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Is there a chance a used iPhone 7 could have been somewhere really disgusting?

Hieveryone said:
It just freaks me out to think it could've been in someone's toilet and then on my bed.

Can you really disinfect all of it?

Maybe I'm just being ridiculous idk.
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Let's be rational; what percent of phones do you think have actually been in a toilet? For all the talks and fears of phones falling in toilets, I have known exactly one person in my life who has ever actually dropped a phone in a toilet, and that was under unusual circumstances. (he wasn't even using the toilet himself. He had it in his breast pocket and leaned over to help one of his young children off the seat)

With all due respect, I think that you know you are being irrational, and the point of this thread is just for people to talk you out of it. You know that no one here can guarantee that the phone is clean, but it is extremely unlikely that it will cause you any harm, especially of you wipe it down. This is something that you simply have to come to terms with in your own head, or never buy a used device.
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Hieveryone said:
I will want a refurbished iPhone 7S haha but of course that will take awhile to come.

The iPhone 7 should come refurbished soon right?

But I don't really want the 7 once the 7S is out.

I'll probably just end up getting a new 7S.
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Isn't this the conclusion you came to before? You obviously have the itch for a new device, but if you just wait 6-7 more weeks, you have a have better options, whether you you want a 7, 7s, 8, or whatever. If you get a phone now you will likely regret it in 2 months.
 
Hieveryone said:
It just freaks me out to think it could've been in someone's toilet and then on my bed.

Can you really disinfect all of it?

Maybe I'm just being ridiculous idk.
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There was probably more fecal coliform bacteria on the seat back tray table on your last domestic coach class airline flight. Or the armrests at your local movie theater. Or the TV remote in your last hotel. Or the bedspread.

Or the doorknobs to the restrooms at all three locations.

Oh, and that fabric seat back pocket on airplanes, the ones with the magazines and airline sickness bags?

That's probably some of the nastiest territory. People basically use that pocket as a garbage bag: things like discarded food wrappers, temporary dirty diaper storage, whatever. And then there are the passengers who take off their footwear and stick their bare feet on those cloth surfaces. You know, you've seen them on the various "airline shame" Twitter accounts and websites.

Flying coach class is as disgusting as riding a cross-country Greyhound bus.
 
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Bart Kela said:
There was probably more fecal coliform bacteria on the seat back tray table on your last domestic coach class airline flight. Or the armrests at your local movie theater. Or the TV remote in your last hotel. Or the bedspread.

Or the doorknobs to the restrooms at all three locations.

Oh, and that fabric seat back pocket on airplanes, the ones with the magazines and airline sickness bags?

That's probably some of the nastiest territory. People basically use that pocket as a garbage bag: things like discarded food wrappers, temporary dirty diaper storage, whatever. And then there are the passengers who take off their footwear and stick their bare feet on those cloth surfaces. You know, you've seen them on the various "airline shame" Twitter accounts and websites.

Flying coach class is as disgusting as riding a cross-country Greyhound bus.
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Or the money we use everyday. Touched by thousands before you. A used phone is the least of your worries even if dropped in a trainspotting toilet.
 
Relentless Power said:
Well if it was dropped in the toilet, at least you would know it has water damage when you receive it.

Honestly, I doubt that would be a probability of somebody sold you an iPhone That was dropped in the toilet. I would be more concerned of where somebody's hands were before you received it
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Lmao your last sentence is exactly what I was thinking!
 
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Sounds like you're a bit over the top concerned about germs on your iPhone..

You'll either just have to disinfect it properly, or buy a new one (just make sure to wear rubber gloves when handling the box, and remember to remove them when picking out the phone).
 
Hieveryone said:
I know of someone who dropped their smartphone in the toilet which is why I ask.

They cleaned it up and still use it.

But my concern is what if someone does that then sells it to me???
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It is the chance you will have to take if you buy a used phone. Every used phone already has fecal matter, urine and other stuff that gets on the owners hands.

When you get it just pretend it is your fecal matter and it will not be so bad. :rolleyes:​
 
If you're really freaked out about it, wipe the phone down with isopropyl alcohol. (A light amount on a soft paper towel or soft cloth). I did that with my phone after I had the flu just to make sure it was nice and clean after sneezing and coughing fits around my technology. No harm came to the finish or any of the coatings, though I generally don't touch the camera lens coatings. 70% solution should suffice.

If you're worried about poo being inside the lightning jack then you should not be buying a used phone. Your imagination would give you no peace. And please don't ever travel to countries where indoor plumbing and toilet paper is still a relatively new concept. The culture shock alone would kill you.

IMG_0334.JPG
 
GrumpyMom said:
If you're really freaked out about it, wipe the phone down with isopropyl alcohol. (A light amount on a soft paper towel or soft cloth). I did that with my phone after I had the flu just to make sure it was nice and clean after sneezing and coughing fits around my technology. No harm came to the finish or any of the coatings, though I generally don't touch the camera lens coatings. 70% solution should suffice.

If you're worried about poo being inside the lightning jack then you should not be buying a used phone. Your imagination would give you no peace. And please don't ever travel to countries where indoor plumbing and toilet paper is still a relatively new concept. The culture shock alone would kill you.

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The fear is that what if it gets in the speaker grill, lightning port, etc.

Ok this is getting pretty disgusting.

I'm buying new.

/endthread

The only thing is that now I have to wait until the 7S is out bc I don't want to pay top dollar for the 7 new.
 
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Hieveryone said:
The fear is that what if it gets in the speaker grill, lightning port, etc.

Ok this is getting pretty disgusting.

I'm buying new.

/endthread

The only thing is that now I have to wait until the 7S is out bc I don't want to pay top dollar for the 7 new.
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Speakers aren't hard to sanitize. I can't think of a safe way to clean out the lighting port. But it's not that hard to see inside of it. Anyway yeah, buy new. Even if it's never been dropped into the porcelain goddess, even the cleanest among us have had colds and whatnot and so a used phone is never going to have the pristine history some people need for their peace of mind.

Keep an eye out for discounts and deals even now. Good luck!
 
I do appreciate this thread, as I now can look forward to at least one more refurb iPhone to choose from when I get ready to replace the refurb 5s that I have now. Life is good!
 
DeltaMac said:
I do appreciate this thread, as I now can look forward to at least one more refurb iPhone to choose from when I get ready to replace the refurb 5s that I have now. Life is good!
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There would've been plenty anyway don't worry
 
Ah, I'm not worried. The likelihood of accidentally purchasing a working iPhone that has been dropped in a toilet is so remote --- 'tis unreasonable to even consider that as a possibility.

@Hieveryone: I am impressed! You seldom return to threads that you drop in place. This subject must be close to you...

Have you ever dropped a phone in the toilet?
I did that once, 'twas my first LG phone, more than 10 years ago. I try to avoid doing that now.... :D
 
DeltaMac said:
Ah, I'm not worried. The likelihood of accidentally purchasing a working iPhone that has been dropped in a toilet is so remote --- 'tis unreasonable to even consider that as a possibility.

@Hieveryone: I am impressed! You seldom return to threads that you drop in place. This subject must be close to you...

Have you ever dropped a phone in the toilet?
I did that once, 'twas my first LG phone, more than 10 years ago. I try to avoid doing that now.... :D
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How? The 7's water resistant

And no
 
Sorry to burst your bubble :D Water "resistant" is not same as, and cannot be called "water-proof" (far from it)
Notice also that the iPhone is NOT covered in the event of liquid damage. If no liquid could get inside, then it could be called water-proof, and warranted to support that protection.

And, from your perspective, that liquid can't get inside, then any contamination would be only on the outside, which can be handled with a simple damp-wipe with a disinfectant solution of some kind. If you want to believe that, then that leaves this thread with even less purpose than you might expect.
 
They're saying it's something that is very, very unlikely to happen. This wouldn't even enter 99.9% of people's heads when purchasing a second hand phone. You overthink too much.
 
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DeltaMac said:
Sorry to burst your bubble :D Water "resistant" is not same as, and cannot be called "water-proof" (far from it)
Notice also that the iPhone is NOT covered in the event of liquid damage. If no liquid could get inside, then it could be called water-proof, and warranted to support that protection.

And, from your perspective, that liquid can't get inside, then any contamination would be only on the outside, which can be handled with a simple damp-wipe with a disinfectant solution of some kind. If you want to believe that, then that leaves this thread with even less purpose than you might expect.
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Well duh but a few secs in the toilet should be fine right? For the 7.

And what about speaker grill and lightning? How would you clean it?
 
I am not OK with a phone that has been dumped in the toilet, however briefly that contact may be.
You say that you are, apparently, trusting the water-resistance, but I am not.
I choose, rather, to not drop my phone in the toilet in the first place.
(Maybe I'm just weird like that, but I steadfastly refuse to do those kind of accidents, just to test the hardware :D )

Mikey, of course, is your kid brother who you get to do anything that you think you won't like.
Let HIM clean your phone
 
DeltaMac said:
I am not OK with a phone that has been dumped in the toilet, however briefly that contact may be.
You say that you are, apparently, trusting the water-resistance, but I am not.
I choose, rather, to not drop my phone in the toilet in the first place.
(Maybe I'm just weird like that, but I steadfastly refuse to do those kind of accidents, just to test the hardware :D )

Mikey, of course, is your kid brother who you get to do anything that you think you won't like.
Let HIM clean your phone
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Aren't most people not ok with their phone being dumped in the toilet? I certainly am not hence just buying new.

That's the point of this thread
 
And --- pointless, as a refurb would NEVER be allowed to be sold in that condition.
Your initial post, with the question, is 99.9997% impossible (nothing is completely impossible, but the "toilet dweller" is pretty close to that in a refurb, and it is non-sensical to even contemplate that about a refurb.
More likely is the scenario where Apple tests new iPhones by dunking them in the toilet before they put them in the box for shipment.
How do you know, for sure, that Apple does not do that? (Yeah, same answer. :D )
 
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