How to Save a Wet iPhone
Wondering why my phone is sitting in a bag of rice?
Whenever I’m wearing jeans, I tend to slip my phone into my back pocket. It fits great and is always handy. More than once while in the bathroom, my phone fell out of the pocket. Each time it fell out, I told myself I was lucky it only feel on the floor.
Last week I was in San Francisco for MacWorld. Jeans were my staple item of clothing, and my phone stayed in my back pocket. Until it was suddenly out of my pocket. What happened you wonder? Think porcelain throne. And in a nano-second my hand was in that water plucking out the phone. I immediately dried it off, held my breath, and turned it on. Nothing. Total darkness. I then plugged it in. Still dead. I used a blow dryer on it. Still dead. The Apple store was nearby. At worst, I could buy a new phone. But I really didn’t want to buy another, especially with rumors of a new model coming in June.
When I told Derry, my business and MacWorld partner, he immediately started searching the Internet for possible cures. He read me several stories of woe. Phones being dropped in the tub. Phones going through the wash cycle. Phones falling into a swimming pool. Most common were stories like mine – phones falling into a toilet. We went through several different sites and read various stories and fixes. Common to all was allowing the phone to completely dry however you can — that includes using a blow dryer or a heater. There were also stories of leaving the phone in a bag of rice. One person, whose phone went through an entire wash cycle, actually resuscitated his phone after it was in a bag of rice for a week.
That evening I left the phone on the grill of the baseboard heater. In the morning when I went to retrieve the phone, I didn’t see it. It fell and wedged itself into a very tight area of the heater. Using a butter knife and patience, I got the phone got. I plugged the phone in. There was the Apple logo, and it was starting up. I felt excitement. But then the logo faded to darkness and my excitement drained.
Next up, finding rice. Being in San Francisco, the Rice-A-Roni town, we knew we could quickly find a bag of rice. The first corner store we popped into, we immediately found rice. We put the phone in the bag of rice, shoved it onto the grill of the baseboard heater, and left it there all day and night. In the morning, I took the phone out of the bag. Here’s a tip: If you ever need to get rice to rescue your phone, get the long grain kind so that you’re not using tweezers to pick out little pieces that manage to wedge itself into the connectors.
Success!
Once the rice was removed, I plugged it in and turned it on. There was the Apple logo. I waited. It started up. Wow! I made some phone calls. It worked. Very happily, I returned the phone to the back pocket of my jeans. Throughout the day I’d take it out, turn it on, and exhale as it kept working. Return the phone to the back pocket of my jeans, you wonder? Did I not learn anything? Thus far, I’m being careful. However, a hip little phone bag is most likely in my future.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
I am sorry this happened to you Gloria but thanks for the information.. I have had mine fall on the floor but have been lucky so far. I think a phone bag is a wonderful idea… has to be able to hook on to something.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
I recently got the Droid and had more of a fear of dropping it and smashing it to bits than dropping it in water – although I can find hundreds of ways to destroy things! Anyway, I made a custom padded case and used eyeglass cleaner cloth as the liner. I want to do another version with a strap, but here are the instructions if you are interested.
http://threecreativestudios.com/freeprojects/droid.pdf
February 18th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
Sherryl, yes, a hook! :)
Vicki, thanks for those instructions! I appreciate it. Isn’t it crazy how dependent we get on these gadgets? I felt naked without my phone, which is totally nuts. But being at that event without a phone, especially when I earlier downloaded the app with the schedule and classroom information, was such a strange, strange feeling. I kind of miss the days when …. nevermind! I really don’t miss them. :)
February 19th, 2010 at 3:12 am
I was going to suggest that you get a nice purse and keep your phone in your purse. But then I remembered that time that someone I know left their purse in a sink and the faucet activated automatically, filling said purse with water.
When I got my first Palm Pilot, i spent a long time making a case for it that would hang around my neck. I assumed I would use it constantly to take notes if I did. I didn’t. But it didn’t fall…
Now I keep my iphone, in a leather case that will protect if it if falls, because I’m always dropping things, and when I’m not holding it, it’s in my purse. Which I have also dropped….
You know, they do make waterproof iphone cases.
In any case, (sorry) thanks for proof of the rice in a bag tip.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:54 am
Apple makes a sleek black rubber cover that makes it non-slip and you can use the phone when it is on – only makes it slightly bulkier.
February 19th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Gloria…I washed my husbands Nano a few years back; didn’t think about the rice, but yep, as soon as the darned thing dried out completely it came on again; I googled how to save it!
…http://aliaslaceygreen.wordpress.com/2008/03/15/the-ides-of-marchand-other-ramblings/
Glad to know about the rice!!!
February 19th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Washing it seems like it would trash the Nano. I was skeptical about the person his phone through the wash but eventually worked. Good to know, although here’s to keeping it out of water!
February 19th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Robbi, thanks for the sink reminder! :)
Regarding the waterproof case, when at the show I kept asking. I got a couple comments said with that tone “Why would you want to swim with your phone?” I suspect there are people who take a phone on a boat, let alone other situations. But throughout the show floor, I didn’t find anyone selling one.
Mai-Britt – My other thought was sewing a loop or snap on my back pocket to keep the phone in. We’ll see!
February 19th, 2010 at 11:57 am
great story, but I don’t believe you actually TALKED on your phone!! I bet you texted! :-)
February 19th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
that is amazing! and such a good thing to know!!!!!!
February 19th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Thanks Judy!
February 19th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Jane, :)
February 19th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Well, actually the thing that saved the Nano was that while getting washed, it WAS inside my husbands sweatpants pocket, which apparently prevented the crashing about…..
February 20th, 2010 at 1:04 am
Ahh … but, even still, it seems all of that water would have messed up the components. Maybe they will get a Timex nickname — the ol’ takes a lickin but keeps on tickin’. :)
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:46 am
Great story Gloria and a great tip.
Alma
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:23 am
This made me laugh, I bet t wasn’t funny when it happened though.
March 26th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
You were lucky. My friend’s phone was flushed down the toilete before she realized the phone had fallen off her back packet.
Thanks for the rice tip…..