iPhone & Rice Delight

Water and Electronics. Separately, they are awesome but together, it’s a disaster. Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling of seeing your iPhone literally sinking to the bottom of your toilet? How about watching your iPhone as in plummets towards the sea during a beach trip with your family? Or worse- having your iPhone swim in your mom’s freshly made soup.

Accidents happen and in most cases, it usually involves a mobile phone and a body of water. Not all hope is lost though. Luckily, some have tried these emergency tips and tricks to salvage a wet iPhone.

The very first step is to make sure to turn off the iPhone completely. This is important because turning it on to check for damage can cause further harm like short circuits. According to MacWorld UK,

“Get the iPhone out of the water (lake/bidet/soup) right away, if you haven’t already, and don’t even think about plugging it in. If the waterlogged iPhone is plugged in already, unplug it (very carefully), and don’t be tempted to turn it on and check for damage, which can cause short circuits.

If the wet iPhone is in a case, remove it; take the SIM card out too. (Removing the battery wouldn’t hurt either, but this is obviously only for confident DIY-type users who are willing to void the warranty.) These steps help to reduce the number of nooks and crannies where water can linger, and help to avoid damage to key iPhone components.

Wipe the excess and exterior liquid off everything you can reach. Turn the iPhone upside down and give it a gentle shake to clear the ports and sockets.”

Dry the external area of your iPhone as best as you can and avoid hand dryers or blow dryers so that you don’t cause further damage to your iPhone. Applying heat to electronics can cause so many hardware damages!

Next, locate a zip lock bag and fill it with uncooked white rice along with silica gels if you have them. Silica gels are usually found in vitamin bottles or pockets of newly purchased leather bags. Fully immerse your iPhone in the zip lock bag filled with rice and silica gels for 36 hours. Do not attempt to take it out earlier, it should be kept for as long as it can so that the rice can absorb the moisture. Alternatively, if you do not have a zip lock bag, use a bowl of uncooked white rice and store your phone there for 36 hours.

Once the 36 hours is up, make sure to charge your phone for at least 30 minutes and wait until your iPhone powers up and you see the Apple logo. If there is still no sign of life with your iPhone, worry not! Return the iPhone to its rice bed for 3 more days.

If after 3 more days and your iPhone has still not powered on, then it’s time to buy a new iPhone. Maybe this time you should invest in gadget insurance which is your best defense to your iPhone getting wet.