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AdamOutler: how to recover water soaked phone

AdamOutler on XDA TV reports how to best recover from water damage to your device. It's about a third way through the Razr unboxing video.
It's worth watching for when it happens to you.

I put it in rice
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kr3w1337 said:
I put it in rice
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Or plain oatmeal.

kr3w1337 said:
I put it in rice
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Uncle Ben knows best
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Purest alcohol you can get for 10 to 30 mins then rice
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Rice ftw I always use it works every time
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium

I don't like his instructions. He had the phone completely apart...who does that? You also don't want to use a hot hair dryer, you run the risk of melting **** if you aren't careful. And the Alcohol we buy at the store is 70% which I guess is better than the water that is in the phone, but it still has a lot of water content in it that is left behind when the Alcohol evaporates.

What is your suggestion then for dealing with the issue?
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eagercrow said:
I don't like his instructions. He had the phone completely apart...who does that? You also don't want to use a hot hair dryer, you run the risk of melting **** if you aren't careful. And the Alcohol we buy at the store is 70% which I guess is better than the water that is in the phone, but it still has a lot of water content in it that is left behind when the Alcohol evaporates.
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The rice method takes 3 days.
The method I showed takes 30 minutes.
You take the phone apart to speed up the process.
I gave instructions on how not to melt it.. Keep your hand right there. If your hand gets hot, pull the hair dryer away.
I bought the 91% alcohol in the video at Walmart.
Also, I didn't mention it, but the alcohol is less likely to leave splotches under your screen than water.

any advice on if your 2 year old dropped your phone in a 32 oz. Glass of kool laid while you were in the ****ter ? Same method?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA

stepheng said:
any advice on if your 2 year old dropped your phone in a 32 oz. Glass of kool laid while you were in the ****ter ? Same method?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA
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same

try 94% isopropyl, followed with rice. Ur phone probably done though, the sugar will probably still be in it.

AdamOutler said:
same
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haha, love the response!

De-natured alcohol is available in any pharmacy. It has methanol and other un-drinkable chemicals in it.
I have used it to encapsulate water in a gas tank before. You can definatly make Hash with it. I'm glad to know how to use it to save phones as well.

Well my girlfriend dropped her old iPhone 3gs in the washer-- we took it apart and thoroughly sprayed qd electronic cleaner to it! It saved it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA

Say that FedEx delivered it like that.
Sent from Down The Rabbit Hole, using Tapatalk 2

Water Damage

Hey guys, I'm thinking about buying this phone second hand.
Can anyone tell me if they see water damage in this picture?
It looks like the indicator is missing, but I'm not sure
I thought who better to ask than you guys?
Thanks!

gtmaster303 said:
Hey guys, I'm thinking about buying this phone second hand.
Can anyone tell me if they see water damage in this picture?
It looks like the indicator is missing, but I'm not sure
I thought who better to ask than you guys?
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
The T-mobile one came without a water sticker. But after sending for repair, they put like 15532550563 stickers on. I would just contact the seller.

Walter damage.

I was in the bathtub about 6 months ago and I fell asleep and dropped my One-S in the water. I awoke pretty quickly and sat up frantically searching for my phone. I found it because the display screen illuminated most of the water as it sat submerged.
I grabbed the phone, powered it down, opened the top backplate and hand dried the SIM card and anything else I could.
I was going to leave it to try overnight, but the thought of seeing it lit up underwater made me turn it on after 2 hours. It has worked fine ever since.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

syntropic said:
I was in the bathtub about 6 months ago and I fell asleep and dropped my One-S in the water. I awoke pretty quickly and sat up frantically searching for my phone. I found it because the display screen illuminated most of the water as it sat submerged.
I grabbed the phone, powered it down, opened the top backplate and hand dried the SIM card and anything else I could.
I was going to leave it to try overnight, but the thought of seeing it lit up underwater made me turn it on after 2 hours. It has worked fine ever since.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium
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Next time that happens, just put it in a bowl of uncooked rice and wait for a few hours
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

That sounds quite amazing, syntropic. It shouldve short out quite fast.
You, sir, must be one lucky bastard

Waterdamaged
mikennite said:
Next time that happens, just put it in a bowl of uncooked rice and wait for a few hours
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium
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Last time i did that with my old phone and didnt work even though it work for my friend, so i had to get a new phone and so far i am happy my old phone got wet because i LOVE my HTC one s

Goatshocker said:
That sounds quite amazing, syntropic. It shouldve short out quite fast.
You, sir, must be one lucky bastard
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I tend to attribute it to the high quality HTC craftsmanship.
However, as much as I have been an exclusive HTC owner since the Nexus One, I think I will probably go with Samsung next (or next year's Nexus). HTC, with their capitulation to TMO in preventing S=off and other annoying things HTC has been doing as of late is forcing me to reconsider my loyalty.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

It isnt as black and white as it seems, it depends what gets moist inside. One person drops it into bathtub and it still works, i had the phone quite moist all over(because of condensate) it and a month later i had to change motherboard which cost 190€

My water indicator sits between the two contracts just above and to the right of the camera, but from your photo's angle it wouldn't be visible because it's below them in the recess they're sitting in.
But thanks for the spare imei #.
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using xda premium

Wait... what? Water indicator?

don't know about water damage but 2 things:
1) this phones blue plastic design is abit different than my S4 one s.
2) the IMEI is shown for the public as you see and i wouldn't buy phone with IMEI visible in the picture.

gtmaster303 said:
Hey guys, I'm thinking about buying this phone second hand.
Can anyone tell me if they see water damage in this picture?
It looks like the indicator is missing, but I'm not sure
I thought who better to ask than you guys?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on price. If low enough, with the risk. Agree with other poster re: surviving water with this (and other) HTC model. Solid piece of hardware.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

looks ok to me.

What are my options here? Cracked digitizer but NOT cracked screen...

First off, I love my note 3. This phone is so close to perfect I can't bear the fact that I broke it somehow.
After having no case/screen protector since I got this phone.. sometime end of summer.. I bought my first case off of amazon. I received it YESTERDAY.. today.. while it was in the case, in my back pack (in a nice "protective" pouch that is lined with soft cloth) somehow it cracked the lcd screen (or digitizer) but the GLASS IS NOT CRACKED. Infact there's no physical damage to the phone at all, no dents or scratches anywhere on the phone at all, even looking at the screen under a light. Nothing on the glass.
SO I'm heart broken. It's my secondary phone so I have no insurance on it.
What would you do ? It's a sprint phone.. black.

You have to replace your complete screen.
It's called a full assembly.
You can't just replace you lcd alone.
They cost around $200.
Try parts4repair.com
I repair alot of phones and this site always has the best quality.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app

So you can not see any damage on phone? How about warranty?

Spere said:
So you can not see any damage on phone? How about warranty?
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this
if you cant see any drop mark then warranty it like a baws

Spere said:
So you can not see any damage on phone? How about warranty?
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There's no damage at all, not even a slight scratch. I'm actually a little curious how it happened.

So it can really be some fault in phone that'll go under warranty have you tried resetting phone if it's some software fault / bug?
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Spere said:
So it can really be some fault in phone that'll go under warranty have you tried resetting phone if it's some software fault / bug?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium HD app
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Yes.. you can see the top third of the screen for a minute or two, then it goes black/digital looking (8 bit graphics) and then eventually joins the bottom of the screen - being broken.

J3ff said:
Yes.. you can see the top third of the screen for a minute or two, then it goes black/digital looking (8 bit graphics) and then eventually joins the bottom of the screen - being broken.
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Actually - I looked at it under the light, if you hold it up to your eye level you can see a cracked digitizer

J3ff said:
First off, I love my note 3. This phone is so close to perfect I can't bear the fact that I broke it somehow.
After having no case/screen protector since I got this phone.. sometime end of summer.. I bought my first case off of amazon. I received it YESTERDAY.. today.. while it was in the case, in my back pack (in a nice "protective" pouch that is lined with soft cloth) somehow it cracked the lcd screen (or digitizer) but the GLASS IS NOT CRACKED. Infact there's no physical damage to the phone at all, no dents or scratches anywhere on the phone at all, even looking at the screen under a light. Nothing on the glass.
SO I'm heart broken. It's my secondary phone so I have no insurance on it.
What would you do ? It's a sprint phone.. black.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can probably still use it with the S-pen

xclub_101 said:
You can probably still use it with the S-pen
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if there is no obvious damage such as a mark where is bounced on the ground or a crushed screen, i'd warranty it.

Isn't the Note a bit large to place in your back pocket?
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

I had the same thing happen, although it happened after someone else dropped the phone.
I ended up buying a new front assembly for the phone for about $237. It was the only seller that affirmatively listed the display as AMOLED. The repair was pretty straightforward and it works well now
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

ggabriele3 said:
I had the same thing happen, although it happened after someone else dropped the phone.
I ended up buying a new front assembly for the phone for about $237. It was the only seller that affirmatively listed the display as AMOLED. The repair was pretty straightforward and it works well now
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
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Is it already out of warranty from Samsung that u bought parts by urself ?

@op send it to Samsung and get it fixed for free. Got nothing to lose
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nlatifolia said:
Is it already out of warranty from Samsung that u bought parts by urself ?
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I was told that the drop wasn't covered by the warranty.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

ggabriele3 said:
I was told that the drop wasn't covered by the warranty.
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but you didnt drop it.

He said someone else dropped it....
But a good hit on the side of the phone can crack an lcd. Seen many.
You cant see any thing wrong unless you hold it into the light.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app

TrompKramer said:
He said someone else dropped it....
But a good hit on the side of the phone can crack an lcd. Seen many.
You cant see any thing wrong unless you hold it into the light.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
I decided to go the honest route.
Handed her the phone saying that I dropped it, don't have insurance, can't get it anymore because it's been too long and asked if there was anything that could be done.
She smiled, said "Finally someone is honest, let me see what I can do"
Turns out they had a broken Note3 in the back with a good digitizer and screen.
Charged me 75 bucks, signed me up for insurance (I'm months outside the 30 day window) and sent me on my way.
Sure it's not free, but for 75 bucks and I don't have to mess with it and I kept my integrity, I'm happy!

dragoncius said:
but you didnt drop it.
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I didn't drop it, but someone else did. So the warranty was gone.
The parts for the repair cost $237, i think, and was totally doable.

Cobris said:
You have to replace your complete screen.
It's called a full assembly.
You can't just replace you lcd alone.
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you actually can replace just the screen - there is a youtube video of a guy doing it.
However, when I did it, it was actually cheaper to buy the entire assembly...not to mention much easier.

Took off my case and found... a mysterious bend.

I'm kind of sad about it really. It has never been significantly dropped. My friend dropped his like 4 feet onto a metal bench press bar and only dented the side slightly inward. I seemed to have managed to bend my phone. It no longer lies flat, it rocks, and there is this strange outward dent like a support beam needed somewhere to go. You can clearly see the bend when you look at the side view volume buttons. I'm sure my warrenty is voided as they would likely claim this cannot be from normal use. I've dropped it onto carpet a couple times and thrown it on my bed. It remains a mystery. Maybe my pants are too tight? For reference this is the case I use. Not over the top protection but it should save it from most soft falls I would think. Pictures attached. Sorry for the eh quality. It was a dark room and I don't have a macro lens for my DSLR.

Looks to me like possible damage from when you removed the case itself?

beaups said:
Looks to me like possible damage from when you removed the case itself?
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That's a good thought. Maybe, but I think the case is honestly too soft for that. I would expect the plastic to tear before the side bends, although who know. It's not a super thick case and the little lip that could, unlikely, fit in the small gap is rather thin. Plus the power button being bent and it not sitting quite flat on the screen have me skeptical about that. I don't think I've ever ripped the case off hard either, I dunno. I'm honestly not sure what to think about that possibility. Think it could pull the metal out like that?

Really thin piece of metal there. If the case caught caught down between and you pried it off I could see it bending like that. Just a thought.

well
beaups said:
Really thin piece of metal there. If the case caught caught down between and you pried it off I could see it bending like that. Just a thought.
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screen toward butt, tight jeans,and a slight bend over would do exactly that.bent the wrong direction for anything much else...looks to be very easily repaired you may damage speaker covers getting the back off the phone...once off, massage. the area gently and the whole back gently and should be able to get it back in the position with very little and I mean very very little effort else you can kink it badly..

jimyv said:
screen toward butt, tight jeans,and a slight bend over would do exactly that.bent the wrong direction for anything much else...looks to be very easily repaired you may damage speaker covers getting the back off the phone...once off, massage. the area gently and the whole back gently and should be able to get it back in the position with very little and I mean very very little effort else you can kink it badly..
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Think HTC would cover it under warranty? I'm hesitant to take the body apart.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

ok
Slacker101 said:
Think HTC would cover it under warranty? I'm hesitant to take the body apart.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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ok just saying, somewhere around here there is a thread on the replacement backs and speaker grills youTube is a wonderful thing and sure beats being without your device.
but if you choose to do it yourself make sure you watch all the videos you can get your hands on I have run into misleading ones in the past and done mild damage to external components due to very vague and misleading videos but if you do your homework and you are thorough and believe the video you watched to be very thorough they will usually tell you what parts you need to purchase in advance and it should only take the average person with an hour to do any repairs of the sort

I've bent my phone the exact same way.. Just get a small screw driver, butter knife etc.. Tape the end incase you slip and won't scratch it and push it back in.

Mine bent too. I think it has to do with the case. It probably bent it. I tried to push mine back in, but to no avail. Luckily for me though, my volume button ended up bending too. It bent to the point where it didn't work anymore. So I took to Verizon and they gave me a replacement no questions asked. No more bends. [emoji2]

ironbesterer said:
Mine bent too. I guess the volume button is hollow. Send it in for a replacement.
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Called them and they said they don't cover any physical damaged of any kind regardless of how it happened. It also apparently cracked my screen from it being uneven. And my free replacement was up in November.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Slacker101 said:
Called them and they said they don't cover any physical damaged of any kind regardless of how it happened. It also apparently cracked my screen from it being uneven. And my free replacement was up in November.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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Sorry, I edited. I thought the volume button was bent... Man I sure did get lucky.

ironbesterer said:
Sorry, I edited. I thought the volume button was bent... Man I sure did get lucky.
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I talked to HTC not verizon. I'm going to try that.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Slacker101 said:
I talked to HTC not verizon. I'm going to try that.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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They do say that you are ineligible if the device is damaged, but mine was damaged, and even had a few dents aside from the bend on the volume button, and they still happily ordered me a replacement. YMMV

Bent
My is bent the same way. I am very careful with it and have treated very gently. Contacting HTC to see what they say.

e07015 said:
My is bent the same way. I am very careful with it and have treated very gently. Contacting HTC to see what they say.
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They told me I could send it in for repair and dispute the charges later and that it was my only option. I don't have that kind of time though and I cannot afford to be without a phone that long. I'm currently job seeking so I live on the damn thing. Keep me posted on what they say to you.

Same thing happend to my phone, I just bent the metal back into its place.

Slacker101 said:
I talked to HTC not verizon. I'm going to try that.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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ironbesterer said:
They do say that you are ineligible if the device is damaged, but mine was damaged, and even had a few dents aside from the bend on the volume button, and they still happily ordered me a replacement. YMMV
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I recently sent my M8 in for warranty repair, due to blown speakers (I manage a machine shop, so you can imagine the metal particles everywhere). I had dropped the phone on asphalt this past summer (2 days before I received the TPU case I had ordered), gouging up the back, and also had a dent/impression in the back of the case, like it had been pressed hard against an edge or corner of something.
I went through HTC directly, and they never questioned the damage to the back, and sent back my phone with a nice and shiny new back on it. Their customer service is superb.

Freedom First said:
I recently sent my M8 in for warranty repair, due to blown speakers (I manage a machine shop, so you can imagine the metal particles everywhere). I had dropped the phone on asphalt this past summer (2 days before I received the TPU case I had ordered), gouging up the back, and also had a dent/impression in the back of the case, like it had been pressed hard against an edge or corner of something.
I went through HTC directly, and they never questioned the damage to the back, and sent back my phone with a nice and shiny new back on it. Their customer service is superb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My screen ended up cracking in one small spot due to the bend. HTC said I can send it in and see what their warranty team says and if needed appeal the charges since it bent on its own. They did say no guarantee that would work though. Think it's worth the shot? I also have insurance so anything more than 100 dollars (including the cost of shipping it in) is a waste.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

Slacker101 said:
My screen ended up cracking in one small spot due to the bend. HTC said I can send it in and see what their warranty team says and if needed appeal the charges since it bent on its own. They did say no guarantee that would work though. Think it's worth the shot? I also have insurance so anything more than 100 dollars (including the cost of shipping it in) is a waste.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
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If your phone is less than a year old, don't even bother with your "insurance". Just talk to HTC. I thought for sure my phone was out of warranty with HTC (I don't have Asurion), but to my surprise, it was still in warranty. No deductible, and you just pay for shipping to their depot in Texas.

Freedom First said:
If your phone is less than a year old, don't even bother with your "insurance". Just talk to HTC. I thought for sure my phone was out of warranty with HTC (I don't have Asurion), but to my surprise, it was still in warranty. No deductible, and you just pay for shipping to their depot in Texas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, they said the main issue was the screen crack. It's not covered after the first six months. And whether or not they'd cover it in this case is up to whoever processes it at the warehouse.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

Cracked back glass

I brought my note 5 a month ago and in the case it dropped and the back glass has cracks. Anyone know how much sprint or samsung charges to replace it?
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

just report it lost

gronimo21 said:
just report it lost
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They will charge a 200$ deductible to replace a lost or stolen device with insurance. It will be much cheaper to replace it yourself. I would just stop by a repair center and ask them. They may tell u its a sealed design and it has to be replaced. Or u may get lucky and they might hear it up and take it off for about 50 dollars.

Ok I'm going to try a center. I saw on YouTube you can get a replacement back but I debating on trying it
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

If you're a handy dude, it's a 10 minute job at best. Now replacing the glass? That's a *****.

Mobiledefenders.com has the part, rip that cracked crap off without losing most adhesive, use a blow dryer on low about 2 inches from back and heat it slightly and all around, place a book on it for 5-10 minutes and your golden.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

derrickmd18 said:
Ok I'm going to try a center. I saw on YouTube you can get a replacement back but I debating on trying it
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
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Ya if you are 10% handyman u should be able to do it a crap load cheaper than taking it. The front i would not try unless your use to taking apart and puting back together. The back is a cake walk