Apple Water Damage

Alato

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My friend's iPhone 4 suffered being dropped into a cup of iced cappuccino. Before he goes ahead and gets a new one, I asked him to give it to me so I can try fixing it.
It's already dry by now, but I opened it up, took out the battery and put it in a bag of rice anyway.
I'm leaving it like that overnight, but does it have a chance of working again? And if it doesn't work, could it possibly just be the battery that was damaged and needs replacing?
Or is there anything else I can do to save the phone?
 
Solution
I've dropped my devices in a few water torture chambers before here's what you need to do
DO NOT TURN THE DEVICE ON

1) take it apart and dry it as best you can, towels and a hair dryer are required
2) place in an air tight container and get some dessicant. It's the stuff that usually says "DO NOT EAT" in all the electronics you buy.
3) if you don't have that, place the device in a tray and next to a dehumidifier
4) Let that run for DAYS. At least 2, but I usually do it for 3-5

Only then try to turn it on. This can still fail if the circuits shorted when you dropped it in the water. But you generally need time. Don't rush it or you will definitely screw up the device.

Water damage is never covered under the factory warranty. All...

DarkShinigami

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i think the extended service warrant would of covered that just not a busted lcd(at least thats what an apple worker told me at the apple store) so if he didnt get it with the extended service tell ur friend get it when he replaces it if it cant be fixed
 

doyama

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I've dropped my devices in a few water torture chambers before here's what you need to do
DO NOT TURN THE DEVICE ON

1) take it apart and dry it as best you can, towels and a hair dryer are required
2) place in an air tight container and get some dessicant. It's the stuff that usually says "DO NOT EAT" in all the electronics you buy.
3) if you don't have that, place the device in a tray and next to a dehumidifier
4) Let that run for DAYS. At least 2, but I usually do it for 3-5

Only then try to turn it on. This can still fail if the circuits shorted when you dropped it in the water. But you generally need time. Don't rush it or you will definitely screw up the device.

Water damage is never covered under the factory warranty. All devices have water detection strips that turn red/pink/blue when in contact with water. Once the repair shop sees it, you're screwed. Extended warranties rarely cover water damage either. Double/triple check your coverage, but unless you bought the outrageously expensive coverage, it's unlikely you're covered.

BTW putting it in rice is kinda useless. Rice isn't very hygroscopic or you I could have left my rice out in Japan and have it cook in the 100% humidity that was killing me. Salt is more hygroscopic and is a better option technically, though admittedly salt does tend to get into places you don't want it to. I put the device OVER the salt on an elevated platform to get the benefits of the salt dessicant but not the messiness.
 
Solution

Alato

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The rice was essentially useless, since I'm pretty convinced the phone was dry- the incident occurred almost 2 weeks earlier.
I took out the battery and lifted all the protective tape, then soaked the phone in isopropyl alcohol and let that evaporate, then put it all in a sealed bag of rice for good measure. After a day, I put it back together and left it for another couple days.

Then, just now, I cleaned out the usb slot, plugged it in, prayed, and it actually worked. :0
SO, restoring now and hoping for the best.
 

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