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Water or some kind of spot behind the screen

Hey guys. My TP seems to have a streak that looks like water/oil behind the screen. This phone is only a couple of months old and I've taken good care of it. It hasn't been anywhere near water (the water damage indicator is intact).
I read somewhere that this isn't water, but that when the LCD and the touch overlay make contact, it can produce this spot.
My concern is that this phone is being warrantied next week. My friend was kind enough to push it through for me, but he warned that when they get my current phone back after they mail me the replacement, they'll notice that mark. After that, they might void my warranty and charge me full retail for the phone ($550, after I already paid $350 for this one).
He suggested that I CAREFULLY take the phone apart and clean that mark up before I send it back (he thinks it's a water spot, but he's not sure). I can do that and try my best to avoid voiding the warranty (stickers, etc). However, I figured I'd ask here first and see what other suggestions I can get on how best to clean this mess up.
Any suggestions?

It's probably a Newton Ring. Don't put the phone in your pocket. It's usually caused by pressure on the digitizer.
The digitizer is basically two transparent conductive sheets squishing a gel between them. When you touch with the stylus, it dimples one sheet so they touch. Constant pressure over a large area will cause the gel to become nonuniform in thickness and you get the oily looking mark.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=475294
-I had this happen on a PDA I had once and I think it went away, or maybe I massaged the digitizer a little and it made it better, I don't remember. But it did get better.

Oh excellent, thanks for your reply man That thread was informative. Yeah, that's what I thought it was too, but I wasn't sure, still pretty new to this. Do you think VZW/HTC will void the mfg warranty over it (like they would over water damage)?
What I'm basically getting at is, should I go through the effort of trying to get rid of the spot so they won't kick up a fuss, or will they cover it no problems?

If you open your handset you will definetly void your warranty
HTC are aware of this 'Newton Ring' issue with the touch pro device.
As such, do not do anything to your handset, simply return it under the warranty and get yourself a replacement, if they kick up a fuss, deny payment and get them to verify you caused the fault.

duke_stix said:
If you open your handset you will definetly void your warranty
HTC are aware of this 'Newton Ring' issue with the touch pro device.
As such, do not do anything to your handset, simply return it under the warranty and get yourself a replacement, if they kick up a fuss, deny payment and get them to verify you caused the fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm not going to open it I was contemplating it, but it seems like the warranty should cover this "problem." I just hope Verizon doesn't kick up a fuss about it. If they do, I'll follow your advice and get them to verify that I caused the fault.
Thanks for the feedback

Warranty replacement question (ATT's website has no responses)

Long story short, I fell into a creek with my phone. According to the stuff I've read on ATT's site, the warranty does not cover water damage. If I took it to a replacement center, would they refuse to replace the phone because of this? I've heard that they sometimes just ask for the phone with no questions and hand you a new one.
Assuming they refused the phone though, would they have the means to sue me for intentionally bricking my phone to get a replacement?

I don't see how it could be grounds to sue. But, it probably means you would have to buy your next one.
Just apply the theory to anything else. If you fell in a creek with your car, would they give you a new car? Insurance would, but not directly from the dealer, hence you are paying for it with the insurance premium.
It will probably have the red void sticker showing that it is water damaged. And I doubt they will cover it.

Every phone AT&T sold has a water damage detection mark in side the phone. The first thing AT&T warranty dept. check is the mark. If it turns into pink or anything else other than white, your warranty is denied. Even if you get a replacement by luck, there are secondary check and you will be automatically billed full retail price (of a new phone) for your refurbished replacement phone.
Water damage is easy to find out. Bricked phone is not.

Hope you have insurance
Sent from my I897 using XDA Premium App

foxbat121 said:
Every phone AT&T sold has a water damage detection mark in side the phone. The first thing AT&T warranty dept. check is the mark. If it turns into pink or anything else other than white, your warranty is denied. Even if you get a replacement by luck, there are secondary check and you will be automatically billed full retail price (of a new phone) for your refurbished replacement phone.
Water damage is easy to find out. Bricked phone is not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is one on the battery as well. Probably also a hidden water detection sticker someone inside the casing (in addition to the one that is in the battery compartment and on the batt)

Superalpaca said:
Long story short, I fell into a creek with my phone. According to the stuff I've read on ATT's site, the warranty does not cover water damage......
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You haven't stated which warranty you are referring to. If you mean the 1 year factory warranty, then no it won't be covered. If you have the additional $5 coverage then it will be covered after a $125 deductible.
From the Wireless Phone Insurance documentation:
Covered Incidents:
Lost, Stolen, Accidental Physical or Liquid Damage, Mechanical and/or Electrical Failure after the Manufacturer’s Warranty Period has expired.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Yeah, soon we will find that the entire phone contains water detection markers
It must be the #1 cause for ppl to claim warranty replacements. For a few times I have to use warranty service, the first question they ask is what color is the sticker inside the phone.
BTW, if you use you phone in humid places a lot, like bath room while showing, good luck with your warranty

If you have been paying monthly for insurance, then you will be able to pay $50-$80 to get a replacement. Otherwise, no they won't replace it.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1073929
I'm not advocating insurance fraud. Just sharing information.

Hmmm. So far nothing is pink/red, I'll have to open my phone. Haven't attempted to peroxide/bleach them. The phone, for the most part, works. The leftover residue is causing some issues, though.

Superalpaca said:
Hmmm. So far nothing is pink/red, I'll have to open my phone. Haven't attempted to peroxide/bleach them. The phone, for the most part, works. The leftover residue is causing some issues, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't be using the phone yet if there is still water inside. Every moment it's on increases the risk of a short or other damage. Stick the phone in a bowl of rice for a day or two. Make sure you keep the back plate off, and take the battery, SIM and SD cards out, and place them in a separate smaller bowl of rice. The rice absorbs the remaining moisture from the phone.
I've saved countless friend's phones this way.

Griffspen said:
If you have been paying monthly for insurance, then you will be able to pay $50-$80 to get a replacement. Otherwise, no they won't replace it.
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Click to collapse
AT&T is a $125 deductible for smartphones. I've already claimed mine once.

id10terror said:
You shouldn't be using the phone yet if there is still water inside. Every moment it's on increases the risk of a short or other damage. Stick the phone in a bowl of rice for a day or two. Make sure you keep the back plate off, and take the battery, SIM and SD cards out, and place them in a separate smaller bowl of rice. The rice absorbs the remaining moisture from the phone.
I've saved countless friend's phones this way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the past 24 hours I took the whole thing apart (screws and all) and let them dry. Not with rice, but they're dried up nonetheless. It's not so much the water that concerns me as it is the leftover particles in any residue that's left behind.

BenKranged said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1073929
I'm not advocating insurance fraud. Just sharing information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! I was going to share that!

[Q] InvisibleShield water under screen

Hi,
please can you help me ?
About a month ago I wanted to install IS on my brand new HTC Sensation XE.
After 3-4 days in rice it dried up, but there are some stains ( visible only on white background ) on my screen. It looks like this but smaller
i45.tinypic.com/2wh30c1.jpg
I think that the screen is absolutely DRY I did it month ago and dried it with rice.
BETTER:
youtube.com/watch?v=MvUB-ISEDII&feature=youtu.be&hd=1
Thanks and sorry for bad LINKS cant post URL

Help you do what?
The only way to remove the stain is to replace it!
The warranty is void now, do you have insurance they might resolve it for you.
If it was mine and visible only on a white screen, I'd learn to live with it as the repair, if paid for will not be cheap
there may be other issues over the horizon depending on how wet the phone was
no indication in your post and Im not going to watch the video

Warranty void ? Why ?! Phone was off for recommended time and screenprotector installed properly like thay write in manual.

Since it isn't a hardware defect it probably won't be covered under warranty.

Do you think that they can find marks after water under screen so they will say its my fault ?
I have screen insurance maybe will be better crack it with something and send it to repair for free

Nemesis94 said:
Do you think that they can find marks after water under screen so they will say its my fault ?
I have screen insurance maybe will be better crack it with something and send it to repair for free
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends whether they bother to look or not. Some companies seem to check better than others.
That could be an option though, but have a look for other people's experiences who've sent their phone in to the company for repair if you can.

[Q] Dropped In Water

I dropped my A2 into a bowl of water amd now have the red dot of death (moisture indicator)....dried out in bag of rice and now seems that the screen is shading lighter in spots, like streaking. Would Moto take phone back with moisture damage? Moto knows I was rooted because of signing up for the soak test.I do have insurance on phone, but, it's $125.00 to replace it. Just looking for some cheaper alternatives if anybody has an idea. Thanks

body glove cover
with the cover from "body glove" made it 2 minutes in hot tub.
Not the smartest but kept all moisture out.

captaincado said:
I dropped my A2 into a bowl of water amd now have the red dot of death (moisture indicator)....dried out in bag of rice and now seems that the screen is shading lighter in spots, like streaking. Would Moto take phone back with moisture damage? Moto knows I was rooted because of signing up for the soak test.I do have insurance on phone, but, it's $125.00 to replace it. Just looking for some cheaper alternatives if anybody has an idea. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can fry the motherboard, and open a warranty service ticket through Moto, you can send it back to them. The will ask that you remove the battery (which has its own water sensitive sticker on it), the sd card, the SIM, and the back cover plate, and send to them. I actually removed the sticker under the battery, where the serial number is found, after hooking my A2's motherboard up to a car battery. They replaced it in less than a week. All this assumes you're still within the 1 year manufacturer warranty.
537magspc said:
with the cover from "body glove" made it 2 minutes in hot tub.
Not the smartest but kept all moisture out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This doesn't help the OP, nor does it address the concerns. If you're going to post something, make sure it's a useful post -not something that's just dribble (No pun intended).
Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

@Apex_strider: That aint cool man. Thats fraud.
@OP: your SOL. Water damage voids ALL warranties.

MotoMudder77 said:
@Apex_strider: That aint cool man. Thats fraud.
@OP: your SOL. Water damage voids ALL warranties.
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Click to collapse
It's no more fraudulent than purposefully flashing to perma-hard brick the device. Nobody asked anyone to agree or approve. Trust me, after you've had to deal with your new A2 after a while, you'll have no qualms in screwing Motorola if needed. A warranty is a warranty, if it doesn't power on, how it got there is inconsequential. I never stated I filed a claim through insurance for a new phone, that would have perhaps been the only way I could see something categorically considered as 'fraud'.
"@OP: your SOL. Water damage voids ALL warranties." So does rooting...
Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Ok, enough nonsense about "perma-bricking" etc.
I think most people, have rooted, bricked their device, tried installing some stock rom to screw it up enough so they can get warranty.
But, XDA is not a place to discuss how to "pull one over" on manufacturers. We can leave it up to the owner to decide.
So you guys give it a rest.
So you dropped it in the water. Suck it up, and own up to it.
MD

[Q] Does removing back and/or disassembling Nexus 5 void Google Warranty?

My phone was briefly dropped in water. I quickly dried it off, and powered down the device. After letting it sit in rice for a day or so, I powered it back on. It boots up just fine, but the touch screen does not work properly. I can't even get past my pattern lock screen, because the touch screen does not sense all the places my finger goes. I am considering two things. 1 - going the RMA process and returning the phone to Google for another one. I'm sure somewhere along the way they'll discover that the phone got wet, and I'll be screwed. 2 - I've read online that you can disassemble the phone, and put rubbing alcohol on it, and blow dry it and fix the water damage.
My question is. Will removing the back, and trying to fix the device myself void the warranty. I would love to get the device working on my own, but also fear voiding out any possibility to use the warranty in the future. Or if I can't fix it on my own, I'd like the warranty/RMA rout to fall back on
Any help, or experience with this is much appreciated! Thank you!

joeman55 said:
My phone was briefly dropped in water. I quickly dried it off, and powered down the device. After letting it sit in rice for a day or so, I powered it back on. It boots up just fine, but the touch screen does not work properly. I can't even get past my pattern lock screen, because the touch screen does not sense all the places my finger goes. I am considering two things. 1 - going the RMA process and returning the phone to Google for another one. I'm sure somewhere along the way they'll discover that the phone got wet, and I'll be screwed. 2 - I've read online that you can disassemble the phone, and put rubbing alcohol on it, and blow dry it and fix the water damage.
My question is. Will removing the back, and trying to fix the device myself void the warranty. I would love to get the device working on my own, but also fear voiding out any possibility to use the warranty in the future. Or if I can't fix it on my own, I'd like the warranty/RMA rout to fall back on
Any help, or experience with this is much appreciated! Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dropped it in water. You already voided your warranty. Opening the back and trying to fix it yourself really doesn't matter at this point does it. If you manage to use rubbing alcohol and through some magic of chemistry reset the sensor and return the device for RMA all you've managed to do is commit fraud. Be a man and accept responsibility for your actions instead of expecting Google to pay for your mistake.

This thread should be locked before I can't contain myself as nicely as poster above me.
WR
Sent from my Nexus 5

marleyfan61 said:
You already voided your warranty
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Click to collapse
Not true. The warranty doesn't cover water damage but the warranty is still intact so long as you don't try and repair it yourself
To the OP - just claim on insurance or buy a new one. You're not gonna fool Google by trying to cover it up

Doesn't anyone get insurance? Mine is against damage, loss, theft, drops, water, whatever.

EddyOS said:
Not true. The warranty doesn't cover water damage but the warranty is still intact so long as you don't try and repair it yourself
To the OP - just claim on insurance or buy a new one. You're not gonna fool Google by trying to cover it up
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Click to collapse
That makes no sense. If the device is subjected to things not covered by the warranty, it is null and void at that point.
Same with opening the the device and perfectly putting it back together. They may never know it was opened and probably will still honor the warranty for other claims later down the road however. Water damage isn't covered by warranty as you mentioned but that doesn't mean you have a warranty anymore either. The microphone could stop working tomorrow and it wouldn't be covered by warranty because of previous water damage.

shotta35 said:
That makes no sense. If the device is subjected to things not covered by the warranty, it is null and void at that point.
Same with opening the the device and perfectly putting it back together. They may never know it was opened and probably will still honor the warranty for other claims later down the road however. Water damage isn't covered by warranty as you mentioned but that doesn't mean you have a warranty anymore either. The microphone could stop working tomorrow and it wouldn't be covered by warranty because of previous water damage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true. Say someone dropped it and the screen cracked. This isn't covered by the warranty but if the microphone went this would be covered unless it can be proven that the drop damaged the mic. OK, in this instance the water has killed the phone but the warranty isn't technically void in its entirety

EddyOS said:
Not true. The warranty doesn't cover water damage but the warranty is still intact so long as you don't try and repair it yourself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps. Google MAY cover things clearly not affected by or caused by water. Something like the button rattle. However currently Google replaces the phone with a new one, not refurbished (at least according to the rep I spoke with).. They will NOT do that with a phone that has water damage. This would open the door for people to drop their phone in water and then get a new one claiming button rattle.
The OP is clearly having issues related to water damage and is therefore not covered under warranty.
To the OP, I would suggest leaving it in rice for several more days and trying again. Sometimes more time is required. Sometimes it doesn't help at all.

@joeman55 - if you paid for the phone using a credit card (that provides accidental damage warranty), you may want to go that route.

I wish. I just paid for it using my debit card. I think for now, I will let it sit in rice for a few more days. Then, if that's still not working, go the RMA route. I had a friend who did that, and it worked out for him.

I see, one guy has no honor, but he's your friend.
So its OK.
Things perpetuate if no one makes a stand to do different.
It's clear, the change won't start with either of you two.
WR
Sent from my Nexus 5