C”mon!….. we all know that electronics and water just don’t mix. But accidents do happen , as it happened when my housemate dropped his iPhone in the toilet over the weekend. Obviously talking on your phone, whilst doing your business, is a bit stupid…. But we are all human and we all do dumb things every now and then. So I’m focusing on a possible solution for anyone who has ever dropped their iPhone in water  and not on pointing  fingers!

What to do when it happens?

1) Turn your phone off immediately!
2) Do not turn it on!
3) Remove the sim card
4) Dry with towel , T-shirt , dress etc.
5) Put in a bag of sealed ,uncooked rice for as long as possible.

The rice works great for removing excess water/moist , but alternatively silica bags (often found in shoe boxes) can also be used. You need to do whatever it takes to remove the water asap! However silly this sound , rice is something  that pretty much everyone has  readily available at home.

I would say you should leave it in the rice for a minimum of 24 hrs. My housemate’s iphone’s camera clearly had liquid in it and he left his in the rice for 48 hrs.After following this procedure , his phone pretty much worked perfectly afterwards. I would say that the longer the phone was in water , the longer you need to leave in turned off  and in the rice.

I read some other people recommend you blow dry the phone , to leave it in the sun or put it in the microwave. Heat is pretty bad for electronics. So do not put your iPhone in the sun or microwave it!! The “rice method” takes longer , but it is a way more natural way of getting rid of the moisture. Just be patient.

One thing to note is that your phone might take pretty long to charge and start up after first charging it again after you have taken  it out of the rice . So once again, just be patient! By the way ,the Apple warranty does not cover water damage and you iPhone has a water sensor that indicates water damage if it happens. So the chance of a free replacement is close to none.

Some people have indicated a loss in sound , dark screen and water under  their screens . Many of these problems have been sorted out by leaving the phone in the rice for longer. If all fails ,I suppose you don’t have a choice but to take your phone to a repair shop. But first try the above mentioned and proved method  – you might just be surprised. Good luck!!

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