So you've just dropped your iPhone in the sink. Or accidentally took it into the pool with you. Or left in on the porch before a big storm. The truth is, there's a nearly infinite number of ways your can find yourself in the market for an iPhone repair thanks to water damage. When this happens, there are things you can do to make it better and other things that can make the situation decidedly worse. Here are some of those ill-advised practices from the latter category:
- Attempting to turn it on and use it. We understand that your first impulse after seeing your rain-soaked phone is going to be to thoroughly test its functionality. But this can prove detrimental. As Gotta Be Mobile points out, the best step you can take immediately following water exposure is to shut the device down. This will reduce the chance that the iPhone will short circuit.
- Waiting for a long time before seeking a repair. It can be tempting to submerge a water-damaged phone in rice for as long as you can live without a phone. After all, the rice method is proven to work for some, and the longer you let your device sit in rice the better, right? Not exactly. While placing the phone in uncooked rice can work wonders, doing it for longer than 24 to 48 hours is unnecessary. After that time, you'll have reaped all the benefits you can from that method, and your next step – if the problem persists – is to seek out a cell phone repair shop. We've had customers who've waited a week with their phone in rice before sending it to us. That's simply too long. It's better to be proactive and get your phone shipped out for repairs as close to the incident as possible.