I dropped my phone into the ocean about a week ago. It's been in rice since then. I just took it out and it turns on and shows my home screen and gets data and is receiving texts and stuff, however neither the touch screen nor the four android buttons work. I searched and people were suggesting soaking the phone in alcohol for this. Is your any chance that would fix my problem? Maybe it could be as simple as replacing my phone's screen? Thanks for any help.
What I would do is take the phone apart (remove the backcover, battery and unscrew the screws) locate the digitizer flex cable and blow dry it. There may be water left in the component.
Refer this this video on the disasembly.
Probably a bit late but you want to clean it with de-ionized water or Isopropyl alcohol. To be honest i would have put it in a bowl of either of those instead of rice as soon as i got home. I've personally found the rice trick to be a myth,works just the same as leaving it out to dry. Sea water contains high amounts of salt and drying it will just make the salt crystalise.You need to "Wash" the salt out and the 2 ive suggested wont leave residue on the PCB (info from my mum who is an electronics teacher)
My GALAXY S4 ACTIVE is a WATER BOTTLE!
Before you ask if I properly sealed the phone or did I press above the ATT logo, the simple answer is YES. I am a seaman, snowboarder, adventurer and gadget lover just like you who fully understand how water is hazardous to our beloved electronics and the steps it takes to prevent accidents. So please read on
The new Galaxy S4 Active attracted my attention because of its waterproof capabilities (as in the advertisements) and the ability to change batteries seem to suit my needs so I grabbed one and decided to take the new phone for a spin.
Test 1 – Messaging in bathroom with wet hands (No direct spraying & submersion at all)
I made sure everything is sealed properly and pressed below the flash, inspected every seal. Then I took it to the bathroom and typed a few messages with wet hands briefly to test the water resistant ability. I dried it with a tower after us and everything was normal.
After an hour or so, I suddenly realized there are strange spikes on the top left part of the screen. They did not look like water damage and the spikes persists in recovery mode as well so it is not software issue. The spikes eventually went away slowly after ~5 hours. This started to get me worried.
Test 2 – Submersion Test (1.5 cm water depth)
So I did the seal inspection again. Left it submerged in a plastic tray with about 1.5 cm height of clean water for around one minutes (Not 1.5 Meters!). Everything looked normal. After a while, the screen started showing spikes again but this time there are lots of “fog” marks at the back of the display! Water got in! The watermarks move if I press my finger on the screen hard enough! As with all electronics and phones, water leaking into the device mean it will quickly disrupt the functionality of the components and eventually shut the whole system down. Rust and deposits will then form if water is not drained out immediately. However, my Galaxy S4 Active CONTINUED TO RUN NORMALLY except for the “flooded” screen. Very confusing indeed!
Again, I waited more than half a day and then the watermarks started to clear away VERY SLOWLY. I put it in a warm place (without overheating and melting it) hoping it to dry out. On day 3, all the fog and marks on the screen are gone. The phone continued to function well. WTF?
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This picture shows the initial spikes at the top left edge in Test 1. Now also on the right side and the “foggy” watermarks all over the screen after Test 2.
The Tear Down
So I decided to tear it down to solve the mystery. The tear down was carefully performed without damaging it. It’s much easier than taking down iPhones. I found that the side of the phone is completely sealed off by a red gasket. Water should not be able to seep in from the sides. The earphone plug is indeed fully potted and waterproof, the microphone and camera are sealed off also. It looks safe. What’s more interesting is that the two water damage stickers are INTACT! No signs of water entering the circuit boards either. No traces of rusting or depositions. It’s CLEAN!
Tear down was simple. The Red Gasket is clearly seen.
The PCB shows no sign of water damage.
The Water Damage Indicator Sticker is clean!
I suspect that the Water Seeped into the screen from the front. Since the screen is completely bonded with the touch panel, there is no way to take them apart without breaking things. This is BAD! The water must have seeped into the screen ONLY. So no matter how I do the seals properly, the screen will still fill up with water while the phone electronics are dry and continue to run normally. A few S4 Active owners have reported this problem also. This is CLEARLY NOT USER ERROR! Has this happened to you? I have read similar stories of the screen flooding on the internet.
WHAT NOW?
Test 3 will take place and I am going to submerge the phone again and take video of it to proof that water does get into the display despite being fully & properly sealed.
This is helpful but is not the first tear down. Zedomax did a tear down a while back and it is on Youtube.
I can clearly see my gasket is not complete around the screen, I think if I put mine in water I would have the same spikes as you. The rest of the phone is sealed. I did put the phone in water (up to the side of the bezel to test and see if any water would get in and it held it off.
joshuadjohnson22 said:
This is helpful but is not the first tear down. Zedomax did a tear down a while back and it is on Youtube.
I can clearly see my gasket is not complete around the screen, I think if I put mine in water I would have the same spikes as you. The rest of the phone is sealed. I did put the phone in water (up to the side of the bezel to test and see if any water would get in and it held it off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean the gasket is not complete around the screen? The screen glass just seem to be wrapped around fully just like other galaxy phone. There are no visible defects I can see. But I think that's where the water is going in.
It's quite strange because I always used my Galaxy Note 2 in shower and that screen held off all the water... So this phone is waterproof as advertised. BUT It didn't say it won't store any water! :crying:
GreenBot said:
What do you mean the gasket is not complete around the screen? The screen glass just seem to be wrapped around fully just like other galaxy phone. There are no visible defects I can see. But I think that's where the water is going in.
It's quite strange because I always used my Galaxy Note 2 in shower and that screen held off all the water... So this phone is waterproof as advertised. BUT It didn't say it won't store any water! :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The glue adhesive around the glad has a long gap in it which leads me to believe it will seep it
This is EXACTLY what happened to my phone and what it looked like. I will take pictures of the damaged unit when I get home. See my other posts for what happened.
I put the phone in rice for a few days, which got rid of the water bubbles. There was damage (the lines) to the screen, but oddly it functioned fine otherwise. My physical buttons were damaged. The white indicator did not turn pink, except for on the battery.
It is not user error. Maybe some bad glue...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using xda app-developers app
Att and Samsung are replacing water damaged actives for a one time exchange.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2395537
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
possible water condensation
Is it possible that the moisture in the bathroom led to water condensation? That would be different than submerging the phone in water. I submerged mine in a bowl of water and everything worked.
Ok, I got home and powered up the phone for the first time in like 5 days. It has been sitting in rice (just because). Almost all of the screen damage is gone.
The physical back and menu buttons still do not work, but if you didn't know, you could not tell the screen was "damaged" at some point.
Freaking weird.
Brought mine into the pool couple times and haven't had any issues
OP, can you confirm if the USB port is waterproof like the headphone port? Like for example if I went swimming with the USB flap open would my phone survive assuming everything else was sealed?
thatbigmoose said:
OP, can you confirm if the USB port is waterproof like the headphone port? Like for example if I went swimming with the USB flap open would my phone survive assuming everything else was sealed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The USB connector is not waterproof. I have not removed the white housing as seen in the pictures. But there are no indications that it can take water. Also it's not a good idea to submerge USB connectors as they will corrode the pins.
So the current finding is that some of our s4 active phones have faulty sealing around the glass of the front display. The back cover and ports withheld water from getting in. And since the front glass touch panel and display are fused together. It must Have also blocked the trapped water from getting through into the circuitry at the back otherwise the phone would be dead already.
I personally don't believe the glue are so flimsy at the glass since I used my galaxy note 2 and other phones /tablets in shower many times and not a single drop of water gets into the screen. But since this is the most appear ant cause, I will apply silicon glue to the edges of the s4 active glass and see if it helps.
Keep u all posted and pls post if ur s4 active is ok or having issues as well thanks guys.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 4
GreenBot said:
...since I used my galaxy note 2 and other phones /tablets in shower many times and not a single drop of water gets into the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why exactly do you need to take your devices in the shower so much? That is kind of weird.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 2
JasonJoel said:
Why exactly do you need to take your devices in the shower so much? That is kind of weird.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Music, texting, hell sometimes I just surf the web standing under the nice hot shower. I always take my phone in the shower.
thatbigmoose said:
Music, texting, hell sometimes I just surf the web standing under the nice hot shower. I always take my phone in the shower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, that's when you get to read some news, play some music undisturbed in the morning and after a day of work or going to the pool on weekends. That's why I always valued "true" waterproof-ness.
I am still searching for a suitable glue to seal the gaps on the glass
thatbigmoose said:
Music, texting, hell sometimes I just surf the web standing under the nice hot shower. I always take my phone in the shower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thatbigmoose said:
OP, can you confirm if the USB port is waterproof like the headphone port? Like for example if I went swimming with the USB flap open would my phone survive assuming everything else was sealed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just checked. The USB port cover MUST be properly plugged in. It is NOT waterproof without the plug and you will leave a hole for water to get in your entire device.
I've brought my S4 Active into the pool several times, made minute long videos, did underwater tests in the sink, and not a single drop of water or defect.
geoff5093 said:
I've brought my S4 Active into the pool several times, made minute long videos, did underwater tests in the sink, and not a single drop of water or defect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Refer to this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2383019
It is not that the S4 Active isn't working (for perhaps most people), its that there are defective units. Until recently, AT&T and Samsung DENIED any replacement, citing water damage was not their fault. Which is true, but if it was already a defective device and you are advertising it as "everything proof" --- you see where the confusion comes it. It's not negligence on the users part, but manufacture error, and in my opinion, advertising error. It's water-resistant, not "proof".
Denying claims based on a long held water damage warranty claim shifts all liability to the user. Might be good practice for most phones, but not this one. It's bad business. I am glad they decided to replace defective units without hassle. It took me a week to get them to issue an replacement for me (and a bad review writing).
ATT is only doing it to avoid a class action suit. If they don't want people to dunk their phones in water then just don't advertise as 'water proof'. They are making the phone look like it is invincible in water with all the demos of the phone in a bowl of water. This is why people are led to do the unspeakable things to their phones such as the OP's did.
thatbigmoose said:
Music, texting, hell sometimes I just surf the web standing under the nice hot shower. I always take my phone in the shower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay... whatever works for ya. I'm in the shower all of 5-7 minutes. I can live without a screen for that long. Lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 2
Here are my 2cents
Well definitely. Shower is just a small part of it. But as the phone suggests, "Active" can be interpreted as going to the sea, lakes, mountains and outdoor a lot which means there will be water and rain. It's not a tough phone but it should perform as advertised with reasonable waterproofing capabilities.
I Do agree that water damage should NOT be in part of the warranty because there are a lot of possible scenarios that the phone manufacturer can't possibly cover. For example:
Not properly sealing the back cover, ports etc. (I drowned my Galaxy S1 years ago by not completely sealing the waterproof bag properly many years ago.)
Take a plunge with the phone in your hands (impact force may cause a leak. I drowned a iPhone 4S with Lifeproof case by plunging into a pool last year *fixed*)
Dunking it in champagne buckets full of ice (Well it might be ok)
Excessive vibrations/impacts that cause non water damaged failures
Not rinsing the phone after each submersion (may corrode the seals)
Sand and dirt getting onto the sea while you are at a beach or so (compromises the seal. Had a personal experience too.)
Possibly more cases of course...
LESSONS LEARNED...
BUT, if a user properly sealed it and go through the proper care procedures & didn't do one of the things listed above but the phone simply leaked. I would say It's most likely a Defect! We have a user confirming that if he submerge his phone up to just below the screen, it's waterproof. We have isolated the problem through a logical step by step approach. It is disappointing to me rather than getting furious honestly that the phone has failed me. I am also happy to know some people's Active are waterproof as advertised.
I have found a suitable silicone glue that I will use to apply to the edge of the screen bezel to see if I can make the screen waterproof. I hope I can finally start to use the phone again after a week from purchase.
Keep you all posted. :highfive:
Just bought a Z3 and it has the faintest hairline crack across the middle of the back glass, which to be honest really doesn't bother me at all, as I got the phone for a very good price, but just wondered will this make the phone NON-WATERPROOF ?
I'm not sure. There was a story of one Z2 surviving in over 10m/30ft of sea water for several weeks with no water damage. In the article there were a few pics and the back cover was severely cracked.
You could always try the pressure test - http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/general/guide-test-waterproofing-water-t2897886
shtepsel said:
I'm not sure. There was a story of one Z2 surviving in over 10m/30ft of sea water for several weeks with no water damage. In the article there were a few pics and the back cover was severely cracked.
You could always try the pressure test - http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/general/guide-test-waterproofing-water-t2897886
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thanks for that tip, just did that test and the pressure increased each time, so I guess its OK then, right time to jump in the bath
Are you really going to take your phone with you in the bath and submerge it for no reason? Hot water viscosity will be different to cold and easier to get inside your phone.
Newt182 said:
Are you really going to take your phone with you in the bath and submerge it for no reason? Hot water viscosity will be different to cold and easier to get inside your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No only kidding, as long as the z3 holds up if it gets wet whilst out on a run or using in the rain, I'll be happy. Not going to be submerging it any time soon.
I'd put some duct tape on it. Good to go.
There is a pressure test in this forum that using service menu that will give you an idea. Mine has a crack but is still waterproof. By that, I've only had it splashed and dipped quickly in a pool. I wouldn't take it very deep as I imagine the water pressure would open the crack a bit wider and let water in (however I'm not sure if the glass is the phone colour or if the glass is clear and the phone colour is a plastic cover behind the glass which would mean help with stopping water getting in after a crack)
If you happen to drop your phone in water, immediately get it out and
power it off, then what do you do to help save your poor phone? Put it
into a bag of rice to dry it? In fact, rice won't do too much to dry
your phone. :angel:It's better to wipe the parts with a clean cloth and lay the
parts in a drafty place; however, after the parts dry what do you do
about the water damage.
Step 1, Disassemble your phone.
After the phone has been retrieved it should be wiped completely dry
to remove any extra liquid, and then you'll have to tear down your phone
so you can assess the damage. However, special tools and skills are
required to tear down a phone, and we always recommend a qualified
person to do this job.
Step 2, Check if there is any erosion or debris in the connectors/other metal contacts.
Generally speaking, there will probably be some erosion on the
connectors or residue stuck on the board. Submerge the logic board in isopropyl alcohol, and allow it to soak long enough to loosen any hardened residue, and to displace any remaining water or other liquid. Use a ESD-safe brush to remove visible corrosion and residue.
Step 3, Check whether the device is short circuited or not.
Even after phone parts have been wiped and dried, some liquid may
still be left in inside, which will result in a short circuit. First of
all, you can use a multimeter to test if the battery is bad. In most
cases batteries are one of the first things to go. So you may need to
replace the battery. If the battery works fine you'll have to check all
the parts 1 by 1 to find the short.
Step 4, Check whether the LCD screen is dead or not.
Before you install the new battery we recommend reconnecting the LCD
screen and plugging in the charger in to see if the LCD screen still
functions. If the LCD screen is dead, it must have been damaged by the
liquid and can't be fixed by hand. The only way to fix the phone would
be to replace the LCD assembly.
The problem could also be caused by damage on the mainboard, so we
recommend testing the new LCD with the board before reassembling
everything.
Step 5, Reassemble all the parts and power on the device for testing.
Small parts with metal contacts are easily damaged by water, i.e. the
ear speaker. Once you've reassembled everything you should carefully
test smaller parts like the ear speaker and camera.
<MOD Edit - Link Removed>http://www.syncios.com/android/sync-transfer-itunes-music-to-android-phone.html
One problem ...if it is saltwater it is dead!
TaureanZen said:
One problem ...if it is saltwater it is dead!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh~ it depends ..... if you rescues promptly, it won't
Yesterday i went to a pool party and put my Z5 underwater, after that the phone started to get very crazy with the touch screen and got stuck without presing nothung. What should i do? both camaras have water like little bubbles inside, the microphone, headphones, the speakers are working ok.
The Z5 is supposedly waterproof as specified by the IP68 rating, but that only covers pure, clean water - the seals can't stop saltwater or chlorinated water. I suppose you could send it in for repairs and claim warranty as we were promised a waterproof device - and that is what we should get - but chances are that you're going to face a rather large bill for water damage.