I have a question about water damaged phone that doesn't seem to be here

Question

I have a question about water damaged phone that doesn't seem to be here

Hello All,

My daughter's iphone 5 got some water damage yesterday. We don't know how long it was exposed to water. It was in a lifeproof case but that didn't seem to work. I have been doing some reading and I will put in it rice for some time but here is my confusion.

I have seen people mention that I can take out the sim card to see if there is any water damage on the indicator. I'm not sure what I am looking for? It is an At&t sim card and one side is blue and orange with their logo and the other side is gold. I can't find any images for what it should/shouldn't look like. I'm also not sure if I put it in rice with the sim card tray out or not.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Stephanie

iPhone 5

Posted on Apr 23, 2014 1:10 PM

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Answer 1

varjak paw

Level 10

170,206 points

Apr 23, 2014 1:18 PM in response to Stephanie Patterson

You can see it here:

http://harvestcellular.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/iphone-5-water-sensor-sim- card-tray.png

but whether or not the immersion indicator was triggered is not a reliable indicator as to whether or not there has been damage. I'd suggest you attempt to dry the iPhone out for a few days - taking the SIM tray out probably won't help but can't hurt - and then see how the iPhone behaves. If you encounter no problems, you're probably OK, though problems may arise in the future. If problems occur, you'll need to take or send the iPhone to Apple and pay for replacement.

Regards.

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Answer 2

KiltedTim

Level 10

196,161 points

Apr 23, 2014 1:21 PM in response to Stephanie Patterson

How long it was exposed is not relevant. Think of it this way... A girl can't be a "little bit pregnant". She either is or isn't.

You're not looking at the SIM card... There are moisture indicators in the phone, one visible inside the SIM slot, one visible inside the headphone jack, one visible in the docking port, and several inside that you can't see without opening the phone (DO NOT OPEN THE PHONE).

The odds of it working reliabley after exposure to liquid are low. You can try. Sim In or out probably won't make much difference. If you're going to put it in rice. Leave it there for a week. DO NOT attempt to turn it on in that time.

After a week, if it's not working correctly, just make an appointment at the genius bar and pay the $269 for an out of warranty replacement.

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