iPhone 3G Water Indicator

Sad to say you have no way to prove you didn't get it wet or use it in an enviroment (humid, etc) that was outside to operating range.

This is true for just about any phone. Had buddy who sweats a lot. His RAZR had the indicator inside the battery compartment (most do) and due to keeping in his jeans and getting ... ah, moist I guess is the best word for it ... his indicator showed it had gotten wet. Though he never needed to have work done to it as it always worked, the fact it flipped to red just shows it is sensitive.

Sorry, but little you can do about it.

I've seen several threads that reference this issue of the water sensors being tripped while the owner indicates that the phone has not been exposed to moisture.

Is this a very big problem? Are there specific tips to avoid this (other than the obvious keeping it out of water)? I'm long past worrying about it on my relatively new 3G phone since I dropped it into water about a week after purchasing it. Happily my phone is functioning just fine.

But in the next couple of months my husband will probably get his iPhone and I have wondered how big a problem this is and what steps to avoid it.

If the sensors are really being tripped without moisture and voiding people's warrantly, that is a bigger issue for customers.

Let me just throw something out there....

If you were making a device that sensed water exposure, and your policy was to exchange any defects the phone might have...how sensitive would you make the sensor?

Considering the number of people who have come on here in the last 3 months claiming to have exchanged their phones 4 or 5 times, I don't think it's a big issue.

The litmus paper used in Liquid Damage Indicators (LDIs) is quite sensitive. As an earlier poster pointed out, using the iPhone in a humid environment can cause the LDI to show damage. Condensation, which can occur when you go from one temperature extreme to another, can also cause it to show damage. With liquid and electronics, you can never really predict what will cause the device to stop working. I've seen cell phones go through the washer and dryer and work fine. I've seen people leave them in a bag with a cold bottle of water and get some condensation on the phone and it never works again. So, yes, the LDI is sensative.

Every phone I have ever had contained water sensors. This isn't an apple thing.

The only difference I see here is that they are visible to and exposed to air. At least some of them are, or so it is claimed (I sure can't see them).

Well, I guess I'm lucky that I have never had any issues related to water damage or false indicators... but it seems to me that, if the sensor can be tripped from safely storing the phone close to a sealed water bottle, then the sensor is not a valid reason to void the warranty, especially if there is no other evidence that the issue is something that would likely be caused by water.

I believe there is more than one water sensor in the iPhone.

If it were me I would either call Apple Customer Service or call AppleCare back and ask to speak to a manager, politely and briefly explain the situation, and ask for someone else to review the the iPhone.

But that's just me.

Jacob Spindel (Wookie) wrote:
safely storing the phone close to a sealed water bottle,

No, you actually can't safely store a piece of electronics next to a sealed, cold bottle of liquid. Condensation can damage the phone, iPhone, iPod. Also, even sealed bottles have been known to become unsealed....

I'm a big fan of ziploc bags, myself.

I've had my 3G iPhone for 3 weeks now. I had the first generation iPhone that was truly water damage so I bought a new one. Since day one the phone has been very sluggish. It took me a few hours to get it to take my backup of my original phone. Today I went in for an appointment with a mac "Genius" to be told it had water damage. There is no way I ever go this close to any water. He should me the sensor on the bottom of the phone that is clearly exposed to the elements. This is just a way for Apple to get out of any warranty responsibility. They may as well just put the sensor on the screen. I love Apple products, I have a iMac and have had a few iPods. I will never give Apple one more penny due to this unethical practice.

Hey, it can't hurt.

I've just checked mine, and luckily its fine, but I'm nervous because it can get pretty humid here in the summer. This thread made me realize how odd of a practice it is to have the LDI exposed to air on a regular basis. For every other product I've bought with an LDI (mostly mobile phones) the indicator lays against a battery 99% of the time. Honestly, I don't think apple did this on purpose, but simply because it would be come tedious for the iPhone Geniuses to have to remove the back plate of every iPhone the inspect. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if they knew of the issue and were using it to their advantage. I love apple products, but have little faith in apple support.

I've been pleased with my Apple products (with some exceptions), but I've been very happy with Apple's support, they have gone way beyond what was required on more than one occasion. And given the various polls that are done on support (including PC Magazine) you are an exception to the rule in having faith in Apple support.