iPhone Water Damage And Leak Detection

The iPhone is one of the fastest selling products to ever grace the planet and the number of people that now own one is quite astounding. However, one small design flaw that many people have commented on is that they are an especially slippery phone to hold on to, which can lead to many an accident. Those of us that are really unlucky may even end up dropping our iPhone into some kind of liquid. Read on to find out how to undertake leak detection on your iPhone and what to do if you are a victim of water damage.

Checking for damage

All iPhones have a Liquid Contact Indicator built into them during the manufacture process. This can be found at the bottom of the headphone jack, with models after and including the 3G also having an indicator on the bottom of the dock connector housing. These indicators are activated if they come into contact with any liquid. If your iPhone has come into contact with a liquid of some kind you can carry out a leak detection check my shining a light down into the headphone jack. There is a small dot that will usually be white or silver in colour. If the indicator has come into contact with a liquid then the indicator will turn partially or fully red. The indicator in the dock connector housing can be checked in exactly the same way.

Where you stand

Even if your iPhone is still covered by the Apple warranty you will not qualify to have the phone repaired or replaced free of charge. This is because Apple deems that you have not fulfilled your responsibility to take proper care of the product.

Fixing the problem yourself

If you have undertaken leak detection and found that your iPhone is water damaged there are still options available to you. The first option is to try and dry the iPhone out - most phones will eventually start working again after they have been wet. First put the iPhone in an airing cupboard or boiler room where the air is hot and leave for a day or two. Now use a hairdryer on a low setting to thoroughly dry the item and get some air flowing through the inside of it. Finally you should place the iPhone in an uncooked bag of rice for two or three days, which will serve to soak up any remaining water that is present.

If the above process does not work then the only options available to you are to sell the iPhone for spares or get in touch with Apple and see what they can offer. They may fix the item for a price, or possibly offer you a replacement product at a reduced rate.