7 Dos and Don'ts of Fixing Water Damaged iPhone

Updated Sep 29,2018 | by Joy

You must have heard of many stories of damage from iPhone dropped in the sink or toilet, wet by rain or shower head, washed in the washing machine together with clothes, etc. Although every iPhone since the iPhone 7 acquires better water resistance rating, it’s also important to realize that they are not entirely waterproof and the water damage is not covered by Apple Care+ plans. 

If you just dropped your iPhone in water, don’t panic. I strongly recommend you read this article on 7 dos and dont’s of fixing water damaged iPhone before you toss the wet iPhone in the trash. The guide below might be able to help you bring your cherished iPhone back to life. Firstly, let’s see what you should do to fix your water damaged iPhone.

1. Turn it off immediately to remove the chance that the iPhone will get a short circuit. Therefore, the sooner you can turn off your iPhone, the higher chance you can get to recovery your device.

Note: If the screen is off and you are not sure whether your iPhone is on or not, quickly press the Power button to see if the screen turns on. If it does, you must turn your iPhone off at once.

2. Remove the case to guarantee the air circulation. If you have a case on your iPhone, remove it immediately as it may be holding in moisture.

3. Remove the SIM card and tray. You can insert a SIM removal tool or use an unbent paperclip into the hole of the SIM tray to pop the tray out. 

4. Wipe down your iPhone with an absorbent cloth and soak up any water from ports by wrapping a small piece of dry and absorbent cloth around a toothpick or pin. Do not forget to remove the excess moisture on the headphone jack, the charging port, the volume keys and any other crevices.

5. Leave you iPhone in a warm and dry place as long as possible. In general, the longer you can wait, the more successful your drying process will be. Here I recommend you wait at least 48 hours.

6. Check for the water damage indicator. Each iPhone has a tiny indicator, which is a piece of plastic. When it is wet enough to damage your iPhone, it will turn red. 

Note: Depending on your iPhone model, the indicator will be in a different place:

For iPhone 4 /4s, it is in the charging port.

For iPhone 5/5C; iPhone 5S & SE; iPhone 6/ 6s/6s Plus; iPhone 7/7s, it is in the SIM card tray.

7. Back up your iPhone files immediately after successfully turning your device on again if you haven’t saved them on PC before. To avoid that your water damaged iPhone may quit working a few days later, it’s a must to back up all your data to computer before repairing. Here I recommend you an easy iPhone transfer - IOTransfer to back up the contents to PC.

Backup iPhone Files to PC With Third-Party Software 

IOTransfer is a user-friendly tool enabling you to transfer photos, videos, contacts, music, etc. from iOS devices to computer. Besides, you can use it to download videos online and convert them to the compatible formats. Now follow the simple steps to back up iPhone data to PC.

Step 1. Free download IOTransfer and install it to your computer. Note that it works in Windows  7/8/8.1/10 and iOS 8 or later. Also, it is fully compatible with iOS 12.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to PC and you can directly click “Transfer to PC” on its home page to transfer photos, music, videos and contacts to computer.

Step 3. If you want to transfer other contents like Books, Voice Memos, Apps, etc. to PC, simply go to “MANAGE” and click the corresponding icon to choose files. After that, click “Export” to start the transfer. 

Hope the above 7 dos of fixing your water damaged iPhone are useful. Now, read on to see what you should not do if you dropped your iPhone in water. 

1. It is not recommended to leave your iPhone into a bag of rice. Rice is not a drying agent and the dust and grit in rice may get inside your phone. They will do the same damage for your iPhone as water did.

2. Don’t plug it into a wall socket or your computer after removing your iPhone from water, because the logic board can get short circuited.

3. Do not put it in the oven.

4. Do not recommend using a hair dryer as this can damage and melt the areas of rubber seals or the frame.

5. Note that you shouldn’t shake it or rotate it to prevent water from entering into the parts that are still dry.

6. Don’t place it on top of a radiator.

7. Don’t press the Home button.

Bottom Line:

Chances are that if you follow the above 7 dos, you may be able to fix your iPhone from water damage. Then do not forget to back up files to PC. If they don’t work, the safer way to fix water damaged iPhone is to visit a nearby authorized Apple Store or an iPhone repairing center. Most importantly, remember to the above 7 don’ts before repairing.

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