How Do I Know If My Phone Has Water Damage

Information technology can be hard to know if your telephone is h2o damaged or not. In some cases, it volition be fairly obvious - possibly you dropped it downwards the toilet or were using it in a swimming pool. If things offset to become wrong later, then you probably know why.

Simply there are plenty of times when it might non be as clear-cut as this. Many phones now have IP67 or IP68 h2o resistance ratings. This means, in theory at least, that your telephone is able to resist water ingress at a depth of 1 metre for upward to 30 minutes. So using information technology in the rain or spilling a drink on it, surely wouldn't be enough to cause water damage, right?

There are a few different ways yous tin tell whether or not water damage is affecting your handset. Some are obvious, and some take a niggling more than detective work. But here'southward what you need to know.

How To Know If Your Telephone Is Water Damaged

You will probably suspect water damage if you lot observe your phone is starting to misbehave, shortly later on information technology has come into contact with liquid. And for many of usa, our phones never leave our side, so nosotros will know whether a spillage has occurred.

But in that location can also be times when any contact with water was minimal, or you quickly wiped your phone downwardly. And it may therefore be a surprise if your telephone isn't working properly sometime later on. And then here'due south how you can tell whether that problem is caused past h2o harm, or whether you demand to expect for an alternate crusade.

Look For Obvious Signs Of Harm

A visual inspection may immediately give the game away. Obvious signs include things such as wet under the screen. This will be pretty clear, and would usually have required your phone to take been submerged for a while, in club for the water to arrive.

Check the phone edges and buttons for any signs of warping. And similarly, wait at all your ports for whatever visual signs of harm. This might be rust, corrosion, discolouration, or some connectors may have come loose.

Fifty-fifty if you conduct a visual inspection, the phone may even so expect absolutely fine on the outside. This is why it'south always worth looking for the LDI - liquid damage indicator.

how to know if your phone is water damaged — Credit: Samsung

Check The Liquid Damage Indicator

The liquid damage indicator (or liquid contact indicator on iPhone) is, as the name suggests, a strip that changes colour when it comes into contact with liquid. This is usually housed internally. If water has managed to penetrate deep enough to reach the LDI, so information technology'due south a fairly stiff bet that it will take reached other internal components as well.

This is one of the first things a repair centre will check when they receive a telephone for repair. Information technology will about always void your warranty as well. So if your phone is in need of repair, y'all tin check the LDI. If information technology indicates water impairment, you lot can so prepare yourself to either pay a repair charge or brand a claim through your insurance.

Liquid Contact Indicator on iPhone

On an iPhone, whatsoever handset congenital postal service-2006 has an LCI that is visible from the exterior of the device. And so you won't need to pull your phone apart to get to information technology. It volition normally be white or silver, but once it has been exposed to liquid, it volition turn reddish. This tin can also modify colour if yous are in a particularly humid environment. Only this would be quite extreme.

Usually, you can come across the LCI by removing the SIM tray and having a expect inside the slot for the tray. Yous may need a torch for this.

Read More: How To Check Battery Health On Android

Liquid Damage Indicator on Android Devices

On an Android device, the LDI will ordinarily be located within the SIM card slot, or the SD menu slot. On some older devices or those with a removable battery, it might be on the bombardment itself, or underneath it on the rear of the phone.

As with an iPhone, these will usually be white, occasionally with some pink or imperial crosses on, depending on the manufacturer. And every bit with iPhones, once they have been exposed to water, they will turn pink or red.

In one case once more, remove the SIm or SD card tray, and have a look inside the slot. A torch may make it easier to spot if y'all are having difficulty seeing it.

Read More: How To Bank check If Your Telephone Has Virus

What To Do If Your Phone Is Water Damaged?

While in that location are plenty of remedies suggested past the internet, such as placing your telephone in a basin of rice, it's questionable how effective these really are. It'due south likely that any you do, your phone is going to need repair.

As we mentioned before, water damage will normally not be covered by your warranty, so the chances are you volition need to pay for a repair. You can usually arrange this through your network provider. Alternatively, you tin often go straight to the manufacturer of the device and arrange a repair through them. Finally, you lot might have a local mobile phone repair shop that can offer assist.

Nosotros certainly wouldn't recommend that you lot ignore the problem and hope it goes away.