If you have an iPhone 6, or older, liquid damage is a constant worry. Accidentally drop it in water and it can destroy your phone for good.
If you do drop your older iPhone in liquid there are some simple things you can do to get it working again. But you must act quickly and follow the suggestions in this article before it is permanently damaged…
…and there is one thing you must do immediately to give your smartphone a chance of surviving.
Note:
Since the iPhone 7 was released all iPhone models have a water resistance rating of at least IP67 under IEC standard 60529 (submerged at a maximum depth of 1 metre / 3 feet for up to 30 minutes).
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Act quickly to prevent water damage
If you accidentally drop your iPhone in water, or any other liquid, you must act fast in order to have any chance of avoiding permanent damage.
Speed is of the essence and if you react as fast as you can you may be lucky and save your device.
Obviously, you must get your device out of the liquid as fast as possible. Next, turn the power off and finally dry it out thoroughly before attempting to turn it on again.
The step-by-step instruction on how to do this are given below.
Disclaimer:
iChimp cannot be held responsible should this article fail to help you fix your iPhone after liquid damage. If you are not confident then please call in an expert.
How to fix liquid damage
1. This is obvious, but get your iPhone out of the liquid as quickly as possible.
Immediately switch your device off by pressing and holding the power button for 5 seconds. If your iPhone has switched itself off already be careful not to switch it on again.
Switching your iPhone off as fast as you can is vital.
Every second counts so get it turned off immediately and leave it off to allow it to dry out thoroughly for a few days before attempting to switch it on again.
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Why?
Well, the liquid inside the phone can cause short-circuits that blow electric parts in the phone. This is the real danger, not the water itself.
2. Get as much of the liquid out of your phone as possible by holding it upright.
3. Dry your iPhone off carefully using a cloth.
Don’t use a hair dryer or oven to try and speed the process up as the heat may damage your phone beyond repair.
4. Fill a zipper storage plastic bag with rice or silica-gel packets and put your iPhone in it so it is completely surrounded.
Squeeze out all the air and seal the top.
5. Leave the iPhone in rice for at least 24 hours, but preferably 48 hours to completely absorb the moisture from the phone.
6. Before you turn your iPhone on you need to check the Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) for circuit board damage.
All iPhones have a Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) which is activated when the liquid has been in contact with the circuit board and damaged the phone.
If the iPhone was damaged by water, the indicator will turn red.
If there is no water damage the indicator should be white or silver.
To find where the LCI is located on your iPhone, check out the below table.
Still not working?
If your iPhone is still not working then you may need to have it professionally repaired.
If your iPhone is insured, either through a dedicated policy or via your home or contents insurance then you may be able to claim for a replacement. If you are in a contract then the network provider may help towards the cost of a replacement.
If not, you may be out of pocket to replace your beloved iPhone.
Find out more about setting up and maintaining your iPhone here. You can also get support from our in-depth how-to guides here.
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