Chosen Solution
I dropped my phone in a river over the summer and when I took it out I turned it off. A few hours later when I got home I put it in rice for a few days. When I took it out it wouldn’t turn on, I connected it to my computer which recognized it but the screen won’t turn on. I just ordered a replacement screen, replaced the old one, but am still having the same issue. It looks like there’s some corrosion on the display connectors which is probably causing the problem. What is the best way to clean my phone? Alternatively, does anybody know of a way to access data on my phone such as pictures that wasn’t backed up to iCloud? I can’t do it through my computer since it is asking me to enter my passcode but I can’t with the broken screen. Thanks for the help!
Unfortunately, letting the phone sit for so long, in rice and then on a shelf, may be the biggest impediment to success. The rice myth kills too many phones…hopefully we can recover yours. The water was inside the phone, on the logic board and under the shields, even under the IC’s. The rice is nowhere near where the water is. So while it ‘’may’’ soak up some water vapour, the real problem is the mineral deposits that can cause short circuits or the corrosion that is taking place as the water evaporates. Leaving the power on the device accelerates the process. The longer you let a phone sit in rice, the more time you are giving corrosion to damage your logic board. The saltier or harder the water is, the more damage will occur. The water needs to be displaced, not evaporated. Sorry about that, now on to helping you. Open your phone and remove the logic board (follow this guide)Inspect the logic board, especially around the connectors and look for corrosion.Inspect both sides of the board. Unfortunately, most of the board is covered in shields. That’s usually where the damage is occurring.Put your board in a container with >90% isopropyl alcohol and let it sit for a while.Use a soft brush, like a toothbrush and lightly brush away any corrosion you see.Rinse in alcohol and repeat.Let it air dry for a day.Re-assemble and hope for the best. You should also replace the battery if it has swollen. Resist the temptation to pop it to let the gas out. A compromised Li-ion battery is a fire hazard. If the device appears to power up but behaves erratically, then use a tool like 3uTools to flash the firmware as it may be corrupted. A professional repair shop that does water damage repair may be able to recover your phone or the data because they have access to pro-level ultrasonic baths and specialized cleaners as well as the skills to troubleshoot your board. Many shops have a no fix/no fee policy so you don’t have to spend money to find out if the phone is fixable or not.
You clean it with 92% alcohol. I would clean the whole board. Also I don’t believe you can access those pictures anymore without being able to enter the passcode.
