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iPod touch Water Indicator
- Thread starter Bwilky
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They've incorporated the water sensor into the iPod touch and iPhone (not sure about the Classic and nano), it's a good idea, and it's fair for Apple, but as I have said before, it's not reliable. My iPod just died randomly - no water damage - and they sent it back, claiming liquid damage. The sensor was not white.
It just seems a tad bit unfair that due to rushed technology, the warranty is affected.
It just seems a tad bit unfair that due to rushed technology, the warranty is affected.
I don't know about iPods specifically, but with most other portable devices, cellphones for example, there are usually 2-4 other water indicators besides the visible one in the battery compartment.
My guess is that iPods have more than one water sensor.
water indicator; no warranty
So we have a new iPod nano...purchased May 2008...stops working...Genius says the water indicator (at bottom of head phone jack) has turned orange so we are not under warranty. The problem is: the device was never dropped or submerged in water. Maybe, just maybe, our one year old drooled on it, but that is not even clear. Even so, how can we not be eligible under the warranty? Has anyone else dealt with this and/or tried to fight Apple on this issue? We plan to contest this, just not sure how to do that yet.
So we have a new iPod nano...purchased May 2008...stops working...Genius says the water indicator (at bottom of head phone jack) has turned orange so we are not under warranty. The problem is: the device was never dropped or submerged in water. Maybe, just maybe, our one year old drooled on it, but that is not even clear. Even so, how can we not be eligible under the warranty? Has anyone else dealt with this and/or tried to fight Apple on this issue? We plan to contest this, just not sure how to do that yet.
This also happened to me. I purchased a refurb iPod classic 80GB from Apple. In about three months it began to act strange. It wouldn't mount in Windows or iTunes. When I plugged it in to the USB it would flash for a minute before saying "OK to disconnect" usually in disc mode. Anyway, it was broken.
I sent it into Apple Service and even bought the extended warranty since I was worried about its future. I got it back in the mail in two days. They had detected water damage and returned it still broken. I called and talked to a guy several times. He was polite, but REFUSED TO HAVE A TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSE IT ANY FURTHER. This was infuriating because I knew I hadn't spilled water on it.
He offered me a coupon towards another iPod, which is used. Now I probably have no recourse.
Since then I sent the same iPod to another service. They found NO WATER DAMAGE. However, they did find a faulty logic board.
I know I didn't expose my iPod to water damage. Apple Service essentially hid behind their warranty under FALSE pretenses to avoid repairing or replacing my iPod.
A way for Apple to avoid fulfilling their obligation
I just had the same experience 2 days ago. It's very frustrating! My iPod touch is just 3 months old and suddenly got very sick. It doesn't want to accept any update/restore from iTunes anymore. I sent it to Apple Service for repair. They returned it came back after a week, saying the water indicator turned reddish, indicating a water damage (spill or contamination). I was stunned, like bitten by a snake. How can I dispute their claim? I know I didn't do it! I was mad, very mad. Imagine Apple telling you that you spilled water or wet you iPod but you didn't? Guilty as charged indeed! Not way to defend myself. What if their technician "drooled" on it while diagnosing it, or Steve told them to wet it a little (just little 'coz it's very sensitive) to trigger the sensor to avoid repair bills, who knows!? As a poor customer, I don't have any way to verify their claim. How can I see that sensor? Hmm... bad, bad, bad practice. I think Apple is getting to be a rotten one.
This is a very unfair business practice by Apple, unbelievable. Imagine, if they want to deny repair, they can just tell these things to customers. The "water sensor" I think is baloney! What if they just drop a little liquid there, we don't see them while they diagnose your baby anyway. I believe my iPod has a memory problem, and fixing it will cost them to replace the whole thing. CHOOSE: a DROP of WATER ($0.01) or $200? That's what they avoided. VERY DIRTY UNSCRUPULOUS PRACTICE indeed. They did not trust me, why would I trust them?
I'm trying to get a refund from my Credit Card company for Apple's greediness!
I just had the same experience 2 days ago. It's very frustrating! My iPod touch is just 3 months old and suddenly got very sick. It doesn't want to accept any update/restore from iTunes anymore. I sent it to Apple Service for repair. They returned it came back after a week, saying the water indicator turned reddish, indicating a water damage (spill or contamination). I was stunned, like bitten by a snake. How can I dispute their claim? I know I didn't do it! I was mad, very mad. Imagine Apple telling you that you spilled water or wet you iPod but you didn't? Guilty as charged indeed! Not way to defend myself. What if their technician "drooled" on it while diagnosing it, or Steve told them to wet it a little (just little 'coz it's very sensitive) to trigger the sensor to avoid repair bills, who knows!? As a poor customer, I don't have any way to verify their claim. How can I see that sensor? Hmm... bad, bad, bad practice. I think Apple is getting to be a rotten one.
This is a very unfair business practice by Apple, unbelievable. Imagine, if they want to deny repair, they can just tell these things to customers. The "water sensor" I think is baloney! What if they just drop a little liquid there, we don't see them while they diagnose your baby anyway. I believe my iPod has a memory problem, and fixing it will cost them to replace the whole thing. CHOOSE: a DROP of WATER ($0.01) or $200? That's what they avoided. VERY DIRTY UNSCRUPULOUS PRACTICE indeed. They did not trust me, why would I trust them?
I'm trying to get a refund from my Credit Card company for Apple's greediness!
It is located approx 12mm inside the Touch at the base of the earphone socket. It is a thin strip of cellulose coated absorbent paper with a line of pink dye running along the bottom edge. If the cellulose coating becomes wet enough to disolve the paper will absorb the moisture and the pink dye will spread through the strip.
I don't believe it is that easy to activate though, I have a small 35ml spray bottle with a solution of water, one drop of dish liquid and about 10% methylated spirits that I have used daily for the last 4 months to spray the front and back before polishing with a Scotch-Brite Microfiber cloth which does not seem to have caused the strip to bloom so I doubt it could be set off by humidity, perspiration etc. I think you would have to get at least one decent drop of water down the socket and directly onto the strip to activate it.
Although if the 3.5mm jack on your earphones was wet when you inserted it that would be enough to set it off I think.
It is located approx 12mm inside the Touch at the base of the earphone socket. It is a thin strip of cellulose coated absorbent paper with a line of pink dye running along the bottom edge. If the cellulose coating becomes wet enough to disolve the paper will absorb the moisture and the pink dye will spread through the strip.
Although if the 3.5mm jack on your earphones was wet when you inserted it that would be enough to set it off I think.
There you go! A wet earphones (due to moisture) could trigger it, but WILL NOT damage the electronics parts inside like memory chips and other stuff. This sensor is not placed properly. It should be inside and attached to the delicate components which Apple claims are sensitive to water spill. Triggering the sensor by high moisture content from the earphones terminal will NOT for sure damage the other chips inside. Apple placed the sensor in the earphones terminal for their technicians to see it without opening the iPod, BUT that sensor doesn't tell the whole story. Customers can be "easily" cheated by this nonsense.
strip is just white on mine
I just got mine this xmas and looking inside there's no pink strip on or near the white inside the headphones socket.....not sure whether the whole thing would just change color some how or what.
I just got mine this xmas and looking inside there's no pink strip on or near the white inside the headphones socket.....not sure whether the whole thing would just change color some how or what.
Watch out for that white strip...
You got to protect that white strip. Once it turned red (due to high moisture from the weather or accumulated in your headphone jack), Apple will deny any kind of repair under warranty. They'll say YOU spilled or contaminated it with water. Here's the exact phrase they use in their report:
"A diagnostic evaluation has determined the iPod has internal damage related to a liquid spill or contamination."
How can they say that if they did not even open the iPod to see if the water went through inside?
You got to protect that white strip. Once it turned red (due to high moisture from the weather or accumulated in your headphone jack), Apple will deny any kind of repair under warranty. They'll say YOU spilled or contaminated it with water. Here's the exact phrase they use in their report:
"A diagnostic evaluation has determined the iPod has internal damage related to a liquid spill or contamination."
How can they say that if they did not even open the iPod to see if the water went through inside?
i just took my ipod touch into the apple store because the back lighting is no longer working. They tell me its due to water damage and so the warranty would not cover it. They did offer the usual..oh you can pay £100 (about $200) to get a new one. This is alittle upsetting since i have only had it since early December! 
I can't make any argument can i?
*gutted*
I can't make any argument can i?
*gutted*
More than likely this is a ploy of Apple to avoid their obligation (as mentioned above) and they purposely placed the strip where any type of moisture can reach it. Unfortunately there is nothing one can do to prove that Apple did this on purpose, and there is no way to prove they never opened it either.
I just got my iPod Touch this past Christmas, and now I am dreading the summer for the likely hood that the humidity will kill my warranty.
I just got my iPod Touch this past Christmas, and now I am dreading the summer for the likely hood that the humidity will kill my warranty.
water damage
i just dropped my ipod touch into water, and sadly the indicator stripe did turn pink. Everything is working fine except the speakers....which is alright but not really because I used them a lot! I'm not going to send it in because that won't do any good.
What I was really wanting to know...if something else happens to my ipod and is still under warranty, would Mac claim that my ipod isn't working because it had water damage and do nothing about it?
Which would mean my warranty is now useless even though I have it, and if I were get extended warranty after the year is up...that would just be a waste of money?
i just dropped my ipod touch into water, and sadly the indicator stripe did turn pink. Everything is working fine except the speakers....which is alright but not really because I used them a lot! I'm not going to send it in because that won't do any good.
What I was really wanting to know...if something else happens to my ipod and is still under warranty, would Mac claim that my ipod isn't working because it had water damage and do nothing about it?
Which would mean my warranty is now useless even though I have it, and if I were get extended warranty after the year is up...that would just be a waste of money?
Yes, dropping it in water means your warranty is now void. This is pretty much standard across the industry for portable electronics.
These threads always amaze me...the number of water indicators that just magically turn red and whose owners state "I know for a fact it's never been near water" followed by the associated anger and conspiracy claims.
It must be hard to think back and remember exactly when the phone/iPod was exposed to water, judging by the number of times this thread theme keeps popping up.
water damage
thanks!!
now i have another question. now that the warranty is now void and hopes of getting a new ipod is out...do you think it wise that i have my speakers repaired by internet sites claiming to be able to fix ipods.
http://www.ipodjuice.com/ipod-touch-battery-replacement-products.htm
Do you know of a legit site that does just that?
thanks!!
now i have another question. now that the warranty is now void and hopes of getting a new ipod is out...do you think it wise that i have my speakers repaired by internet sites claiming to be able to fix ipods.
http://www.ipodjuice.com/ipod-touch-battery-replacement-products.htm
Do you know of a legit site that does just that?