In today’s episode of Mythbusters, we find out whether putting your phone in a bag of rice will bring it back to life after it’s taken a swim! (Wait, what? What do you mean no one is willing to volunteer their phone for the cause? Argh…)
But seriously…we occasionally get customers who have spilled liquid on/dropped their iPhone, then bring it to us to see if it can be fixed. Many say that they’ve put the phone in a bag of rice, but alas, it did not “fix” the device. While this “solution” may have worked in some cases, most of the time, it’s already too late. The damage was done once the liquid hit the components inside the device.
It’s a well known fact that water and electronics don’t mix. Water is a conductor, so any power flowing through the logic board will short through the liquid, causing power to go places it was not meant to. This damages the components almost immediately, which is why simply drying out the device is not going to magically repair it.
A quick check of Google brings up several pages that say that if your device gets wet, immediately take out the battery. Unfortunately you can’t easily do that on an iPhone, which requires a special screwdriver to remove the back plate. One article I found suggests using a can of compressed air to blow out the water—again, a bad idea, since all you’re doing is spreading the liquid to more exposed (live) circuitry. Then you’re supposed to stick the device in a bowl of rice overnight to “wick away” any remaining moisture.
Liquid is a funny thing when it comes to electronics. Depending on how much liquid was spilled, where it landed, and what type of liquid it was, your phone may die on contact, or it may come out just fine. The other thing is that the damage is not always instantaneous; water tends to flow over components quickly, so if the device was off when it happened in some cases it may be fine. Soda or juice that contains sugar, however, tends to stick around. The sugar will not only make things sticky, but will slowly corrode the internals. Your device may work today, but in a few days it could start to show signs of failure, such as a battery that will no longer charge. It could also just quit entirely.
Another suggestion I have heard is to douse the affected device in alcohol, since alcohol will help dissipate the liquid inside. This is a BAD idea. Alcohol will dissolve trace connections between internal components, causing more damage than the initial liquid spill did.
Of course, the best thing is not to let it get wet in the first place. Check pants pockets before you do laundry, don’t use your phone near the pool, etc. Accidents happen, however; the important thing to remember is if you bring it in for service, be honest about it. For one thing, there are liquid sensors inside that change color when exposed to liquid, so Apple CAN tell if it has gotten wet.
I can think of at least one repair where we were asked to replace a screen that “mysteriously” died, only to find a grain of rice stuck inside the dock connector. Your warranty does not cover liquid spills, and Apple will charge you for the replacement phone if you try to pass it off by saying, “it just died one day.”