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.
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Click to collapse
Why exactly do you need to take your devices in the shower so much? That is kind of weird.
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JasonJoel said:
Why exactly do you need to take your devices in the shower so much? That is kind of weird.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
Related
Hi all i would just like to share my experience with this case..Last week i had the unfortunate accident of dropping my Samsung galaxy s phone in the toilet at home...
The phone fell out of my pocket and straight in too the pan and finally landed in the u-bend.
The phone was in total water submersion for not more that 3-5 seconds..my heart fell to the floor...
I quickly grabbed the phone from the toilet..turned phone off and removed the battery..water was all inside the phone.
I shook the phone and lots of water came out..my thoughts at this time was phone was well and truly buggered.
I proceeded to dry the phone on my radiator at home..sim-card,sd-card,battery and back plate all removed to aide drying.
Left the phone to dry for a full 24 hrs...before attempting to turn phone back on.
There was condensation inside the phone which all dispersed after 24 hrs. of drying out the phone.
And the big moment arrived of putting the phone back together to see if it would ever work again....
My heart was pounding at this time hoping and willing the phone back to life..pressed the power on button and the phone came to life.
Apart from having to do a reset on the phone and re-installing all my apps there has been no problem with the phone working 100%.
Phone has been working for well over a week now with no problems.
How lucky was I??...Im not saying that the Casemate Toughcase is the be all and end all in cases but im sure it went some way in helping reduce the damage that would have been caused by water ingress in to the phone.
happy case hunting...
Ewwww That Dirty Samsung Galaxy S
Lol..must add the water in toilet was clean...
The tough case was not the parameter influencing the luck in this case. As long as the rear speaker hole is not sealed, the water will always have a way inside the phone, no matter how many shock protection layers you have o the phone.
And generally speaking, tap water is not dangerous for the electrical parts of low voltage powered devices (like watches, phones and so on). The main issue with phones dropped in water is that the water will infiltrate in the optical dispersers of the LCD screen and on the screen connectors, generating blurry pictures or no picture at all.
I've learned something from your experience ... the water will not go in between the OLED screen and the digitizer .. which is a GOOD thing.
Great! I'm glad your SGS survived!
just take more care of it, ok? and don't drop it on Sea Water!
any waterproof supplies for galaxy s?
alex.bacer said:
any waterproof supplies for galaxy s?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zip-lock bag?
I've almost fell from my seat reading the end of your story. I am glad to read that everything went Ok. But does the phone smell .... hmmm different?
Truly lucky.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
There are better ways to change the colour of the phone
Update phone still working a OK two and a bit weeks on...
I have toughcase as well. Not the prettiest case, the phone loses it's "luxury" feeling, but you can certainly throw around the phone no problem.
I dropped my Galaxy S (with Tough Case) today, it fell directly on my hard tiles floor at a height around 70cm. I was really freaked out! I picked it up and it was still there like nothing happened (no crash, no slow, no reboot, no nothing) really happy that I chose this case!
thanksss a lot for content
my skyrocket got dropped in water i pulled it out put it under a hair dryer and it works, kind of. i use it as my primary phone right now but sometimes it freezes and the touch sensitive keys dont work the it either a) shuts off or b) i have to take the battery out.
any idea what replacement part or parts i could possibly change to fix this?
A new phone you prolly toasted the pcb
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1582881
Link to thread with link to AdamOutler video recovering from water. Take apart if you can. If left as is, you may expect further deterioration of the internal components and connections.
dac1227 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1582881
Link to thread with link to AdamOutler video recovering from water. Take apart if you can. If left as is, you may expect further deterioration of the internal components and connections.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Issue is he has been running it already
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nrm5110 said:
Issue is he has been running it already
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. All the damage is already done. He didn't care for it properly immediately after it got wet.
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It ain't over till it's over.
I had the proverbial "Bad Day" yesterday, or rather, my poor Skyrocket did. It went from being perfect, not so much as a scuff on it to: a) Dropped onto my CEMENT driveway from a height of almost 6 feet. How is this possible, you may ask? I was leaning over the porch rail to open the recycling bin, instead of going around and down the stairs... PURE LAZINESS is what it was! Anyway, it slipped out of my top pocket, in spite of the fact that I was trying to hold it with my fore arm. Why of WHY did the Skyrocket have to be so slim and sleek! The phone hit the cement, bounced once or twice, and then slid, ON IT'S FACE about 3-4 feet, with me making that scream you do while breathing in; kind of a "Uuuoooaaarrrrggghhhh" is the best I can describe it. I followed this by grabbing the phone, taking it inside and throwing an ever loving **** fit. I proceeded to throw the phone on the couch (Even during a full blown hissy, I try to protect the damn thing!) and as I examined it, it was one of those "It could have been much worse" things, that we try to comfort ourselves with, and amazingly they do help, even if it's BS. The damage was 100% to the front black chrome bezel (around the front edge of screen) - A part that in fact CAN be replaced, but requires COMPLETE disassembly, including separating the Screen from the digitizer, which I have no clue how to do. It may NOT be possible, in fact without breaking a layer of adhesive. EVERY other part of the phone is replaceable, in modular sections, I know, and will explain in a moment.
So... bad day right... well that would had been enough since I love my phone as many folks on XDA understand, but nooooooo. I had to then drop it in 8 inches of standing water. Yep.
Was in the bottom of my above ground pool trying to restart a siphon for draining it, when, "SLIP" I %&*&#@ DID IT *@#&$% AGAIN!! *#$%&!!
Phone drops STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HALF FOOT OR SO WATER IN THE POOL!!!!!!!!
Ok, so I almost NEVER keep my phone on me when doing physical work of any type. When I work on my cars engine compartment, or crawling around under it, I put my phone in the car. Even when I dry my car after pulling out of the car was the phone gets taken OUT of my top pocket and put somewhere safe. I guess I got complacent, since I hadn't had "an incident" in several years. Even with my 5" Dell Streak, beast that it was, I never let it slip from my standard place of Top shirt pocket. Every time I lean forward, my hand or forearm holds the phone from slipping. It is a motion as natural to me as shifting while driving, without even thinking about it. But even I know that "**** happens" so, lesson learned: I am going to bite the bullet and get a nice slim cover for the Skyrocket. NOW THAT IT WORKS AGAIN....
So after I pulled it out of the water I was in full panic mode: I quickly patted it in my shirt, but even while it was still wet and dripping, I RIPPED the back cover and battery out. In hindsight, I wish I had worked to dry the exterior quickly, and THEN opened it. The battery liquid detector wen bright read... CRAP! The PHONE liquid detector stayed WHITE… Ahh, finally caught a break. So after a basic dry everything I can reach (and the Sim came out wet, and the microSD came out wet, not good signs) I tried a quick power up.... The SkyICE animation began, then suddenly changed colors and turned pink/red.. WHOA.. STOP THE BOOT! So I yanked the battery.
After quite a bit of further drying, warm gentle air across the back for a venturi effect (sure!) another try and the screen behind the Samsung logo was bright, blood red, instead of black...
THIS convinced me to take the sucker apart, and for the most part I did really well. I did break ONE tab on the "body" of the phone - that holds the back section over the PCB on, but fortunately there are 7 screws, and it fit tightly when reassembling. I DID frin s coupe drops of water, though they did not seem to be in spots that would short anything, like on the stainless cover over the Qualcomm Processor, but those were just what I could see, without magnification. I dried those, blew warm gentle air over the PCB, and then gently warmed the parts over a low wattage bulb in a lamp.
I am SO impressed with the construction of this baby! I WOULD prefer more alloy, and less plastic for frame, shell & body parts, but what AMAZED me were the connections for all the ribbon cables, between modular PCB's (Like the one on the bottom with a antenna, USB port, Speaker, Mic and capacitive touch buttons, and others... The ribbon just comes around from behind, and attaches via a snap in connection to a receptacle soldered onto the corresponding PCB. In the video of the guy taking it apart, he just goes around and pops up 5 or 6 of these in about 10 seconds total time elapsing. Anyway, check out the middle section of the video I post here, right after he pulls the rear frame off... you'll see...
Bottom line? It's maybe NOT too late for the OP... Granted the more he runs it with a short or worse, the more potential damage. But in my experience it is REALLY difficult to get ALL the water out of a current design phone. It just travels from section to section, His best option (besides either trashing it or paying for repairs is doing what I did. Parts are readily available from Hong Kong, and short of the Screen/Digitizer, most are reasonably priced. Good luck with it. Get a jewelers screwdriver, and a plastic "separator" before starting. My only warning: When separating the main frames, after removing the 7 screws holding the two main frames together, use a CURVED separator, and try to bend the frame that’s the back of the phone OUTWARD a little bit. In other words, pull it OUT as well as spreading the two halves. I did not have a curved plastic tool, just a straight one, and as I pulled the two halves apart, I did not bend it out (away from an inner opening, that tabs go into from the back frame, and I snapped one of the inner openings edges. Think of it as tiny tabs that you want to pull up out of a depression before pulling the parts directly away from each other.
Aww, hell, just watch the video closely, I repeated some sections a few times before trying the procedures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf6jqYejWNU
Sorry for the lengthy post, but if I can save ONE person the pain of losing a good friend, then I think my life van finally have true meaning. Or something like that.
Why would you power it on so soon without even taking it apart to dry out?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
You see this guys pinky nail?!? Whou. I couldn't stop looking at it. I bet i can guess what its for
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should've left it off and left it in sack of rice for a day or so. RIP your phone...
Bricks don't fly or float.
Sent from, The Eclectic Chair.
At least he didn't drop it in the water during a mini bath
Sent from my SGH-I727 using xda premium
jnicks510 said:
should've left it off and left it in sack of rice for a day or so. RIP your phone...
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Click to collapse
Yeah I was about to mention rice
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Well, I dropped my skyrocket in water a couple days ago but fished it out instantly.
Learning from past mistakes, I immediately turned it off and took the battery, sim and memory card out. After I took a paper towel and tried to dry as many cracks and openings as possible until I saw I could not get any paper towel wet. I put the phone and battery in a sealed bag filled with rice and left it for 3 days. When I took it out, the phone was covered in rice dust so I took compressed air and tried to blow it clean. Praying it worked, I put the battery in and turned it on. Miraculously it booted like nothing ever happened.
I heard online to not use a hair drier as you will blow the water into components which were initially not wet.
"I heard online to not use a hair drier as you will blow the water into components which were initially not wet."
This. Definitely avoid hairdryers. Rice is like magic. I have only dumped one phone in water (it was an iPhone 3GS on and playing a video at the time! Then I had a hellish time getting it to turn off... kept turning back on.) I popped the screen and gave it a rice bath for a couple days. It was as good as new after that. (Well, as good as any iPhone can be, anyway. )
I thought I would make a quick post to provide some encouragement for those who may water damaged phones. Took mine swimming the other day. Phone fell out of my pocket and drifted down to the deepest end of the pool 8+'. Fortunately I discovered the phone before I got out of the pool.
I ran down to the hardware store and bought a bag of powder dehydration powder used for drawing humidity out of the air. I combined this powder with a bag of white rice in an airtight container (may seem like overkill but this worked much better then the typical prescribed method).
Any how, I removed the battery, took the screws out of the inner housing assembly popped the assembly without completely disassembling. I then wrapped the phone in a couple of coffee filters to prevent any of the powder from entering the phone.
I put the filter wrapped phone in the powder over night, sealed the container and left overnight. When I awoke I had a completely dry phone.
When I attempted to reboot the phone, the phone booted, but the touch screen didn't work.
After watching a video on Youtube (disassembly guide) I completely disassembled the phone. Working with 99% Iso alcohol and some small brushes, I completely cleaned the interior of the phone assembly including the main board, all connectors (paying very close attention to the pin assemblies). I found quite a bit of white corrosion inside the pin assemblies for the connectors and on much of the components. I assume this was residual chlorine from the pool water. After thoroughly cleaning all components, board etc. I carefully reassembled the phone per the instructions in the video.
Once the phone was buttoned up and recharged, I rebooted the phone. The phone booted right up. Everything worked perfectly, with the exception of the camera (wouldn't focus right). I disassembled the in housing again and took the camera out again. After inspecting, I realized I hadn't cleaned the interior of the plastic cover that protects the camera. After booting again, camera worked perfectly.
I would highly encourage anyone who mistakenly immerses their phone in water to at minimum use the powder and rice mixture w/partial disassembly. This worked exceptionally well compared to simply removing the battery and placing in rice.
If your patient and willing to follow directions, I found the thorough disassembly and cleaning process to be quite informative and rewarding, and I got a working phone out of the deal.
Don't recommend getting your phone wet, but if you do, take the initiative and try this yourself. Feel free to msg me if you have any questions
Good to hear that home solutions is still a viable way to fix electronic problems.
How long was it in the water for? I would have figured there was no way that phone would come back to life. Good to know.
Makes no difference if it was 10 seconds or 10 minutes. It doesn't get "wetter" being in longer.
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mine got wet 9 months ago and the op's steps that they took were similar to what I did and I can confirm that you can save your phone. My phone even got plugged in to the charger before i realized it was wet. Thanks op for posting this to help others out.
Hall, that cant be entirely true. Granted, either way is bad, but you can have more corrosion build up if it sat longer. Will 10 minutes do that much corrosion? still doubtful, but still can effect the phone differently. Also, depending on the case, it could take a little longer to access deeper in to the phone.
Sent from my MIUI powered S3 thanks to StrumerJohn and using Tapatalk 4. Respect My Authoritah!
BurningDog said:
How long was it in the water for? I would have figured there was no way that phone would come back to life. Good to know.
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Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply. Phone was about 9' deep for about 10 minutes. It was completely water logged. Funny thing was screen was still operational when I pulled from the water. I immediately pulled battery to prevent shorting.
I tend to think the amount of corrosion is relevant to the depth of water invasion and the amount of chemical or other component in the water. Mine was full of white corrosion. Under a magnifying glass I could see it everywhere. Any place i found it, I scrubbed with a fine brush and alcohol, specifically around the pins in the connectors. Be careful not to bend any though.
As far as components, they seem to be very well sealed. Nothing got into the camera, gyro etc. Speaker and phone jack both needed quite a bit of work, but eventually came clean.
Wouldn't suggest opening a phone for no reason, but it is actually quite interesting to see how small and well designed the components are, as well as to see how and where they are installed, gives one a much better understanding of how these things work.
Should I ever drop a phone in water again, I will certainly feel much more confident about my ability to revive it. Not good for the phone but certainly not a death certificate either. With a thorough cleaning your phone should work just fine again.
Edit: so I read the OP. Excellent job, with the exception of the rice. Leave it out next time. It's time to end the rice myth!
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For the love of God people, stop putting your wet phones in rice. I work at a repair shop and have worked on more water damaged phones than I can remember. Also, I come from a fobby Asian family and have carried(20+ lb bags)/washed/steamed/eaten a lot of rice.
First, rice doesn't just absorb moisture. If it's submerged in it, it will. It doesn't just pull it out of the air.
Second, when you put something wet in a container, or anywhere without good airflow it takes significantly longer for the water to evaporate. Take some wet clothes and put them in a bag. Even an open bag. See how long it takes compared to something like line drying.
Half the time someone leaves their phone in a rice filled container, the phone still has water in it 3-7 days later. The other half the water is gone, but it has accelerated damage from corrosion/rust.
Best thing to do with a water damaged android phone: take out the battery. Put it anywhere with a comfortable ambient temp and airflow, leaving the battery cover off. Leave it as long as you feel comfortable. Install new battery and back up your stuff.
At this point, you may need to clean everything with rubbing alcohol. If you don't feel comfortable doing that yourself, bring it to someone.
Sorry to rant but I'm just so sick of opening up wet phones and having people tell me "but I read it on the internet!"
Spread the word.
rockingondrums said:
Sorry to rant but I'm just so sick of opening up wet phones and having people tell me "but I read it on the internet!"
Spread the word.
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Click to collapse
Everything on the internet is true though. Which is why I will now let everyone know. You all owe me money. Depending on your yearly net income.
20k and below. $10
50 - 70k $20
70 - 90k $50
90k and up $100.
You may pay me via PayPal.
This is on the internet. This is true. Good day!
Sent from my MIUI powered S3 thanks to StrumerJohn and using Tapatalk 4. Respect My Authoritah!
So I wanted to clean up my SM2 this morning as I headed out for work. I unplugged it from the USB charger and proceeded to rinse it off in the sink... without closing the USB cover. Some amount of water got into the chassis.
The watch then proceeded to reboot several times, then the screen garbled, dimmed and the watch shut down completely. It would no longer turn on and looked to be bricked.
I let it dry out for a few hours then hit the micro USB port with some compressed air to get rid of any other moisture.
It still wouldn't boot and attaching the USB cable hooked into a charger did nothing.
Just out of a lack of anything else to try, I moved the USB cable to my laptop and the battery charging indicator came on. It booted up just fine after that and the watch is back to normal operation.
Not sure if this will help anyone down the line, but I though I'd share my stupidity.
Enjoy
I share my recomendation to not swim with the watch, I got a spot of water in my screen, if anyone knows how to open the watch let me know, thanks
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
ya know the USB port cover doesn't seem to be of a quality that I would trust actually keeping water out in submersion scenario, yet alone a swimming scenario.
Waterproof is a plus, but only for like splash when washing dishes or hands, accidental spill in a pool, etc.
I would sure as hell not purposefully shower with my watch and certainly not take a swim with it.
This watch is not designed for swimming in, no matter what you're told. It's OK to get it wet but any water pressure from swimming/diving etc. will exceed the water resistancy of the watch. PRO-TIP.
They guarantee its IP57
That means 5 is nearly dust untouchable so you can play in the desert. And the 7 means it is resistant to fully dunk it in water for a specific time (at least 10minutes says IPX7 More information from the company)
So i wouldnt risk swimming with it but i'd take a jump in my small pool in the garden for several minutes and i do not take it of when showering.
It is not resistant against salt Walter and Chlor in a bath might break the coloring of the case after time
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
It rated only for light rain type of exposure
Sent from my SGH-I337M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
The point of this thread was to show what I needed to do to get the watch working again after water entered the chassis.
Not sure why this turned into a submersion debate.
The watch is still working perfectly, BTW, but swimming aside, always close the USB cover before getting the sucker close to water. I think I lucked out.
All of this is meaningless.
In the Sony manual for product care it states "Do not expose your product to liquid or moisture or to humidity".
And in the warranty section, under what is NOT covered, it states "or damage resulting from liquid".
Get it wet, and you may not get warranty coverage.
Has any brave soul tried this feature? If so give us your experience!
Personally I have not, knowing my luck my device would be the one with faulty ports/leaks ?
Some people have tried it and damaged their phone. Others have been fine. The phone is water resistant not waterproof so I would recommend against dipping it in water.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
I personally placed my wife's S7 Edge screen under a running tap for a few seconds. Phone still works fine. Having said that the iPhone 6S has some great water resistant features and it doesn't even have an IP rating. Yet my old iPhone 5s died after siting in a little puddle of water on the bathroom basin bench, which was barely as deep as the back cover. At least with some certified proof of water resistance protection on the S7's, I won't be taking mine swimming or showering, but its surely great to know that it could
handle some very common water contact.
If it spoils easily regardlessof having water resistance why does samsung make all these ads with lil john dunking his phone in the aquarium and whatnot. Theyre tempting us to do so and if the phone is broken they should never void the warranty as long as it adheres to the phone being not deeper than 1.5 meters for not longer than 30 mins
As above, i've run mine under the tap a few times and it's been fine. I've never submerged it though, I don't dare yet. I also don't have a need to, so don't anticipate I will anytime soon.
I finally had it tested and it was an accidental situation which makes it seem useful and not just intentionally testing it for the sake of it. We left my wife's S7 on the coffee table and there was a cup of water on there. We came back and the water got knocked over, the phone was kind of in a puddle of it. I was actually excited to test it, but pissed that my cat has been ****ing with filled cups of water lately.
Tried dipping it while i was in the gym pool lol charged it after 2 hrs moisture detected, wiped the inside with some tissue all good ?
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
I use it to watch the news in the shower every day, and I tested under running water for a few minutes when I first got it. Water proofing is the biggest single reason why I bought this phone. If it doesn't work as advertised, I would have returned it. This thing is designed to handle water, so don't be afraid. I wouldn't swim with it, but a couple of drops of water from the shower or caught out in a rain storm, are nothing to worry about.
It is sold as a waterproof phone, not just water resistant. IP68 means full submersion in water, up to 5 feet for 30 minutes. That is waterproof. If the device fails from less than that, Samsung would legally have to replace it for you under warranty.
toptekjon said:
I use it to watch the news in the shower every day, and I tested under running water for a few minutes when I first got it. Water proofing is the biggest single reason why I bought this phone. If it doesn't work as advertised, I would have returned it. This thing is designed to handle water, so don't be afraid. I wouldn't swim with it, but a couple of drops of water from the shower or caught out in a rain storm, are nothing to worry about.
It is sold as a waterproof phone, not just water resistant. IP68 means full submersion in water, up to 5 feet for 30 minutes. That is waterproof. If the device fails from less than that, Samsung would legally have to replace it for you under warranty.
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that's all true but they get you with the "water pressure" crap. running it under a slowly pouring tap should be fine, but running it under heavy/fast flowing water flowing from the tap could be a problem, also the entire submersion thing, drop it in slow it should be fine, throw it in water and it could cause issues.
The IP68 rating is simply a bonus for me. I will treat it no differently than any other phone but it's good to know that, should an accident occur, and it ends up in the sink or something similar, it should be alright. Being able to use it in the rain is quite nice too. However, people who put their new phone in a bowl of water the day they get it to prove some sort of point deserve any issues they end up with.
1.5m 30mins. With that rating i would say it's safe to bring it with you when you swim(not dive), and would not recommend to bring it to snorkel. I saw someone dropped their phone to a 40 feet river.. that for sure are gonna break the phone..
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
BTW, make sure you never subject it to soapy water. Its water resistance relies on the surface tension of the water. Soap lowers water's surface tension, allowing the water to flow into places it normally wouldn't, as this guy found out the hard way:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/how-to/water-damage-story-t3337463
toptekjon said:
I use it to watch the news in the shower every day, and I tested under running water for a few minutes when I first got it. Water proofing is the biggest single reason why I bought this phone. If it doesn't work as advertised, I would have returned it. This thing is designed to handle water, so don't be afraid. I wouldn't swim with it, but a couple of drops of water from the shower or caught out in a rain storm, are nothing to worry about.
It is sold as a waterproof phone, not just water resistant. IP68 means full submersion in water, up to 5 feet for 30 minutes. That is waterproof. If the device fails from less than that, Samsung would legally have to replace it for you under warranty.
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Click to collapse
doing the same as you better to test the warranty while its still hot
it froze on me on 2nd shower, high pressure test video recording but im sure it was the fact that ive got like 5% space left on the memory.
I also run it under cold fast water if it heats up, i do block the charge port, then its cooled down enough for some day charging...
its quite a well built phone and I would be shocked if it does get water damage, but im worried, samy warranty is good service.
I couldn't resist testing this out. After all, if it's not working as advertised I'd want a replacement. So I filled up the sink and then carefully placed the phone at the bottom. The screen doesn't work while under water but once I took it out everything was back to normal. Awesome feature!
I don't need the water resistance features of the phone, but I do believe that if it's water resistant then it's less likely for moisture and corrosion to hamper with buttons, contacts and other internals. I had 3-4 phones with unresponsive power buttons over time, so if Samsung used good, oxidation-resistant materials for water resistance purposes then it will probably be beneficial for overall mechanical health of the phone as well.
Anyone else have any experiences to share?
Was at a party this past weekend with a lot of friends. I had my phone in my hand, browsing something, and my buddy asked what phone I had. When I told him it was the S7 Edge, he promptly entered Lil Wayne mode and poured his beer onto my phone. Laughs were had. Took it to the bathroom and rinsed it under the sink for a few seconds, and all is well.
Nitemare3219 said:
Anyone else have any experiences to share?
Was at a party this past weekend with a lot of friends. I had my phone in my hand, browsing something, and my buddy asked what phone I had. When I told him it was the S7 Edge, he promptly entered Lil Wayne mode and poured his beer onto my phone. Laughs were had. Took it to the bathroom and rinsed it under the sink for a few seconds, and all is well.
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If someone did this to my phone without my consent I would enter Bruce Lee mode with them.
Ontopic: I tested my phone a lot. When I first got it I washed it with clean water everyday. I also washed it with soap a few times, I never had any problems.
After I received my dbrand skin I also washed it a couple of times, once with soap as well, to make sure the skin is water resistant (it is).
Now that the "new toy" syndrome has passed, I use my phone normally, but if someone asked me to take a selfie while the phone is underwater, I would do it
Dropped my phone in the bath and continued to leave it in there to show it off to the mrs as her iphone can't do it. Screen came out working fine including buttons, however the speaker was very distorted which kinda made me panic but it dried out overnight and all was well in the morning.
Needless to say I never lost my nerve round my partner and kept echoing your iPhone can't do that....
lvnatic said:
If someone did this to my phone without my consent I would enter Bruce Lee mode with them.
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Haha, well since it was in my hand it's not like it got very wet. With the water resistance, I really didn't care. Gave me my first opportunity to test it out.
My son wanted to get a video underwater at the pool last weekend.
https://youtu.be/3UL4qcH7rJs
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