ApplesAreAwesome
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Another case of dropping iPhone 5s in water - please help me

I will try to keep this as short as possible but there are some important parts of the situation which I have to include. Thank you so much in advance for reading this:


I dropped my iPhone 5s into a lake and it was probably in my pocket inside the water for 2 - 3 minutes. When I found out my phone was in my pocket I immediately started shaking all the water out and panicking obviously. When I looked at it, it was off and that scares me , what if it short circuited or something... I then drove to the nearest store and bought rice about 45 minutes after it was fully submereged in water. I read  in a lot of places people suggest to put the phone in a bowl or bag of rice and wait for 24-72 hours before powering on or charging again. According to many people, this will save the phone and the data on it.

 

I then continued researching and found out a lot of people claim the rice method and hair dryer are myths. They say that you can cause corrosion by following those methods and make the situation even worse. They suggest to leave the phone facing down for three days and then powering it on again.

 

Please share your knowledge on this matter with me and tell me what I should do. Lots of photos and videos are on it from my trip and also bunch of other data. I am tempted to turn it on just to see if the phone works but I don't want to short circuit it. So I will wait to see what everyone says I should do.

iPhone 5s, iOS 8.4.1

Posted on Sep 6, 2015 5:33 PM

Close
ApplesAreAwesome

Q: Another case of dropping iPhone 5s in water - please help me

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Previous Page 2

  • by ApplesAreAwesome,

    ApplesAreAwesome ApplesAreAwesome Sep 8, 2015 6:26 AM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2015 6:26 AM in response to Meg St._Clair

    Thank you again for following my thread. Is there any way you know if this is a scam or a legitimate method to recover data from a damaged iPhone?

     

    http://www.iphone-ipad-recovery.com/recover-data-from-water-damaged-iphone.html

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Sep 8, 2015 6:35 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome
    Level 9 (58,897 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 8, 2015 6:35 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome

    ApplesAreAwesome wrote:

     

    Thank you again for following my thread. Is there any way you know if this is a scam or a legitimate method to recover data from a damaged iPhone?

     

    http://www.iphone-ipad-recovery.com/recover-data-from-water-damaged-iphone.html

    I'm sorry but I don't have any experience with any drive recovery service but DriveSavers. If they're cheap, they're probably not worth it.

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Sep 8, 2015 6:42 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome
    Level 9 (55,559 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 8, 2015 6:42 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome

    If you look carefully, you'll see that program can't actually recover anything from the phone unless it still works, meaning you could, at that point, just back it up yourself.

     

    Don't waste your money on snake oil.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Sep 8, 2015 6:48 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome
    Level 8 (37,982 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 8, 2015 6:48 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome

    ApplesAreAwesome wrote:

     

    Thank you again for following my thread. Is there any way you know if this is a scam or a legitimate method to recover data from a damaged iPhone?

     

    That site is on the Frequent Forum Spammer list, and should be avoided, as any business that makes spamming forums as its marketing strategy is not to be trusted.

  • by ApplesAreAwesome,

    ApplesAreAwesome ApplesAreAwesome Sep 8, 2015 10:19 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2015 10:19 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Thanks a lot everyone!!!

     

    It's so frustrating... I am in IT and there is NOTHING I can do... Only wait. I got bunch of silica gel packets. I took out most of the rice and replaced it with the gel... I went to SportChek and they gave me a bunch...

     

    I remember I encountered severe computer errors and malfunctions and I fixed everything because I understand computers. Unfortunately, Apple made it impossible to test their phones. I don't even know how to open it and what happens if I open it...

     

    I wanted to open it before I turn it on, clean it with Isopropyl alcohol 99% (the circuit board and other parts which may have corroded). I wanted to clean the interior of the phone, dry the battery separately but I am not sure you can even separate the battery safely...

     

    Any advice?

     

     

    EDIT:

     

    I found this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQqPm3LmwV4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQqPm3LmwV4

     

    Looks very easy. Especially with the experience I have fixing computers. This is the first time I researched to see what it looks like inside.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Sep 8, 2015 10:20 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome
    Level 8 (37,982 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 8, 2015 10:20 AM in response to ApplesAreAwesome

    ApplesAreAwesome wrote:

     

     

     

    Any advice?

    Don't open the phone. If the phone has not been opened and it fails due to water damage Apple will replace it for a flat fee of $269 ($79 if you purchased AppleCare + when you got the phone). If opened this option is void, and you will have to pay full list price for a replacement.

     

    ADDED: Regarding silica gel, it "wears out" by absorbing water. So the packets you have are probably not going to work. You can rejuvenate them by baking them at 220 degrees for a couple of hours. You can also buy it in much larger quantities from a hardware store or Amazon. It's really inexpensive.

  • by ApplesAreAwesome,

    ApplesAreAwesome ApplesAreAwesome Sep 8, 2015 11:01 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2015 11:01 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    I got almost brand new ones from SportChek. I couldn't find a store which was selling new ones. I don't have AppleCare so I don't mind voiding the warranty since there isn't one. I wouldn't buy another iPhone. Apple has disappointed me enough... Their devices have some nifty features but as an IT specialist, I know they do not worth anything over 500-600 bucks. I understand why some people  religiously purchase every new Apple product that's being released. I used to own a MacBook Pro and the way it worked together with my phone was superb. You can still get Android devices to do the same thing. The ONLY thing Apple does which no one else does is their customer service, it's amazing. I just need a much more versatile phone. It's ridiculous I can't open my phone and replace a battery or maintain it when I want to. Then again, this phone wasn't made for IT guys opening it up. So I guess I am the wrong target market for Apple lol. It's more for people who want things done for them. I like having more control.

     

    I am going to open up the device and treat it for water damage as seen in this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrN4VVdn8Ks

     

    This is another great tutorial but much longer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsh73qDQSHc

     

    IF everything works out as I hope it to work, I will make a video and write an article/tutorial and post it here on the Apple Forums as a thank you to everyone who helped me. Apple's community is awesome, thanks again. I will keep you posted.

Previous Page 2