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    How To Save An iPhone From Water Damage

    Has it ever happened to you that your iPhone got slipped from your hand right into a glass of water or a pool may be? Getting the iPhone completely drenched might mean that it goes dead right away and you lose hundreds of dollars you might’ve spent on buying it. iPhones aren’t water-resistant devices, even though some of the newer iPhone models are getting this feature to some extent, and may receive irreversible damage should you end up dropping one in water. So, the first thing that comes to your mind whenever you encounter such a situation is how to save an iPhone from water damage. To be fortunate, however, if you take action in time then you can do a few things to save your iOS device and avoid any permanent damage. So, let’s take a look at some of the things that you should be doing.

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    6 Immediate To-Dos For Saving iPhones That Have Water Contact

    If your iPhone has accidentally come in contact with water, some of the initial rescue steps you should be taking are described below. They will help in making sure that your iPhone doesn’t get permanently damaged.

    1. Remove your device from water as soon as you notice it has come in contact with water. Even seconds of contact can matter so you should be as quick as you possibly can here.
    2. Turn your iPhone off right away. You can do so by pressing and holding its power button till the time it is shut off.
    3. If there is any enclosure or case on it, remove that immediately as these cases and enclosures are prone to trapping moisture. Screen protectors can be fine though unless they have a visible water bubble on top.
    4. Dry your soaked iPhone out the best you can with the help of a cloth (you can use socks, t-shirt or whatever is available right there) or some other absorbent material. Thoroughly wipe down your device from screen, back and sides. Special attention should be paid to power button, mute switch, volume button, microphones and speakers, as well as audio output jack. Make sure you soak up all the moisture that is visible on any part of the device.
    5. Disconnect headphones, chargers, ports, accessories or USB cables right away if there are any.
    6. If possible, use Q-tip for trying and soaking up any extra water from audio output jack as well as the small crevices on your device. If you do not have access to any q-tips, you can use some sharp pencil or little stick poking through some cotton material or t-shirt as an alternate.

    As you have removed all the visible water from your device now, you should move to the next step. Put it into a bag full of rice or one with packets of silica gel. Read on to get complete step by step instructions on it.

    How To Save An iPhone From Water Damage By Putting It Into A Sealed Rice Bag

    So, now that you have taken all the emergency measures to avoid water damage, it’s time that you do a complete rescue by putting your iPhone into a rice bag that is sealed. Here are the steps that you will have to follow for that.

    How To Save An iPhone From Water Damage By Putting It Into A Sealed Rice Bag

      1. Take the iPhone out quickly and don’t let it remain dipping in water for more than five seconds as otherwise you will have to deal with serious and unfixable damage. We assume that you have followed all the above mentioned steps and have already taken your iPhone out of water.
    1. If you haven’t yet turned off your device or dried it properly, immediately turn it off. Then get blow drier to wipe off any excessive water from body of your iPhone. Do this in addition to the steps given above that you have to take as emergency measures. It is recommended that you blow dry your iPhone for two minutes, at least, to ensure that all the moisture is taken care of. And if you do not have access to blow dryer, you may try to blow through ports and gaps of your iPhone or put it in front of electric fan to fulfill the same purpose.
    2. Once you have removed any possible moisture, grab a bag full of rice having at least 3-5 cups of the uncooked stuff inside and a seal around. Ensure that there is enough rice that can submerge the iPhone.
    3. Now, put your iPhone into it and ensure that you have completely covered the device with rice and then seal it completely using zip lock or a piece of string. Rice is considered a great source of absorbing moisture and will, hopefully, take every single drop of water out of your iPhone. Doing so will leave you with very less chances of ending up with damaged circuit board inside your iOS device.
    4. Even though rice can do a great job at absorbing any possible moisture from your iPhone, you may have to wait for two days at least so that all the possible water inside your device can be absorbed completely. Do not open the bag at all during this time to ensure that when you open the bag after two days your iPhone is all dry.
    5. After 2 days time, you can take the iPhone out and press power/lock button for switching it on. You will see that your device is working as if nothing has happened. Besides, keep in mind that sooner you put your iPhone through the process after dropping it in water or it getting in contact with water somehow, the more likely it will be to save it from any kind of water damage.

    How To Save An iPhone From Water Damage By Using Desiccants

    Another option you have for keeping your iPhone safe from any kind of water damage is to use desiccants in case you happen to drop it in water or it gets in contact with water somehow. Here are the steps that you will have to follow.

    1. Take the iPhone out quickly and don’t let it remain dipping in water for more than five seconds as otherwise you will have to deal with serious and unfixable damage. We assume that you have followed all the above mentioned steps and have already taken your iPhone out of water.
    2. If you haven’t yet turned off your device or dried it properly, immediately turn it off. Then get blow drier to wipe off any excessive water from body of your iPhone. Do this in addition to the steps given above that you have to take as emergency measures. It is recommended that you blow dry your iPhone for two minutes, at least, to ensure that all the moisture is taken care of. And if you do not have access to blow dryer, you may try to blow through ports and gaps of your iPhone or put it in front of electric fan to fulfill the same purpose.
    3. The above steps are the same as you would be required to do with the first method. But once you are done with them, you have to buy desiccants. Basically, they are the beads of silica gel – similar to the ones you find commonly in shoe boxes –that are used for preventing any moisture damage. Same as rice, they are cheap and won’t cost you more than $3 to buy somewhere around hundred grams of the stuff. Desiccants can be bought online from the shopping sites such as eBay. Alternately, you can buy them from some hardware store in your area.
    4. Once you have bought desiccants, put them in some plastic bag and then place your device inside. Ensure that you have covered the iPhone completely with desiccants and then use a zip lock or piece of string to seal the bag completely. Now, put that bag on some shelf where it is safe from any kind moisture, food and children. The desiccants tend to be toxic in nature and can transfer their poison if someone swallows them. Therefore, you should use them with caution.
    5. Now, just like the case with using rice bag, you should wait for two days at least. Desiccants take time in absorbing all that moisture your iPhone may have received. Leaving the device inside the bag will ensure that your iPhone is completely dry when you take it out.
    6. After 2 days time, you can take the iPhone out and press power/lock button for switching it on. It will be working just fine as if nothing has happened. Besides, keep in mind that sooner you put your iPhone through the process after dropping it in water or it getting in contact with water somehow, the more likely it will be to save it from any kind of water damage.

    What Options Do You Have If Water Has Already Damaged Your iPhone And Something Isn’t Working?

    Once your iPhone has completely dried out, and has suffered some sort of water damage, and you don’t have any warranty coverage left, there are several options you have. Before we get into the details, we’d like to mention that quite possibly you may face four different issues. Here are all of them with possible solutions.

    • Water damage may cause your Home Button to go completely unresponsive. If that’s the case, you can opt for onscreen home button alternative so that you don’t have todeal with broken button anymore.
    • Water damage may cause your volume, mute and power buttons to malfunction as well. It is possible for you to live without mute and volume buttons as both of them are available in software that deal with sound. However, power button may turn out to be something to worry about. Well, all you can do about it is to make sure that your iPhone never runs out of power.
    • Water damage may also cause your iPhone’s audio output to go dead. Here again, you don’t have any simple repair or user alternative. So, you have to think about using some USB-based dock in case if you’re interested in listening to some audio.
    • Water damage may also lead to diminished response of touch-screen. Depending on severity of water damage, you may tolerate it or not. Sometimes it helps to replace the screen but other times it doesn’t because the issue can be a lot deeper than simply damaged LCD. So, take the appropriate option in the situation you are facing.

    In case of water damage, it is always possible to take your iPhone to Apple and see if they can swap it or repair the device for free. However, without AppleCare+ it is fairly unlikely that you get a free repair because accidental damage and water damage is not covered under standard warranty. With that being said, exceptions are always there and sometimes repair cost turns out to be all the more affordable and it is always worth getting your device repaired. Secondly, repair cost is always cheaper compared to buying new iPhone and is a more viable solution.

    So, now that you know how to save an iPhone from water damage, you should take the appropriate option and make sure that your device remains safe. Even if it does get damaged, take one of the options as described above and, hopefully, you will be able to get rid of your worries.

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