and what to do about it.
Society, as you know, wouldn’t have gotten this far without human ingenuity. If it weren’t for ingenuity, society wouldn’t be enjoying a high level of technology today. Technology is designed with human convenience in mind, and smartphones are the best example of this.
Not only are smartphones completely mobile, but they can also perform multiple tasks that should keep you up-to-date with whatever’s going on in life. With that said, Apple is still one of the leading smartphone brands to date—with the iPhone remaining as popular as ever.
Like any gadget or device, an iPhone is not immune to technical issues. Many users even get their iPhones wet—either because of heavy rain, spillage, accidents in the toilet, or having them fall off on the pool or beach. Whichever way it happened; liquid damage is a serious issue for iPhones.
With how popular iPhones are, hundreds of mobile repair stores can handle all sorts of problems. And you can even check out here if you have an iPhone that’s a newer model. Since they know the ins and outs of an iPhone, they’re already familiar with its many features.
What To Look Out For
Liquid damage in an iPhone might not be obvious at first glance, especially if someone else got it wet and the culprit dried it off quickly, leaving you none the wiser. Knowing the signs caused by liquid damage would give you a heads-up about what happened to your phone.
1. Foggy Screen
Even though you only spilled water all over its surface, that doesn’t mean you should lower your guard already. Because in some cases, even something as simple as that still leaves water inside the phone itself.
Therefore, one of the most obvious signs of liquid damage is the screen fogging up or having ‘bubbles’ inside it. However, no amount of effort can wipe off this ‘foggy’ screen.
2. Red Liquid Contact Indicator
The Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) is a feature all iPhones have. However, since newer models are coming out, their location might be different. But typically, the LCI is located in the space where the SIM tray is. Once you shine a light there, you’re supposed to see a color, such as white, silver, or red. White indicates the inside of the phone is dry, whereas red means the LCI came into contact with liquid.
3. No Sounds
Because water got into the phone, it’s bound to damage its inner workings. The speakers are typically the first to malfunction. If you’re lucky, the sounds they emit are static-y or garbled. That means only a small amount of water got in. But if the sounds completely got cut off, the extent of the liquid damage might be worse than you’d think.
4. Unrecognized SIM Card
Although you can chalk it off to a carrier or software problem, an iPhone that fails to read your SIM card could be another sign of liquid damage. Because liquid gets everywhere, it can hinder you from connecting to your cellular network.
How To Repair Liquid Damage
Once you check off the symptoms discussed above, you can safely deduce your iPhone now has liquid damage. Panicking and shaking the water out won’t be of any help. Instead, you must find out how to manage the damage as much as possible.
1. Air It Out
Since you have liquid inside the device, your top priority should be to dry it out. Wildly shaking your iPhone around won’t help because the only thing that achieves is spreading the liquid all over. Even if you dropped it in the snow, you should never shake your iPhone after picking it up.
Power down your phone as soon as you get it out of the liquid. If it has anything plugged into it, remove it quickly. Remove the iPhone case (if you have one), as well as its SIM card and tray.
Wipe down the outside of the phone before drying out the ports, ideally with a toothpick and a piece of cotton cloth to be more thorough. Once you get that done, leave your iPhone to air dry in a warm location. Don’t help it ‘dry faster’ with a hairdryer. Otherwise, you’ll push the device to overheat.
2. Turn To Apps
If there are still signs of water damage inside, consider using a water eject shortcut. While it’s not an official app from Apple, this is meant to emit a frequency that shakes the water from the speaker, reminiscent of the Apple Watch’s Water Lock.
Although there’s no guarantee they’ll work, there’s no harm in trying as long as the speaker faces downward.
3. Leave It To The Experts
Hundreds of mobile phone repair stores can look over any iPhone problem and resolve them as quickly as possible. With how common liquid damage is, there’s no doubt that experts can get it fixed in no time.
If you want to take matters into your own hands, Apple has self-service repair stations opened in some places, equipped with all the tools you need to tinker with your iPhone. So, before looking for a third-party mobile repair store, try to check if your place has an Apple self-service station and bring your iPhone there first.
4. File A Claim
If your iPhone is insured, your insurance company might offer in-store and mail-in repair choices. Just be sure that your iPhone insurance covers liquid damage, even though it was an accidental occurrence.
For example, your insurance might only compensate for liquid damage if it was caused by floods, storms, or hurricanes—and not because you accidentally spilled water on it or slipped it down the toilet.
Takeaway
It’s almost impossible to get around without a smartphone. So, the risk of getting it wet is always present. Considering the brand’s long history, getting an iPhone wet will deal a lot of damage to your wallet. Therefore, you must know the best way to deal with it.
Fortunately, there are several ways to fix the damage by yourself. With the information provided above, you can air your iPhone out to dry, use an app, or file a claim if you have an iPhone insurance policy. Alternatively, you can go to an Apple self-service store or have it repaired by mobile phone experts.
If you've encountered liquid damage on your iPhone and need professional assistance to fix your iPhone now, don't hesitate to reach out to experienced technicians who can assess the extent of the damage and provide the necessary repairs to get your device back in working condition.
