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Water Detection Sticker voids warranties

As you know Cell phones and PDA's are precious pieces of electronics. They cost a lot of money and they can be fragile. What you may not know, is that cell phones companies have a very clever way of knowing what you have done with your cell phone. It's the water detection sticker. Inside you phone you will find a small white sticker that will change color if it comes in contact with water. The only problem, if there is to much humidity near your phone, it will change anyway. Google it and you will find a bunch of angry consumers that got there warranties voided because of it.
And I am one of them. I will bet you guys, that my next phone will get a special treatment so the stickers dont change color.

Can you please take a closer photo of the sticker? The stickers generally comes with some pink crosses on it which are genberally there when the pink dye has not been activated by water/moisture.
The reason for the markings is that some people will bleach the sticker to remove the pink dye to circumvent the voided warranty situation. By having the pink crosses its obvious when that is done.

Wish I could send you a better picture but I have sent my Touch for repair. There for, I have no device on hand. But When I went to see the manufacturer, he showed me a good sticker, and there ware no lines. Just a white sticker.
I wonder if I could coat it with a spay or something to seal-it with out activating the paper ???

alexun said:
Wish I could send you a better picture but I have sent my Touch for repair. There for, I have no device on hand. But When I went to see the manufacturer, he showed me a good sticker, and there ware no lines. Just a white sticker.
I wonder if I could coat it with a spay or something to seal-it with out activating the paper ???
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Questionable post dude, aint gonna preach on the moral issues of this stuff to get past the pink sticker issue but tbh if there is enough moisture to turn the sticker pink then there is enough in the air to possibly cause problems with the device, its not something put in to get out of fixing a device dude.

Mine is now solid red, I too have the Vogue, but it never got wet!
I think when I wiped it down the sticker went red, good idea, but very poor planning on their part.

Mine is red solid also and I never even touched (But yes I live in a very humidity place)

A lot of the time it happens if you leave your phone in the bathroom when you take a shower... Lots of people do it, including me. **** warranties, never needed one till now.
(Plus the Fuze didn't even have a warranty) :\

My phone has pink/reddish cross lines on the sticker. Does this mean it is showing moisture or does the sticker turn solid red when this happens?

A tale of two waves
I'm in Cocoa Beach Florida this week on my annual vacation. I was making a pretty awesome-looking skull sand sculpture and had my phone (AT&T Tilt (Kaiser)) laying on the sand about 20 feet higher than any wave had been in hours. Should be safe there I thought.
A rogue wave came in and completely washed over my phone before I could get to it. I quickly pulled off the protective case, yanked the battery, opened up the keyboard and placed it to dry about twenty feet further up the beach where my wife was tanning. A few minutes later another HUGE wave came in and gave it (and my wife )another good rinse.
I dried it all as best I could for a day, then tried it. I had a couple of the buttons that weren't working, the speaker was intermittant, but otherwise it all worked. The next morning it quit altogether, gave a red light only and wouldn't come on.
I went to harbor freight tools and bought a small yellow precision kit that had a T-6 Torx bit and a philips 00, tool it apart, submerged and washed every piece (except for the battery) in a cup filled with denatured alcohol (this immediately changed every moisture label red btw). I used the LCD replacement instructions and service manual both found on this site.
I allowed all parts to dry for about an hour and reassembled. Surprisingly enough, it all worked! My touch screen actually seems more sensitive and accurate.
I hope this helps someone else who finds themselves looking at forking over $$$ for a moment of stupidity.

Twiddler said:
...submerged and washed every piece (except for the battery) in a cup filled with denatured alcohol...
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I also wanted to point out that I didn't submerge my touchscreen portion. I don't know how it would fare and don't want someone to think that it had worked for me.
In fact, I wouldn't recommend anyone attempt to take their phone apart without nimble fingers, ample patience, and experience working with micro-electronics.
Let me know if you had any similar experiences!

water damage?

I got the tb on 3-28-11. From day 1 it has been in a protective case and has a screen cover. Today I took it out of the case and got in the phone for the SD card. When I pulled the battery out I noticed a white sticker on the battery with small d'a thru it. Then to the left while looking on the back on the left side I see a small black sticker with a white word saying void.
My question is does this mean it has water damage? I'm not sure how that's possible because I have kept it excellent condition. I have not once had the phone near water and pretty much treated this phone like gold.
Am I just reading it wrong or is there damage? I have not had any problems with the phone but I'm concerned.

behringtheweb said:
I got the tb on 3-28-11. From day 1 it has been in a protective case and has a screen cover. Today I took it out of the case and got in the phone for the SD card. When I pulled the battery out I noticed a white sticker on the battery with small d'a thru it. Then to the left while looking on the back on the left side I see a small black sticker with a white word saying void.
My question is does this mean it has water damage? I'm not sure how that's possible because I have kept it excellent condition. I have not once had the phone near water and pretty much treated this phone like gold.
Am I just reading it wrong or is there damage? I have not had any problems with the phone but I'm concerned.
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Did you buy it from Verizon or best buy?

I'm pretty sure the void sticker is covering a screw that must be removed to open the case. Hence if you open the case this void sticker will be gone and Verizon won't honor your warranty.
Edit: there should be a white sticker with a red dot or line that will bleed and turn pinkish if there is water damage
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

behringtheweb said:
I got the tb on 3-28-11. From day 1 it has been in a protective case and has a screen cover. Today I took it out of the case and got in the phone for the SD card. When I pulled the battery out I noticed a white sticker on the battery with small d'a thru it. Then to the left while looking on the back on the left side I see a small black sticker with a white word saying void.
My question is does this mean it has water damage? I'm not sure how that's possible because I have kept it excellent condition. I have not once had the phone near water and pretty much treated this phone like gold.
Am I just reading it wrong or is there damage? I have not had any problems with the phone but I'm concerned.
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When I worked selling phones we used to use stickers like that to tell if there was water damage and sometimes they would be activated inadvertantly by customers who would take their phones into the bathroom, close the door, not have a window or fan on, and take a very hot, steamy shower. Mind you though, these were POS flip/candybar phones at the time, nothing as sophisticated as a Thunderbolt.

I bought the phone from a Verizon store in fenton Missouri. I am 99% sure it was a corporate store. I searched the back of the phone and there is no other sticker. The only one seen was on the battery.
As far as the steam in the shower the phone has not entered the bathroom once with me. I know what the white sticker would look like cause I've seen it on the back of other phones I had but not this one.
This is puzzling me and I don't want an issue exchanging this phone out in the future I have a true malfunctioning issue.

Hmm usually the sticker turns red on the battery when activated by water the void sticker is covering a screw to get to it you must tear this sticker showing you have tamper with the phone. In my opinion the phone should be fine you can buy a new battery if your worried.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

JBO1018 said:
I'm pretty sure the void sticker is covering a screw that must be removed to open the case. Hence if you open the case this void sticker will be gone and Verizon won't honor your warranty.
Edit: there should be a white sticker with a red dot or line that will bleed and turn pinkish if there is water damage
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
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This is true. The sticker you see is for unauthorized disassembly.
There is another indicator for water.

Kk just double checking. I've had great phones in the past but this is the first time I spent this much money on a phone. Maybe I'm just being paranoid just wanna double check just in case. But other than that I love this phone.

U don't have water damage. That's how the strickers look on the TB. The comment about the void sticker is right. Verizon uses that to make sure the casing of the phone wasn't opened.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

This is the easiest void sticker though I've seen to remove its not recessed like most. If you ever need to get into the phone the sticker is easily removed with a safety pin and care and replaced just as easy.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

Tip: Keep your LDI from voiding your warranty due to false water indications

TL/DR:
It looks like the Sensation has a hair trigger LDI (Liquid Damage Indicator), as myself (see explanation below if you're bored) and another member have already had the dot turn red due to humidity condensing on a cold phone. The other member was a dev - can't recall the name, sorry - who has abandoned the Sensation due to being out $550, and I'd hate for anyone else to suffer a similar fate due to a crappy design on HTCs part. I've attached 3 photos that should help you prevent the LDI from being inadvertently tripped. There are other LDIs within the device, but those are hopefully not as prone to humidity as the exposed on under the battery - plus, they usually give you a warranty exchange well before they open up the old one.
Mods: I've combed through the TOS of the warranty and relevant consumer protection statutes, and can say with 100% confidence that this does not violate any laws/regulations or terms with the warrantors. If your phone fell into a pool and you lied about it - that would be another story, but that's not what my DIY is meant to protect you from. That being said, Make sure you remove the tape before you send/take your phone in, so as not to raise eyebrows and make your life difficult!
Blah blah:
About a week ago, we bought a Sensation from a very air conditioned T.Mobile corporate store in the humid southern USA. We left the store, and once I got into my car, I popped open the box to swap the SIM with another family member's, since the upgraded line was different from the person who would actually be using it.
Well, lucky me..the LDI was a nice pinkish/red color, which meant my warranty was toast.
We walked right back to the store, less than 10 minutes after we had bought it, and tried to explain to the manager that this BRAND NEW phone was indicating water damage. She put the blame squarely on me, even though it would have been impossible for me to leave the store, dunk the phone in water, dry off all traces of said water, and go back to the store in such a tight time frame.
Then it hit me: the LDI on the Sensation must be of the wicking variety, and the humidity in the air must have condensed on the cold innards enough to partially trip the sticker (similar to how water droplets will cling to a cold can of Coke on a hot muggy day).
They wouldn't budge from their stance to swap out the phone and notate how easily the LDI indicated damage, so we called Discover and initiated a charge-back. Because the total billable amount over the contract length is well over $1,000, I cited some legit sounding statutes and a case name that I made up on the spot, and threatened to contact the attorney general (mentioned the AG by name, but leaving that out so that I don't give away my state). The manager finally agreed to do a "courtesy swap" but said that if it occurred again, I'm on my own. Because of that, I figured that I need to cover myself since this occurred so quickly.

Great idea! Thanks..

HTC Sensation LDI False Reading
Just today my wife went in to return our 2 HTC Sensations as the reception was not much better then our decrepid My Touch 3G's so we figured why extend our contract for the same poor coverage. Last night I spent a few minutes copying over the memory card data, formating and reseting the devices. I boxed everything up and my wife took them in to our local Tmo store today. She called me from the store during the return transaction and told me that the store rep had taken one of the phones to the back room. When he returned, he said that devices' LDI was trigger. Not knowing which of the phones he was refering to, I was unsure if it was mine of my wifes. I know that she is more careful then me, as I use my phone outdoors often, and regular sim swap between phones depending on what I am doing. T thought that I might have touched the LDI during one of the many times I have opened the phone. Well turns out the IMEI was hers, and I know that she did not get her phone wet. Anyway, they would not return that unit. My issue is, that I have read on the net that other carriers do not use the outside LDI as a proof positive of water damage, that if the LDI uin the battery compartment is red, they will open the device to see if the inner LDI's have also changed. In my case, it is highly possible that the spray used to put on the Ghost Armor may have triggered the LDI.
I think it should be standard practice to look deeer then the LDI under the backplate since that indicator is exposed to the elements by actions like battery slaps and memory card and/or sim card removal.

I wouldn't be surprised if they went in the back, got a lil water & oops oh look... the LDI is tripped...

So my wife brought the phone home that TMobile said has a triggered LDI. There is a round circle LDI bottom right corner of the battery bay. There is a rectangle LDI on the bottom right of the battery. And then supposedly there is one in the bottom right rounded corner of the device in a small little hole. When viewed from the side, the hole is parallel to the HOME icon on the face of the phone. That supposed LDI voided my return of the device even though the Battery Bay and Battery LDIs were unchanged.

cybrslug said:
And then supposedly there is one in the bottom right rounded corner of the device in a small little hole. When viewed from the side, the hole is parallel to the HOME icon on the face of the phone. That supposed LDI voided my return of the device even though the Battery Bay and Battery LDIs were unchanged.
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I have triggered this on my handset, i think it was mositure on thumb after picking up handset after using a glass, because of the fit of the rear housing it has gone between and triggerd that even though rest of handset etc is bone dry, take care people as seemd to be very easy to trigger due to the flexing in the rear housing.
Now i will have to strip down and change sticker so my warranty stays intact

[Q] How many water sensors are on the HTC sensation?

Hi I bought this faulty phone ... HTC sensation.. I'm looking behind the battery and the water sensor sticker is gone.. It's still under warranty but I don't want to send it in for repair and it turns out to be water damaged .. Their prices kill.. Even if I don't want to fix it theyll ccharge 35$ just for diagnosis .. So I'm just wondering if someone knows how to check if it's water damaged without the sticker behind the battery.. I just want to make sure it isn't before I send it in.. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

Mrdabbas said:
Hi I bought this faulty phone ... HTC sensation.. I'm looking behind the battery and the water sensor sticker is gone.. It's still under warranty but I don't want to send it in for repair and it turns out to be water damaged .. Their prices kill.. Even if I don't want to fix it theyll ccharge 35$ just for diagnosis .. So I'm just wondering if someone knows how to check if it's water damaged without the sticker behind the battery.. I just want to make sure it isn't before I send it in.. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!
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I didn't even knew they put such things on phone. I just popped my battery but can't see anything there that it could be. What would it look like ?
The past phones, that either my children or I have dropped in water or put through the washing machine, have always had water visible under the screen.

It looks like a white sticker, nothing special. As far as I know, every phone should have 3 in total. On the battery (close to the connections), under the battery (right below the battery connector and its a circle here) and there should be one inside the actual phone, close to a flex cable or something.

LOL,
Well you live and learn.
I played with the white sticker on the battery and made it go pink, just to see what'd happen ;-))
Thanks useful info, just in case.

yeah, they turn red/pink when get wet, dont try that at home because you will void your waranty. Use a old phone if you are interested, I know I lost my warranty ages ago on my K800i.

What, if any, issues/manufacturing faults did you experience with your Z3?

I wanted to create this topic because I am curious and because I see many people asking if this phone isn't too fragile or has QC issues. I believe that the people with problems are the vocal minority but the best way to find out is to have a poll.
So, have you found any faults or is your device right as a little (Xperia) ray of sunshine?
You can select more than one option.

1st phone: defective camera (purple noise)
2nd phone: USB flap misalign when closed
3rd and current phone: so far so good

My first phone's screen had an area in a line from top to bottom, right of centre that had no touch sensitivity. The area was about .5 cm wide.
I couldn't touch anything on the line or drag anything across it.
I contacted Amazon.co.uk and they sent me a new one right away. They also let me hang onto the defective one until the replacement arrived without charging me.

Awesome! thanks for the replies so far! Please keep them coming!
My phone is perfect. The USB flap is a teeny tiny bit, like a fraction of a milimeter, misaligned but the seal is intact, I do not intent to take my phone into the pool anyway and thought it was pointless to go through the hassle of returning an otherwise flawless phone for something half of my friends can't see when I point it out. My carpenters eye is ridiculously accurate so meh.

The back glass scratched a few hours after removing cover. Ive only has the phone for 2 days and Bell wont take it back with damages. The phone has only ever been in my otherwise empty pocket...
Anyone else experiencef this? I thought both were gorilla glass.

I don't think the back is as scratch resistant as the front, as I too have very minor scratches on the back, using front and back tempered glass protects now.

My unit only has a slight annoyance which is the headphone jack is wobbly. It has about less than 1mm of wiggle room. I can see a gap between the metal body and the Jack. The Jack works perfectly currently.
Don't know if it's worth bringing to the Sony store, or to just seal it with some super glue or something. :/

Took some underwater pictures at the aquarium, thought it'd be cool.
Sending my phone into Sony to get a warranty replacement today.

xxquicksh0txx said:
Took some underwater pictures at the aquarium, thought it'd be cool.
Sending my phone into Sony to get a warranty replacement today.
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I assume water got in?

hanime said:
I assume water got in?
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That's what I'm assuming. I could also hear air bubbles when squeezing my device... :/
It worked fine for a while, I even rinsed it off in the sink after exposing it to the water. (It was fresh water, but there were fish in it) No more than 6 inches submerged for like 30 seconds. Was going through the pictures and the touchscreen just stopped working.

xxquicksh0txx said:
That's what I'm assuming. I could also hear air bubbles when squeezing my device... :/
It worked fine for a while, I even rinsed it off in the sink after exposing it to the water. (It was fresh water, but there were fish in it) No more than 6 inches submerged for like 30 seconds. Was going through the pictures and the touchscreen just stopped working.
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In reality, from what I have read, some are not waterproof out of the box. So sad to hear this when Sony advertised this phone as waterproof. Before submerging, did you try the water test via software (pressure sensor)?

hanime said:
In reality, from what I have read, some are not waterproof out of the box. So sad to hear this when Sony advertised this phone as waterproof. Before submerging, did you try the water test via software (pressure sensor)?
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Yes(Although I don't really think the test proves the waterproofness), I had also had it completely submerged for 10 minutes when I bought the device.

xxquicksh0txx said:
Yes(Although I don't really think the test proves the waterproofness), I had also had it completely submerged for 10 minutes when I bought the device.
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This really sucks because there is no way we can tell if it is waterproof until we really submerge it. I am going to avoid submerging mine at all cost.

Hi
I had some problems with this new phone.
1: no nfc working
2: horizontal section from 9 to 177 of the touchscreen doesnt work properly
So i get a third replacement by SFR (in France) and I think I get a fully working Z3.
I love the advertisement of Sony for ils Z3 in France : demand perfection (exigez la perfection)!

I've had 2 copper Z3's. First one, front glass shattered whilst in my front left pocket, nothing else in the same pocket. I've carried all my phones in the same manner and never had an issue. Also had the pink spot issue.
Second phone has 2 stuck pixels.
I really like the phone. They just don't like me

Got a replacement from T-Mobile, the camera button seems to be stuck.. Only works like 20% of the time. Instead of feeling like a dual stage button, it's just a single press with no tactile feel.
When in the camera app it either does nothing, or is stuck trying to focus repeatedly.
Has the same issue with the glass coming up on the back as well. Definitely feels and sounds as if adhesive it being "pulled apart" per se.
Also, the flaps seem to be a little mis-aligned.
My T-Mobile must have gotten a bad batch...

If you have a misaligned usb flap, will replacing the flap with a spare one fix it or is it an issue with the frame?

First one I got in store, noticed the power and volume up buttons were stuck and wouldn't click, the next one's speakerphone didn't work, now this one's camera button is stuck and doesn't have the two stage shutter and can't take photos in the stock app. I still prefer the phone over any other currently out.
Edit: I got mine through t-mobile.
UPDATE: The camera button has come unstuck and works fine now, though it does get a little stuck still.

Two display/screen issues :
- Screen burn-in all the time : status bar and home button more particularly. I strongly suspect a defective screen : I send my Z3 back to Sony, and they did... a software update ! I'm kind of curious about what they did exactly because my phone was completely updated. Of course, it didn't solve anything...
- Strange parasite lines surrounding text lines. Probably a software issue. I'm waiting Lollipop to see what it gonna do on my phone.

Sent mine in for a screen repair in the USA. Its a d6603 international version that is rooted and an unlocked boot loader stock. They just informed me that they cannot fix due to it not having the correct software and it not being a US phone.