Can a Wet iPhone Be Saved?

[wilkeliza]

DH took it to a little "phone fixing place" in Playa del Carmen yesterday. They opened it up and the battery had actually sort of "blown up"; there was battery acid (or whatever is inside those kind of batteries) all over the inside and a scorch-mark where it got hot. Yep - that phone's a gonner. We arrived home late last night so I imagine DH's first move today will be to hustle over to Apple and see what can be done about a replacement and any hope of retrieving the data. Thanks to everybody who gave input.

Unfortunately allowing a 3rd party open it most likely voided the warranty and Apple Care+. Apple does not like people going around them.

 

[NotUrsula]

Every time I hear stories like this I thank my stars that I'm an android girl. If mine gets wet I just pop the battery out and replace it with a spare after I dry the phone out. Batteries for our phones are $6 each; we have at least a half-dozen seeded around the house and in cars for whenever they are needed. The battery factor alone guarantees that I'll never purchase an iPhone.

OP, if you used a credit card for the purchase, or if you auto-bill a credit card for your account, you may be able to have the credit card's buyer protection plan replace the phone if Apple won't.

 

[ronandannette]

I will be very interested in hearing what Apple says or willing to do. Did it have Applecare + on it?

They did nothing. It may have been because the phone was opened; DH didn't give me too many details. He purchased another iPhone 6S+, exactly the same as he had, from our service provider rather than from Apple directly (cost about $800 CAD outside a new contract). Their extended warranty plan is a little different and does cover accidental water damage (and loss and theft) - sort of more like all-peril insurance than warranty, really.

Every time I hear stories like this I thank my stars that I'm an android girl. If mine gets wet I just pop the battery out and replace it with a spare after I dry the phone out. Batteries for our phones are $6 each; we have at least a half-dozen seeded around the house and in cars for whenever they are needed. The battery factor alone guarantees that I'll never purchase an iPhone.

OP, if you used a credit card for the purchase, or if you auto-bill a credit card for your account, you may be able to have the credit card's buyer protection plan replace the phone if Apple won't.

No, we pay our monthly cell bills the regular way and the credit cards we have are all no-fee, low interest, no-frills types so I'm not sure any of them would offer that type of coverage anyway.

 

[Shutterbug]

They did nothing. It may have been because the phone was opened; DH didn't give me too many details. He purchased another iPhone 6S+, exactly the same as he had, from our service provider rather than from Apple directly (cost about $800 CAD outside a new contract). Their extended warranty plan is a little different and does cover accidental water damage (and loss and theft) - sort of more like all-peril insurance than warranty, really.

No, we pay our monthly cell bills the regular way and the credit cards we have are all no-fee, low interest, no-frills types so I'm not sure any of them would offer that type of coverage anyway.

I had a feeling that because it was opened they probably wouldnt do much with it but was curious anyway. Makes sense to use the insurance from the provider if they can offer that type of coverage.

 

[Shutterbug]

Every time I hear stories like this I thank my stars that I'm an android girl. If mine gets wet I just pop the battery out and replace it with a spare after I dry the phone out. Batteries for our phones are $6 each; we have at least a half-dozen seeded around the house and in cars for whenever they are needed. The battery factor alone guarantees that I'll never purchase an iPhone.

OP, if you used a credit card for the purchase, or if you auto-bill a credit card for your account, you may be able to have the credit card's buyer protection plan replace the phone if Apple won't.

...but not all android phones have removable batteries. The Samsung Galaxy 6S for instance has a sealed battery.

 

[mom2rtk]

...but not all android phones have removable batteries. The Samsung Galaxy 6S for instance has a sealed battery.

The battery issue is a huge consideration in why I stay Android. And why while I love my Galaxy s5, I won't be upgrading to the 6.

 

[YachtClubWoman]

I have been to Palladium multiple times - can I assume that we walked off the edge into one of the decorative ponds near the restaurants?

 

[NotUrsula]

...but not all android phones have removable batteries. The Samsung Galaxy 6S for instance has a sealed battery.

True enough, but NO current Apple products have removable batteries. With Android I get the option -- with Apple I wouldn't.

I won't buy a phone that doesn't have a pop-out battery, no matter how spiffy it is otherwise, and a huge number of Android users have the same rule. The 6S lost sales on that factor alone, not to mention the lack of an SD card (which, BTW, is back on the 7 line. The 7's don't have a removable battery, but they do have built-in wireless charging, which does help. Also, they are pretty much waterproof out of the box.)
FWIW, DH and I both have S3's that are going strong; we've got no plans to replace them anytime soon.

 

[ronandannette]

I have been to Palladium multiple times - can I assume that we walked off the edge into one of the decorative ponds near the restaurants?

Nope - tipped our canoe in the canal out behind our cabana in the Royal Suites section. I swear those fish were laughing...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How does a girl drop their phone in the toilet? I can see a guy standing up and peeing and looking at cell phone. They say 1 in 6 cell phones have poop on them. Glad she got her cell phone working again.

As with a pp, my phone was in my back pocket and when I dropped my drawers, it fell in. I was at a conference, first to arrive, and bathrooms and toilets were clean. I imagine this is how it happens with lots of people.

And if phones "have poop on them", it's not from toilets, it's from people not washing their hands and then using their phones. Sort of like the remote controls at Disney hotels. (And nothing a Lysol wipe once or twice a week won't cure.)

 

[YachtClubWoman]

Nope - tipped our canoe in the canal out behind our cabana in the Royal Suites section. I swear those fish were laughing...

We stayed in the same rooms - I did not even go near it

 

[ronandannette]

We stayed in the same rooms - I did not even go near it

Wise choice. Honestly, I didn't see one single person out in theirs the entire week. DH managed to get going for a very short ride and talked to a guy on a nearby balcony that said he'd tried 3 times to get in and tipped every time.