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How To Rescue Data from a Wet iPhone

How To Rescue Data from a Wet iPhone

How To Rescue Data from a Wet iPhone

Your Guide to Rescuing Data from a Wet iPhone

  If you’re among Manhattan’s 1 in 5 iPhone users who’ve had water damage to your smartphone, you know how bad it feels to potentially lose everything. There are a lot of ways your day can suddenly go sideways because water and electronics don’t play nice. You could drop your phone in the toilet. The cat could tip over a glass of water right onto your iPhone.    Even when you’ve gone to the trouble of getting a protective case, you’re not totally covered. Between user error and product failure, there’s a window for water damage that Murphy’s Law will take every time.    What is iPhone Water Damage?   When an iPhone gets wet, chances are you’re going to have problems. Liquids can short-circuit internal components and lead to things like dead screens, speakers not working, or a phone that won’t charge anymore. Apps can open and close at random. Sometimes, you won’t even be able to get your iPhone to power up.   If you’re lucky, there’s a fix. But a lot of the time you’re in a situation where your best-case scenario involves being able to avoid data loss. This includes your photos, videos, messages, and contacts. We’re going to walk you through DIY options for a water-damaged iPhone and let you know when it’s time to look for a Manhattan iPhone repair shop.  

7 Most Common Ways iPhones Get Water Damage

  It often feels like there’s an almost magnetic attraction between water and our electronic devices. The five most common ways iPhones get water damage include:  
  1. Dropping your phone into a body of water, like the toilet, sink, pool, lake, or ocean.
  2. Spilling liquid on your phone, like when you knock over a drink or are eating something like soup.
  3. Using your phone in a wet environment, like when it’s raining outside, or when you’re showering.
  4. Exposing your phone to high humidity, like when you’re in a steamy bathroom or sauna.
  5. Sweat getting into your phone during exercise.
  6. Accidentally putting your phone through a wash cycle. 
  7. Using your phone with wet hands.
  The 3 Levels of Water Damage to Smartphones   The level of damage to your smartphone depends on how much water exposure it has. Something as trivial as a few drops of water is a lot different than your iPhone taking an extended swim in the ocean. Here are the main levels of water damage and expected outcomes:  
    • Minor: Light splashes, spray, or the briefest dunk. If you act quickly, your iPhone might still work normally and suffer no lasting effects. 
    • Moderate: More significant exposure, like being submerged in water for a few seconds to a minute. Your iPhone will probably have some issues but could still work.
  • Severe: Long-term water submersion up to half an hour. Your iPhone almost certainly will have serious problems and might not work at all.
  Can You Explain iPhone Water Resistance Ratings?   The IP stands for Ingress Protection. Since the iPhone 7, Apple has incorporated iPhone water resistance levels, but that doesn’t make iPhones completely waterproof. It’s important to remember that even if a phone has an IP67 or IP68 rating that says it can handle being submerged at a certain depth for a specific amount of time, those ratings are in lab-controlled conditions for freshwater environments. Saltwater is more damaging than freshwater. Also, your iPhone’s resistance to splashes, water, and dust can reduce over time through normal wear and tear.  
  • IP68 Rating: Water resistant to a maximum depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes.
    • Note: The iPhone 11, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max have an IP68 rating that’s good for 4 meters up to 30 minutes.
  • IP67 Rating: Water resistant to a maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes.
 

How Do I Know If My iPhone Has Water Damage?

  Sometimes, you might not know your iPhone has been exposed to water but there are still ways to tell. You can look for visual cues, functional problems, and changes to the Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI).
  • Visual Signs: Corrosion is a big red flag. Look for greenish discoloration or strange build-up around the charging port. Other signs to be aware of include foggy cameras and patches on your display.
  • Functional Signs: Some of the most common indications of water damage are when your phone doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. Often, buttons aren’t responsive or only work intermittently. Also, Face ID and Touch ID features may stop working. Power and startup issues are common when an iPhone has water damage. Your device might get stuck in a restart loop, hit you with the white screen of death, or fail to turn on. Other things you might notice include the speaker or microphone isn’t working or your phone is overheating for no particular reason. Sometimes apps get buggy and you get error messages like “Charging is not supported with this accessory” or “This accessory is not made to work with iPhone”. Basically, if your iPhone starts acting like it’s possessed, look for water damage.
  • Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI): iPhones have an integrated method of detecting water intrusion. When exposed to water or liquids containing water, the LCI changes color. If you see a white or silver dot, you’re good. If the dot is red, you’ve got definite water damage. 
  • LCI location for iPhone 14 and newer: iPhone 14 and newer don’t have an external LCI. The LCI is inside, underneath the front display. You can only see it if you remove the display.
  • LCI location for iPhone 5 to iPhone 13: Look for the LCI in the SIM card slot. Remove the SIM card and look inside the slot. 
 

What Do I Do If My iPhone Got Wet?

  If your iPhone took an unexpected nosedive into the nearest water source, here’s what to do to prevent or minimize damage:   Do:
  1. Remove your iPhone from the water immediately. The faster your reflexes, the better your chances for a good outcome are. Be a ninja.
  2. Take a breath and remove all cables that might be attached.
  3. Turn off your phone.
  4. If it’s in a case, wipe the case off and remove the iPhone from its case.
  5. Dry off your iPhone with a soft, lint-free cloth. Microfiber cloths work well.
  6. Remove the SIM card after the exterior is dry.
  7. Tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the Lightning or USB-C connector facing down. This helps you get rid of moisture that might be trapped inside.
  8. Leave your iPhone in a dry area that has good airflow. You can place it in front of a fan that’s blowing cool air directly into the connector. You can also place it in a bag of desiccant packs, like the ones you get in medication bottles.
  9. Read Apple’s handling information guidelines but be aware that the longer you wait to bring your phone to a professional, the greater the risk you’re taking.
  10. Wait to charge your iPhone until it’s completely dry. Without taking it to a shop and having them dry it professionally, you’ll likely cause a short even if you wait 48 hours before turning it on. There’s simply no way to adequately remove trapped water via evaporation through the SIM card slot.
  Don’t:
  1. Don’t put it in the oven or use a blow-dryer; they can make problems worse.
  2. Avoid putting it in rice or kitty litter, which can get stuck in your iPhone and is really hard to remove.
  3. Compressed air and cleaning products are not your friends in this situation.
  4. Inserting a foreign object, like a Q-tip or paper towel, into your phone to dry it could make things worse.
  5. Don’t press buttons; you could cause a short circuit.
 
DIY Data Recovery Methods for a Wet iPhone
  Getting your data off a water-damaged iPhone can be tricky, but if you want to try, here are a few DIY steps you can take to try and get back what you’ve lost.  
  1. After drying your wet iPhone thoroughly and waiting at least 48 hours, try to power it up.
  2. If it turns on, back up your data immediately.
  3. If your iPhone won’t turn back on, look to see if you’ve got recent backups on iCloud or iTunes.
  4. If your iPhone can be recognized by a computer, you can use a third-party data recovery program to salvage what’s left.
  Should I Use a Professional Data Recovery Service?   If you’ve tried everything or aren’t comfortable going the DIY route, talk to a reputable repair service. Professional iPhone repair shops have specialized tools and training to deal with your problem, as well as a clean room that lets them open up your iPhone without risking further damage. They’ve seen it all are are your best bet for recovering data.   Factors Affecting Data Recovery Success   The amount of time your phone spent in water directly affects how good your outcome will be. The kind of liquid also matters. Saltwater and food-related liquids can be harder to recover from. If you’re quick and it didn’t get much liquid inside, you might be ok. Even if you do everything right, though, you might not be able to save your phone. If you don’t have experience dealing with water-damaged phones, you could do more harm than good.   Conclusion   Remember, the best protection against data loss is making regular backups of your important files. You can back your iPhone up to iCloud or any other secure location. In the event your device can’t be saved, you’ll still have your data.    If you’re in a situation where you need help recovering data from a wet iPhone, talk to our experienced technicians at Manhattan iPhone Repair. We offer logic board-level repairs, which are hard to come by. We also fix tablets, laptops, and Android phones.