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Water Damaged Phone

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)

Success repairing water damaged S3

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.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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!

How to Save Your Water Damaged Phone

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

IP53 - water in camera lens = warranty void?

So basicly I came back home after work and decided to clean my POCO X3 under the shower (bc it's more effective than just wiping the dust off) and now my camera lens is foggy. That didn't happen before, I've done that few times, so I'm surprised. Anyway, will the seller reject my exchange request or not? Will the warranty cover that case of damage?

hi, the warranty is void, but if you purchased this on amazon within 30 days you can try returning it and then buying it again, otherwise you can try to use a hair dryer and you could maybe be able to fix temporarily the problem

First of all you need to understand the limitations of IP53 and what they exactly mean. The IP53 rating means dust can (and will) get into your phone and it won't affect the performance of the phone. The second part of the rating means that your phone is protected against "accidental" splashes at the phone held at 60° angle at the time of the splash.
No part of this rating involves continuous exposure to falling water. It also does not cover water falling at any angles beyond or below 60° angle.
For you to treat this phone as "waterproof" even though it has the lowest of the ingress protection rating... Is purely wrong on your part. No phone is truly water "proof", they are all "resistant" even the higher ratings. Which means taking ANY phone, this one or any ones of higher IP rating into a shower is a bad idea.
Your warranty is definitely void and the stickers inside the phone will also be red. You can use blow driers and whatever but condensation is usually trapped in a phone once it gets in. It might disappear for a while but it will show up again when the temperature equalizes. Your best bet is open your phone, use isopropyl alcohol and gentle heat to dry the phone and clean the oxidation at the copper contacts.
Or as someone else said. Trick your supplier into buying a damaged piece but that's also unethical. You're cheating someone else into getting a bad phone because you did something stupid with it.

Well thank you for concrete response. According to tricking the seller, I often saw situations where the phone wasn't damaged by the customer on purpose, the device literally had some fabric issues and their repair was rejected so it's nothing new that you have to cheat to get your phone exchanged. Anyway, I didn't open the phone yet. Camera lens cleaned "itself". Trying with hair dryer didn't help, I wanted to open it but had no time, the phone still works fine and I think I won't have to open it yet. I know using the device like that is dangerous but my phone was under the shower for like 10 seconds and I avoided to make contact with the USB C port and headphone jack so I think the only way water could get in was the camera lens itself. If my POCO will screw up later, I'll just try to repair it or buy a new phone. In the conclusion, yeah, I won't get any IP rated phone (no matter how high that rating is) into the water on purpose. Thank you for your advice

Changing display

My display damaged and i wanna to ask you smth guys.
How difficulty is it to change it by myself?
I watch this video "
" and i concluded its pretty easy to change it. But the only tool i dont have is the heatgun the other tools i can buy.
Tell me your opinion. Is it easy to do?

Can't tell if it's easy, but in other situations that I needed a heat gun and didn't have one, I used a hair dryer, which is way more common to have at home, or at least easier to borrow from a neighbor or something like that

Watch tear down and repair vids.
If a repair shop will let you watch them do it.
ESD, learn and understand what it is. Discreet components ie the display and mobo are very susceptible to it out of circuit.
Bare minimum protection is a bare wood surface to work on and a relative room humidity of 50% or better. A earth grounded ESD mat and wrist strap is best
Disconnect the battery as soon as possible in the disassembly process. Discharge below 40% if possible before starting.
Have all the drivers, picks, fine precision tweezers, and tools needed. Excellent light and a 2X or so optical visor be nice.
Inspect for additional damage*.
Have a set of OEM seals and now's a good time to replace the battery if it's performance has noticably dropped.
Take pictures disassembling if needed. It must be put back together exactly as it was.
Do Not over torgue screws... less is better.
Be very careful not to damage the ribbon microconnectors.
Take your time, no rush.
*any impact that can break the display or bend the frame can damage the mobo. High G loads or direct impacts can damage chipsets internally, fracture solder joints and internally damaged multilayered mobo PCB internal traces.

I did it three days ago, bc my mix 3 had contact with water.
Its kind of easy to do with a hairdryer and a small plastic tool.
The hardest part is to glue it back together.
(But I have to say my screen didn't work afterwards. The expert in the phone repair store said its maybe a problem on the motherboard)

slowmotion11 said:
I did it three days ago, bc my mix 3 had contact with water.
Its kind of easy to do with a hairdryer and a small plastic tool.
The hardest part is to glue it back together.
(But I have to say my screen didn't work afterwards. The expert in the phone repair store said its maybe a problem on the motherboard)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the battery isn't promptly removed and especially if it's not immediately powered down the current can cause corrosion and short out circuits. The power section is particularly vulnerable. Try again, inspect mobo and the ribbon connectors for signs of corrosion and moisture. Use bright light and magnification.
Is it completely dry? A good soaking with anhydrous isopropyl will help remove hidden water. Again dry completely afterwards. Getting the underside of BGA chipsets dry is imperative.
The micro connectors tend to trap moisture too.
Careful use of compressed air can be very useful but the key word here is careful. Don't stick a nozzle with 100 psi an inch or two from the mobo! Either use low pressure clean, dry air or back it up for high pressure air.
Use your best judgment... it's a bit of an art.
After you dry it as good as possible let it sit in a warm, dry room with a fan on it. Complete drying may take days without disassembly.

Thank you for the tips! I will try it like you described

The same is true with flooded cars, promptly pulling the battery can limit the damage even save the vehicle.
Be wary on flood damage vehicles for sale now, always check for water lines/marks
Most will suffer impossible electrical problems forever. Brine water always kills...