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iphone 5 not turning on after getting wet from rain

J

jetlagged

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 6, 2012
478
141
hey guys,

i'm traveling around new zealand. i'm from the usa. yesterday there was such heavy downpour of rain that i didnt take out my dslr to take pics. instead i used my iphone 5. the phone did get wet from the heavy downpour of rain, i put it inside my not so fully waterpoof rain jacket, at the end of the 5 hour hike my whole clothes was wet, my ip hone 5 felt damped, i can still see moisture on the camera lens as i type this. sadly i dont have a bag of rice here in new zealand, i'm far away from any grocery stores. i might try to look for a hand blow dryer at some bathroom if i can find one later.

but yeah the problem is the iphone 5 wont t urn on anymore. i tried setting it under the sun, but for the most part new zealand is rather cloudy at the moment. can anybody help me resolve this problem. i bought the phone november 2012 brand new at the apple store full price without a contract. i feel so stupid for even getting the iphone wet.

any tips and advice is much appreciated.
 
D

Djklassykid

macrumors newbie
Apr 15, 2013
1
0
Coral Springs
jetlagged said:
hey guys,

i'm traveling around new zealand. i'm from the usa. yesterday there was such heavy downpour of rain that i didnt take out my dslr to take pics. instead i used my iphone 5. the phone did get wet from the heavy downpour of rain, i put it inside my not so fully waterpoof rain jacket, at the end of the 5 hour hike my whole clothes was wet, my ip hone 5 felt damped, i can still see moisture on the camera lens as i type this. sadly i dont have a bag of rice here in new zealand, i'm far away from any grocery stores. i might try to look for a hand blow dryer at some bathroom if i can find one later.

but yeah the problem is the iphone 5 wont t urn on anymore. i tried setting it under the sun, but for the most part new zealand is rather cloudy at the moment. can anybody help me resolve this problem. i bought the phone november 2012 brand new at the apple store full price without a contract. i feel so stupid for even getting the iphone wet.

any tips and advice is much appreciated.
Click to expand...

At this point i don't think any amount of rice could help. Rice trick is mainly for little amounts of water like a quick drop in a puddle. Not saturated for a extended amount of time. If you left the phone on while in your pocket its toast, electronics soaked up the water and probably fried. If you turned it off before placing it in your jacket the rice trick might have worked before you tried powering it on. Taking it no protection plan on the phone?
 
J

jetlagged

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 6, 2012
478
141
sadly you're right, i didn't buy protection for my iphone. i placed it under a hand blow dryer at the local bathroom and it's still not turning on. i have the 64 gb black iphone 5 and paid full price for it. not even 5 months since i bought it. man i feel so stupid. it wont even turn on when i plug the lightning cable to the computer or wall socket. man i hope it starts working again.

if it doesnt w ork again, is there any way i can at least take out the pictures and videos. i have a lot of pictures stored there while traveling in new zealand. but since it wont turn on, not sure how iwill be able to do that.

man i feel so stupid. i saw videos on youtube where they did extreme iphone test, placed it in a freezing temperature, threw it down the floor, put it in extreme heat and still works. i figured why not water. man stupid move on my part. nearly $1000 down the drain.
 
J

jetlagged

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 6, 2012
478
141
yeah it totally blows. my friend has a black iphone 4S 16 gb, i hope he lets me buy it off him since he's not using it because he bought the iphone 5, will save me a lot in the long run if he lets me have it. i dont want to buy another phone fu ll price just to save my unlimited verizon data plan. if i can find one use i'd be happy.

so any words if i can obtain the pictures and videos of my travels off my iphone 5?
 
I

inselstudent

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
617
4
I dunno, I'd just put it somewhere where it can dry (ideally a bag of rice) and wait 1 or 2 weeks. That's helped quite a lot of people in the past...

Don't give up just now :p
 
Applejuiced

Applejuiced

macrumors Westmere
Apr 16, 2008
40,672
6,533
At the iPhone hacks section.
Not sure where you bought it but Apple in most places has out of warranty replacement programs.
Where you bring in your liquid damaged or cracked iphone and they take it and replace it with a refurbished model for $229 in the US.
Next time remember electronics and water don't go well together. Take care of your expensive devices and in case it rains and you're out have a ziplock bag with or something to place it in.
 
G

gtbartlett

macrumors newbie
Apr 11, 2013
5
0
And next time if you know there is a chance of it getting wet, purchase a waterproof case such as the Lifeproof case.
 
jav6454

jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
6,257
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
jetlagged said:
hey guys,

[...]

any tips and advice is much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Let me see, you use your iPhone under the heavy rain and expect it to get wet. Now that it doesn't work you are surprised?

Please tell me, how much help you need? [/sarcasm]

You ruined your phone, there is nothing you can do. Go buy a new one instead. Next time buy a water proof case with it.
 
B

barkomatic

macrumors 601
Aug 8, 2008
4,519
2,821
Manhattan
Applejuiced said:
Not sure where you bought it but Apple in most places has out of warranty replacement programs.
Where you bring in your liquid damaged or cracked iphone and they take it and replace it with a refurbished model for $229 in the US.
Next time remember electronics and water don't go well together. Take care of your expensive devices and in case it rains and you're out have a ziplock bag with or something to place it in.
Click to expand...

This is good advice. Often its cheaper to take advantage of out of warranty replacements than buying an old iPhone off a friend.

If that isn't possible, then many year old Android phones are very cheap right now. Yes, I know. I know. However, you could use it until you are ready to buy another full price iPhone to save that unlimited Verizon data--that's like a big fat golden egg at this point.
 
K

Kaelynlock

macrumors newbie
Mar 13, 2013
15
1
Most dslrs are quite capable of getting a little bit wet for future reference, I've had my entry level dslr out in the rain before and it's been absolutely fine, I just give it a wipe over with a dry cloth every now and again whilst shooting :)

I would take your phone to an apple store when you are able to and explain what happened, worst they can do is charge you the out of warranty replacement fee.
 
hayden1250

hayden1250

macrumors regular
Oct 3, 2011
109
24
Auckland, New Zealand
That's a shame! We haven't had rain in NZ in like 2 months!

I once put mine in rice for like 2 days and it was fine. But that was right after I spilled water on the phone. The water sounds like it has already done its thing unfortunately.
 
J

jetlagged

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 6, 2012
478
141
i thought i'd post here again for those interested.

i took my phone to a local iphone repair shop. they were unable to fix it. the water did a lot of damage, and the fact that i even tried plugging it in to an electric outlet to see if it works didn't help because it probably burned the circuits and whatnot out.

its a disappointment. i took a lot of pictures of new zealand on that phone, especially that third and fourth day when i did the milford track hike, which is a 4 day hike in fjiordland national park.

so i just want to ask, is there no way to get the pictures back? like for example putting the hard drive on a working iphone 5? or is that an impossibility? (i dont know much about hardware or even if that is possible, so pardon the silly question and thought)

can i still replace my iphone using the apple out of warranty replacement even though i took it to a local dealer to get it fixed? (please note that i dont have applecare, i didnt buy apple care)

anyways, i'm not mad that i have to shell out money for a another phone, i made a big error taking it out in the rain. i have only cnet and their stupid iphone 5 torture test video that i saw on youtube where they put it in extreme heat and cold, thinking it can handle it. screw you cnet :mad::D

i'm just disappointed that i lost memories in those pictures that i took, i feel those were really important to me, it's hard to say and describe, but knowing that i can't get those back really hurts me :p
 
S

sim0n

macrumors member
Apr 28, 2013
71
0
im guessing your photos wern't synced to icloud then if you were travelling?
 
A

abz1981

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2011
1,013
4
jetlagged said:
i thought i'd post here again for those interested.

i took my phone to a local iphone repair shop. they were unable to fix it. the water did a lot of damage, and the fact that i even tried plugging it in to an electric outlet to see if it works didn't help because it probably burned the circuits and whatnot out.

its a disappointment. i took a lot of pictures of new zealand on that phone, especially that third and fourth day when i did the milford track hike, which is a 4 day hike in fjiordland national park.

so i just want to ask, is there no way to get the pictures back? like for example putting the hard drive on a working iphone 5? or is that an impossibility? (i dont know much about hardware or even if that is possible, so pardon the silly question and thought)

can i still replace my iphone using the apple out of warranty replacement even though i took it to a local dealer to get it fixed? (please note that i dont have applecare, i didnt buy apple care)

anyways, i'm not mad that i have to shell out money for a another phone, i made a big error taking it out in the rain. i have only cnet and their stupid iphone 5 torture test video that i saw on youtube where they put it in extreme heat and cold, thinking it can handle it. screw you cnet :mad::D

i'm just disappointed that i lost memories in those pictures that i took, i feel those were really important to me, it's hard to say and describe, but knowing that i can't get those back really hurts me :p
Click to expand...


I really don't think its possible to get them photos back. However here is an idea.

I am sure we have members in macrumors who live in new zealand, or maybe members that will be going to new zealand soon. Why dont you start a new thread here and ask those that are going to new zealand to take photos on your behalf. Just tell them where you went to etc and get them to send them to you. I mean I know it wont exactly be the same as you didn't take them.

However you will be building up your photo collection again? :)

Just an idea though. About your IPhone best bet is still to make an appointment with the :apple: store and see what they say. Just explain to them exactly what happened. Who knows :apple: genius might be feeling generous and after hearing your story give you a free replacement.
 
J

jetlagged

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 6, 2012
478
141
sim0n said:
im guessing your photos wern't synced to icloud then if you were travelling?
Click to expand...

that's right, i wasn't synced to icloud. i never even considered it, but after this incident, i see its usefulness now.

----------
abz1981 said:
I really don't think its possible to get them photos back. However here is an idea.

I am sure we have members in macrumors who live in new zealand, or maybe members that will be going to new zealand soon. Why dont you start a new thread here and ask those that are going to new zealand to take photos on your behalf. Just tell them where you went to etc and get them to send them to you. I mean I know it wont exactly be the same as you didn't take them.

However you will be building up your photo collection again? :)

Just an idea though. About your IPhone best bet is still to make an appointment with the :apple: store and see what they say. Just explain to them exactly what happened. Who knows :apple: genius might be feeling generous and after hearing your story give you a free replacement.
Click to expand...

that's a good thought. i'll see if i can remember the last name of this german guy i was hiking with. i remember this first name, but i cant recall his last name. starts with an H though, and i'm sure i'll remember the last name when i see it. i had his information on my iphone 5 notes. if only i can remember, he can send me some of his pictures.:confused:
 
J

jimbo1mcm

macrumors 68000
Mar 21, 2010
1,922
477
jetlagged said:
that's right, i wasn't synced to icloud. i never even considered it, but after this incident, i see its usefulness now.

----------



that's a good thought. i'll see if i can remember the last name of this german guy i was hiking with. i remember this first name, but i cant recall his last name. starts with an H though, and i'm sure i'll remember the last name when i see it. i had his information on my iphone 5 notes. if only i can remember, he can send me some of his pictures.:confused:
Click to expand...

A. Hitler was he really old?

Try this from Ifixit blog:

oldturkey is spot on about where your photo's are stored. You need to take the phone apart (display, logicboard, battery) and clean the board and connectors with isopropyl alcohol and use a soft brush to lift any corrosion off the parts. Do this and you have some chance of getting your pictures off the phone. Get a new battery, clean your Dock port and try again with connection to pc. With any luck your problem is a dead battery (no1 thing to go kaput in phones with water damage) good luck

choose the guide for logic board for 3gs (under the photo of the phone and then use these guides to help you Repairing iPhone Liquid Damage

http://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Electronics_W...
 
Last edited:
ste1164

ste1164

macrumors 6502a
Jan 4, 2009
732
3
Yea I'd get the out of warranty replacement. It will still cost you but at least it isnt full price. & you could ask the genius about recovering photos.
 
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