This is the tale of one tough little iPhone. One that has become very near and dear to my heart. I've been traveling on a busy schedule with several hotel stops along the way. Upon checking in one afternoon, I was excited to see the hotel had a laundry room. There was only one machine and knowing my co-workers were soon to be checking in behind me, I ran to my room, got the laundry together and happily threw in the first load of the night.
I moseyed back to my room, thinking I'd call ahead to warn the others to get change. One quick look around the room and I didn't see my phone. I turned over a couple of items, took a quick look through my bag, then another frantic look around. It all happened in the span of about 30 seconds. I felt a sickness in my stomach and I knew......my iPhone was in the washer. I've never run so fast in a pair of flip-flops in my life. I reached the washer, tossed open the lid, and saw the pants in question with a steady stream of water beating them down. Sure enough, the phone was in the pocket and completely submerged. The horror! Water was draining from every possible orifice. In a state of shock, I frantically tried to dry it. I shook the water out, trying to hold on to some sliver of hope that it would work again. Admittedly, it did not look good, but I persisted with the tech equivalent of CPR.
I returned to my room and decided to wedge it in the vent of the air conditioner in my room. I turned it on and left it there to dry out for about 16 hours, occasionally rotating sides. My curiosity began to get the better of me. It appeared dry. No visible signs of water. In my heart, I knew I should wait....but the impatient side of me won out. I could wait no more.....so I plugged it in and hit the power button. Surprisingly, it powered on and showed my background graphic. Hope! But, there were clearly still indications of water damage on the screen and it wasn't behaving normally, so I promptly powered it off. On the way to my next stop, I baked it on the dashboard for another six to eight hours. A friend Google'd for solutions and found the suggestion to put it in a bowl of rice to help absorb water. So, I bought a bag of rice and tossed it in for another full day.
I tried to turn it on again and this time there was no response whatsoever. Distraught, I made an appointment for the Genius Bar at the Apple Store back home and tossed it in my bag for the last two days of the trip. I rediscovered life without a cell phone.......and I don't recommend it.
After the long journey, I finally made my way home. Still feeling defeated, I went directly from the airport to the Apple Store......expecting to hear the worst. After all, I hadn't been able to get any response or a hint of a pulse for days. The young Apple tech reached over, plugged it in and lo and behold.....it was working! There was my graphic.....my contacts......my calendar......my photos! The "genius" was amazed and said he'd never seen one recover from such water damage. I had my MacBook with me and we promptly backed it all up, then continued testing all the features. Aside from a few streaks on my screen that are only visible when looking at the device from the side view, it seems to be working like a champ. Things could still go awry down the road, but hopefully not until the new version comes out (rumored around June).
So, let that be a lesson to all of you cell phone users out there....and iPhone users in particular. Never give up hope if your iPhone has been submerged. Exhibit patience. Get creative. Try the rice. You too may be able to resurrect your recently submerged device.
In the meantime, please remember to back-up your data tonight. You never know when a tech disaster or your own incompetence may strike.
Now, I'm off to catch-up on a few calls.
Daily Kos
