14 DAY TRIAL // I know that the internet is full of tutorials about this, and I've read a lot on the topic in the last few days after I've dropped my iPhone 6S plus into water. It was submerged for about 5 seconds, which is not much but it proved enough to have water inside the phone and between the glass and the LCD (stains), plus the oblique lines.
There have been rumors that iPhone 6s Plus should be water resistant, but all this talk now seems to be just that, rumors. You should know that if you drop the phone into water, its warranty is void (it has small humidity markers inside, and they go from white to red as a result).
So, what should you do if you drop your iPhone into water?
There are ways around this issue, as you can see in the easy-to-follow steps enumerated below.
1. Quickly power off the phone. Water, electricity and delicate circuits don't mix at all. 2. Pull out the case (if you have one) and wipe the phone with a dry cloth or a paper tissue. 3. Pull out the SIM tray. 4. Shake the phone really well, so no water will stay inside the orifices (microphone, headphone, power, speakers etc.). 5. Quickly go to a repair shop. They will open up the phone and remove the inside water using a hot air gun.
Since I'm a proficient iPhone user, I had a dedicated "pentalobe screwdriver" and I've opened the phone up myself. It was full of water and I used a small paper tissue for the big drops, followed by five minutes of hair dryer use on the first heat step.
6. If you can't go to a repair shop immediately, put the phone inside a bag of hydrophilic substance for minimum 24 hours for it to dry. The hydrophilic substance will try to remove the remaining moisture from the phone.
What kind of hydrophilic substances can be used, you may ask. Here they are, in the preferable order: - silica gel, but it's rather hard to find in large quantities; - cat litter silica crystals - cheap and easy to find; - a reserve of humidity absorber; - a bag of instant rice; - a bag of normal rice.
It's very important to understand that you need to visit the repair shop as the water trapped inside will quickly oxidize the circuits and the repair will be more expensive in the future.
How to remove the stains on the iPhone screen
This part I did not believe at first, but it worked in just 12 hours. About 1/3 of my screen had water between the glass and the LCD and it was not reacting to pressure. You can try the following indications, which proved successful for me:
- Power on the phone; - Go to Settings - Display & Brightness, put max brightness and Auto-brightness OFF; - Go to Settings - General - Auto-lock -> Never; - Let the Settings - General - Auto-lock section open (white background); - Connect the power adapter; - Slip the phone into the bag of the hydrophilic substance and wait for a minimum 12 hours.
The LCD will stay at max brightness, on white color, and it will get hot. This will help evaporate the water between the glass and the LCD, and all I can say right now is that the whole matter ended happily for me, after all.
