First of all, let me leave clear that I don’t condone for a moment placing your iPhone (or any other non-waterproof electronic device for that matter) in water. However, should your iPhone fall from your back pocket into the toilet, here is what to do to help you revive it.
Of course, to avoid such problem the best thing is not to place your iPhone or any other valuables in your back pocket but, if like me, you fail to do that, here is a step-by-step guide
1) The first thing you need to do as soon as you hear the splash is turn round, forget all about your trousers, ascertain the exact location and stick your hand in. No time to go fetch anything to put around said hand, you can always wash it with antibacterial soap later. In my case nothing had entered the toilet other than the phone, plus I have a toddler so I have had my hand in all sorts in the last fourteen and a half months.
2) Pat it well with a dry towel, try to get as much of water out of the surface as you can.
3) Place it carefully in Readybrek, in this case I had a long container full with dry oats of this particular brand that I use for LittleT, in it went. Leave it to rest for a few hours.
4) For this particular step it was very useful that mine was out of guarantee as it is over two and a half years old and that my husband is a geek. Open the iPhone up, sigh in relief when you hear that the water may not have done too much damage and cross your fingers but do not hold your breath and pray that you have a backup phone in the house like I did because for step 5 you have to…
5) Fill half a bowl with rice, place open iPhone inside and cover as much as you can with rice. Leave it to rest for 9 days.
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| My iPhone resting in rice |
Et voilà! My husband put my iPhone back together this morning and it’s working, it hasn’t lost any data and I am very pleased.
However, this doesn’t mean that, dear Apple, you can delay the launch of the iPhone 5, or the 4.1, or the 4S or the 4X, whatever you have in store for us (or rather I’m hoping about to hit the stores), you must launch it at once. I couldn’t possibly bring myself to move to any other brand you see, not to talk about what it would do to my relationship with my husband, your biggest fan and supporter. And I will not buy an iPhone 4, I bought my 3G just before you launched the 3GS and I have been regretting it ever since.
This experience has led me to find out that an iPhone without the SIM card is basically and iPod Touch, it does connect to Wi-Fi.
This article is based in real-life facts and should be taken as mere advice in a funny tone, which is the tone in which is intended. This is my story, these steps worked for me and thankfully for my iPhone, it may or may not work for you and your iPhone. I cannot guarantee any success by using this method as it will depend on many factors. Learn from my mistake and never ever place gadgets in the back pocket.
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the joys of a phone falling down the loo….. been there done that !
Hope yours survived too Helen! I had never done anything of the sort but it was one of those days, had lots going on and in fact I had been looking for it just a few minutes before!
I had a new phone go in a cup of water once (no idea how I managed that one!) and I put it in a bowl of rice which sorted it out, amazing that it really works!
Hi Jennifer, rice does seem the way to go. I remember an episode of the Gadget Show where they tried different methods to revive wet phones, my husband kept telling the TV: "It's rice, use rice!". Never thought I'd have to try it myself.
Love your blog's background by the way 🙂