For all those who are dealing with this issue, I dropped mine 3G in the tub last week. Here's what I've learned so far...
• *DRY IT OUT*: To quote from another thread (
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9087025#9087025):
"Some people have had some success placing the iPhone into a bag of dried rice or desiccant packs (which can be found in some dried food packaging). Wrapping the iPhone in a paper towel to prevent the rice from entering the headphone jack might be prudent. However, once any electronic device is exposed to a significant amount of liquid, unless the circuitry is not damaged by the initial exposure and the liquid is immediately and completely removed, there is no reliable way of reversing the effects of liquid exposure."
• *Don't Plug it In Until Dry*: DO NOT PLUG IT INTO A POWER CORD OR TO iTUNES UNTIL IT IS FULLY AND COMPLETELY DRY. You will only fry your phone. If you can, shut it off completely.
• *Kiss your warranty goodbye*: Water damage is not covered. And don't think you can fool Apple, either. They have special strips on your phone that indicate that your phone has been immersed. (See above responses.)
• *Erase Your Data*: It's quite likely that once your phone is dry, it will--at the very least--still short out the battery and not hold a charge. If you can turn on your phone after a couple of days of drying, I would STRONGLY recommend that you go into your "Settings", click on "General," scroll all the way down to "Reset," and then click "Erase all Contacts and Settings." If you want to risk it, then try syncing it to your computer before doing this--but there's no guarantees that you'll be able to wipe your phone again. And if by some miracle your phone survives, you can simply re-sync your phone and put all of your data back on later.
*Why Erase Your Data?*
Consider my situation...
I dropped my phone in the tub last week. After many attempts at resuscitation, it is now completely dead and beyond repair. I have two options left for me:
1) Recycle the phone
2) Sell it for parts on eBay, etc.
3) Use it as a paperweight/doorstop
Selling it would be a good option because people will actually buy it--even damaged--and I might be able to recover much of the cost for a new phone. However, all of my data is still on the phone, and all it would take is for someone to buy it, put in a new battery, and there's a good chance they'll have at least temporary access to all of my data. For you, that might not be an issue. Maybe you can just change your email passwords. But I have some business-related and personal info on there I cannot risk losing. And now, because my phone is completely dead, I am unable to wipe the memory. So I've missed my window of opportunity to sell my now-dead phone and re-coup the cost of a second one.
Of course, there is some debate as to whether the Erase feature really does the trick. If you can erase it a couple of times, that might help. But at least it will make it more difficult for someone to crack your data.
• *Find a 3rd Party Repair Shop*: There are other 3rd party repair places that might be able to help your phone, but its unlikely with water damage. The best place I found is this:
http://www.ipodjuice.com/apple-iphone-repair.htm#iphone-repair
They actually took my call and gave me some free advice, which boiled down to this: the new 3G iPhones are expensive too repair, and a water damaged phone might cost $700 in parts alone--so its not worth it for you to send it in for repair. Be sure and Google around about the shop's reputation. Some may be less than reputable. Others may be so busy, you won't get your phone back for a month or two.
But if you send it in, I would still recommend wiping the data from your phone and removing your SIM card before sending it. It's just a good precaution, and will help you if you decide to sell it.
Good luck to you. And, like I always say (now), be sure to keep your phone away from the tub and toilet.
-b
