Half Saved iPhone
July 14, 2015 5:38 PM Subscribe
A few weeks ago, I got my phone wet (dropped it off a raft...) and I immediately put it into rice for three full days. Turning it on, lo and behold it worked. For a few days, anyway...
... until the screen started fading out. The touch screen still worked, but the screen itself faded intermittantly AND unpredictably. Might get a good hour, might get ten minutes. But when I come back to it after a rest, it works again. However, now that vacation is over and I'm back to work, I'm noticing that the phone will work ALL DAY at the office, it's reliable, I can take calls, I can send texts and emails, I can see everything. However, when I get home at the end of the day, it starts acting fussy again. Does anyone have any idea what's causing this? Is this just a coincidence?
... until the screen started fading out. The touch screen still worked, but the screen itself faded intermittantly AND unpredictably. Might get a good hour, might get ten minutes. But when I come back to it after a rest, it works again. However, now that vacation is over and I'm back to work, I'm noticing that the phone will work ALL DAY at the office, it's reliable, I can take calls, I can send texts and emails, I can see everything. However, when I get home at the end of the day, it starts acting fussy again. Does anyone have any idea what's causing this? Is this just a coincidence?
Response by poster: @andrewcooke - This even happens at 100%. But might be worth popping back in the rice overnight.
posted by Old Man Wilson at 7:00 PM on July 14, 2015
posted by Old Man Wilson at 7:00 PM on July 14, 2015
Best answer: Even though you dried it out most of the way with the rice, there is likely corrosion inside from the water. I had the same thing happen to a phone last year; rice saved it temporarily but the screen wouldn't register touches in various places and when I opened it up to replace just that part, I saw the full extent of the damage.
It's possible that the environment in your office - whether it's the temperature control, humidity control, or some other factor - is enough to overcome the problem. The fact that it works again after a rest period indicates heat may be a culprit. Is your office generally cooler than your home? Are you keeping it on the (cool) desk at work (surrounded by cool air) instead of in your warm pocket at home?
Definitely put it back in the rice, but sooner or later the phone will fail completely. Best to do a backup of anything saved locally on the phone now while you still can.
posted by trivia genius at 7:57 PM on July 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
It's possible that the environment in your office - whether it's the temperature control, humidity control, or some other factor - is enough to overcome the problem. The fact that it works again after a rest period indicates heat may be a culprit. Is your office generally cooler than your home? Are you keeping it on the (cool) desk at work (surrounded by cool air) instead of in your warm pocket at home?
Definitely put it back in the rice, but sooner or later the phone will fail completely. Best to do a backup of anything saved locally on the phone now while you still can.
posted by trivia genius at 7:57 PM on July 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
Try silica crystals rather than rice. It is sold in the kitty litter section of stores with a good selection of kitty litters. Much better at drying things out than rice.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:20 AM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:20 AM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've said this before for laptops, but it's true for phones as well - once your expensive piece of electronics has taken a dunk, it's time to plan for the inevitable migration to a new device. Sorry.
(There's probably some corrosion or residual gunk from the dunking - a bath in ethanol might clean that off and stop things getting worse, or it could make things stop working altogether...)
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:31 AM on July 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
(There's probably some corrosion or residual gunk from the dunking - a bath in ethanol might clean that off and stop things getting worse, or it could make things stop working altogether...)
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:31 AM on July 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Seconding RedOrGreen on its probably time for a new device. You don't mention what type of phone it is, but you should take steps to make sure crucial data (contacts, calendars, photos) are backed up. If it is an iPhone, this can be accomplished via iCloud or iTunes backup. Don't wait to do this; the phone will fail and you will not have any further warning than you do now.
posted by bluloo at 1:45 PM on July 15, 2015
posted by bluloo at 1:45 PM on July 15, 2015
D'oh. It's in the title. Well, here's the link about backups.
posted by bluloo at 1:46 PM on July 15, 2015
posted by bluloo at 1:46 PM on July 15, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:46 PM on July 14, 2015