Member Avatar for ObSys

On holiday, I foolishly forgot that my Iphone 4 was in my pocket and went swimming with it in the hotel pool. I was in the water for about 30 minutes before I realised. When I realised, I left it to dry (it was between 30 and 35 degrees in the day so it should've dried quite well). Despite this, and not to my suprise, the phone will not turn on.

I was wondering if anyone knows whether this kind of damage can be fixed and if the phone can be salvaged. Would also like to know what parts of the phone are most likely damaged beyond repair etc.

Thanks

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Regarding 's iPhone 4 (about 30 minutes in a hotel pool): immediate actions strongly influence the outcome. The phone should remain powered off and must not be plugged in or charged; Apple explicitly warns against using heat, compressed air, or putting a wet iPhone in rice — instead leave the device in a dry, ventilated place and allow time (at least 30 minutes, possibly up to 24 hours) for visible moisture to clear. (support.apple.com)

Posts from , and hit useful points, but pool water adds a chemical problem: chlorine (and salt if the pool uses a salt system) leaves conductive, corrosive residues that keep attacking metal traces after the water evaporates. For that reason, successful recovery is usually a board‑level operation: disassembly, targeted rinsing for salt/chlorine, then cleaning with high‑purity isopropyl and—when corrosion is present—ultrasonic cleaning and microscopic inspection. The sooner a contaminated board is cleaned, the better the chance of revival. (ifixit.com)

Likely trouble spots are the charging/dock connector, speakers/mic, battery contacts and, most critically, the logic board. Corrosion under shielding or across solder joints is the main failure mode and often makes repair complex or uneconomical; badly corroded boards are far harder to restore the longer they sit. If data is the priority, a repair shop that offers board‑level diagnostics and data‑recovery options is worth seeking. (ifixit.com)

Practical next steps (concise): keep the phone off, remove SIM and any case, photograph any visible Liquid Contact Indicators, and take the device promptly to a reputable shop that explicitly offers ultrasonic/logic‑board water‑damage work (not just part swaps). Ask for a written diagnostic and whether they attempt board cleaning before recommending replacement — that will give the best chance of recovery for both the phone and the data. (ifixit.com)

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Member Avatar for jtodd

I have heard you could place it in a zip lock bag with some rice. The rice would act like a desicant and remove the moisture from the phone... but I feel that it is unlikely you will get it woking again. Sorry dude.

Member Avatar for gerbil

Battery out, leave compartment open. Submerge the phone in fresh water, swish it about to rinse the chlorine/urine out of it. Shake dry, use rice as pointed out by jtodd, with some sun on it for heat. When you think it is quite dry, give it another day or two. Seriously. Some chips lie so close to the boards that it is very difficult to remove the water/moisture from under them; it will insidiously attack the pins, tracks and solders via electrolysis. Coatings aren't over everything.
Get togs without a pocket. What do you need to carry?
Why do I feel the need to point out that it should not be cooked rice? :)

Edited by gerbil
Member Avatar for rubberman

Really, you need to disassemble the phone as much as possible, and then use something like blow-dry (a volatile solvent that adsorbs water, and then evaporates quickly with the propellent it comes in, taking the water with it). Then, let the system sit open and disassembled in a warm, dry room for at least a day. After reassembling, it may work. If not, then you are going to need a new phone. I'd say your chances are less than 50/50... :-( FWIW, you need special tools to disassemble the iPhone.

Member Avatar for ObSys

I've already left it in rice for a couple of days. I was thinking about possibly disassembling the phone and cleaning it with some sort of alchohol cleaner or something similar. Do you think this might work?

Member Avatar for rubberman

That was basically what I was suggesting. Don't use alcohol. Go to your local computer store, or possibly office supply store. There you might find some sort of aerosol to dry wet electronics. It will contain some sort of non-invasive solvent which will adsorb the water and not affect the electronics when it evaporates. I've used such in the past when I was a computer repair tech, but that was a LONG time ago (about 25 years now). You might do a Google search to find what is sold today, and where to get it.

Member Avatar for rubberman

BTW, the reason to not use alcohol is that it contains too much water already. You would need anhydrous alcohol (very difficult to find). Even the 90-95% alcohol that you can find in some pharmacies (normal rubbing alcohol is 70% - 140 proof), is not adequate. Anhydrous alcohol is 99+% pure, and sucks up H2O like nobody's business! You would have to get that from an industrial chemical supply company, and you would probably have to register the purchase with the authorities.

Member Avatar for ObSys

Oh ok. I think this entire process may be a little too complex for me because i'm more of a software geek rather than a hardware geek. I may take it to a computer repair shop and ask if they think it's worth trying to repair.

Thank you rubberman for your responses...they have been very helpful. Upvote :)

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