Removing iPhone battery while the device is powered on?

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Level 1

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Removing iPhone battery while the device is powered on?

I have an iPhone which suffered water damage. (Technically it's is not water... Thank you, cat -.-)

The device was actually plugged in for charging while it happened, yet almost everything seems to be working. Only the sleep/wake and volume buttons don't react. Meaning I cannot shut the phone down.

I covered the device with rice, hopefully draining some more humidity. But it is still powered on, and it's gonna take ages for the battery to deplete by itself.

I'm not really comfortable with the device still running while having liquid in it... I'd disassemble it anyway, since it definetly needs to be cleaned.

Here's my main concern: Will disconnecting the battery while the phone is still powered on cause any permanent damage?

Or is there any way of shutting the device down which does not require the sleep/wake button?

Or do you think I should just let it dry in its current status (powered on), since nothing major seems to be damaged (yet)?

Thanks

Posted on Mar 1, 2014 1:18 AM

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Answer 1

FelipeV

Level 6

10,612 points

Mar 1, 2014 2:13 AM in response to Kuchenmann

Kuchenmann wrote:

I

Here's my main concern: Will disconnecting the battery while the phone is still powered on cause any permanent damage?

Maybe, maybe not, as no one here has any knowledge of the extent of the damage to the phone. And you are not a qualified iPhone tech.

If I were you I'd get an out of warranty replacement. Once you open and tinker with the phone you will ineligible to do so.

So your choices are is getting a phone at below the replacement prices for a new one, or frying your phone and tossing it in the garbage.

Here are the out of warranty prices in the US:

iPhone model	Out-of-Warranty Service
iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5	$269
iPhone 4S	$199
iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, Original iPhone	$149

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Answer 2

Kuchenmann Author

Level 1

10 points

Mar 1, 2014 2:58 AM in response to FelipeV

Eh, I've already replaced the screen on an iPhone 4, so I'm sorta familiar with taking that entire thing apart and putting it back together without breaking anything. Warranty is gone anyways. So either pay probably around 200 bucks (here in Switzerland) to get it repaired by Apple, or pay 10 bucks and invest 1h of time to fix it myself.

I might as well wait until the battery runs out by itself. It's an iPhone after all, it can't take that long 😝

Hopefully the rice does its job... Wherever the humidity is now, it does not seem to have affected any important electronic components yet. Maybe the button even starts working again by then, who knows.

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Answer 3

FelipeV

Level 6

10,612 points

Mar 1, 2014 4:57 AM in response to Kuchenmann

Doh...you never did say in your post that you replaced the screen yourself, which in anycase disqualifies the phone from getting an OOW replacement. If that information would have been provided originally, my answer would have been different. If you seem to be so technically proficient, why ask the question in the first place.

Wherever the humidity is now, it does not seem to have affected any important electronic components yet. Maybe the button even starts working again by then, who knows.

"Yet" is the key word, but chances of it failing in the future are higher as "cat water" is somewhat acidic and once corrosion starts to set in....Hopefully you have no important data on the phone and/or backup regularly.

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Answer 4

Kuchenmann Author

Level 1

10 points

Mar 1, 2014 7:18 AM in response to FelipeV

I said I replaced the screen on an iPhone 4, not on that one though 😝

Why I ask that question? Because I couldn't find anywhere whether disconnecting the battery from a running iPhone results in permanent damage or not. If an iPhone behaves any bit like any other normal computer simply cutting its power source shouldn't leave fatal damage. But idk if or if not there's something special about an iPhone that would brick it when cutting its power while running. You never know what sorcery Apple put in there. So I figured I'd simply ask...

Anyhow, the magic cat-water seems to have done it's job now. Either the home button is broken too, or the electronics got p!ssed off (badum tss.) and decided to stop working. Probably the latter. Yeah, I was aware that yet was the keyword.

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