It’s a frustrating situation – you accidentally drop your iPhone in water, dry it off, and when you turn it on again the screen shows weird white lines. What’s going on and how do you fix it?
What causes the white lines on an iPhone screen after water damage?
The white lines are caused by water getting inside your iPhone and damaging internal components. Here’s a more detailed explanation:
- Water can damage the LCD display – The LCD display layer sits underneath the front glass panel of your iPhone screen. If water seeps in, it can cause corrosion and electrical shorts in the thin film transistors that control each individual pixel on the LCD. This results in white lines or blotches where pixels get stuck on.
- Water also damages the touchscreen digitizer – This is the layer that detects finger touches on the screen. It contains a grid of tiny electrodes that sense your touch. When water gets in, the electrodes can corrode and short out, resulting in dead spots on the touchscreen or lines across the display.
- The iPhone’s backlight may also be affected – Modern phone screens are illuminated by LED or CCFL backlights. These are very thin components under the LCD layer. Water damage can cause backlight components to fail in spots, creating dim or bright areas that show up as white lines.
In summary, water causes electronic corrosion and shorts in the delicate display components, resulting in bright white lines where parts of the screen start malfunctioning.
How bad is the water damage?
Not all water damage is equally severe. Here are some factors that determine how serious it is:
- Amount of water exposure – Was the iPhone fully submerged or just splashed/dropped in water briefly? The longer it’s wet the more damage is likely.
- Water pressure – Was it dripping water or a high pressure jet? High water pressure exacerbates damage.
- Type of water – Pure freshwater is less conductive than saltwater or chlorinated water from a pool, which accelerates corrosion.
- Power state during water exposure – Was the iPhone turned on and powered when it got wet? This causes immediate short circuits.
- Quick action to dry it – Did you quickly power off the phone and dry it immediately? This helps minimize damage.
In the best case just a mild splash, a quick rinse, and thorough drying can leave the iPhone unharmed. But a deep water submersion with the phone powered on can cause heavy damage requiring expensive professional repair.
How to check extent of water damage?
Here are some steps to examine your iPhone and understand how badly it’s affected by water exposure:
- Inspect the external ports – Are there water droplets visible in the lightning port, earphone jack, speaker/mic ports? That indicates water got inside.
- Check for condensation or fogging – Shine a flashlight inside the front and rear camera areas. Any condensation or fog inside means water got in.
- Test buttons & speakers – Make sure home, volume, power buttons all click nicely without sticking. Speakers should play audio clearly.
- Check for corroded areas – Use a magnifying glass to look for corrosion or blue/green discoloration on any internal components visible through vents and ports.
- Backup phone data – Before further testing, be sure to backup your data in case the phone stops working entirely.
- Turn phone fully on and test – If it powers on, check that the touchscreen and LCD work properly without any lines, white spots or dead areas.
This gives you an idea of the water damage extent. It may be mild and just require drying it longer. Or could be severe enough to need professional repair or replacement.
Can rice help dry and fix an iPhone with water damage?
Putting a wet iPhone in rice is a popular DIY solution that sometimes works, but not a guaranteed fix. Here’s how and why it works in some cases:
- Rice can absorb ambient moisture from the air and fromsurfaces. Having your iPhone buried in rice helps draw out water from inside through any openings.
- The rice needs air circulation to work best, so don’t tightly seal the container you put it in.
- Silica gel packets work better than rice since they absorb moisture faster. But rice is more readily available.
- Keep the iPhone and rice for at least 24-48 hours to allow time for the water to get extracted.
- The rice trick helps if the water exposure was mild and caught quickly before major internal damage occured. It may not work for severe water damage.
The rice method is worth trying as a first step for an iPhone with mild water damage. But for anything more than superficial moisture, professional repair is recommended for reliable fixing of the water-damaged components.
Professional iPhone water damage repair options
For iPhones with significant water damage where DIY rice drying doesn’t work, professional repair is the next solution. Repair shops have specialized tools and methods to cleanly fix water damaged iPhones.
Here are the main professional iPhone water damage repair options:
1. Ultrasonic cleaning
This uses ultrasonic waves in a water bath to create tiny bubbles that dislodge contaminants and residue from the iPhone’s internal components without damaging them. It thoroughly cleans out any corrosion, minerals, or biological contaminants left by water exposure.
2. Pure alcohol wash
High purity isopropyl alcohol is used to rinse the logic board and other components to displace any residual water and allow rapid evaporation. This prevents short circuits and corrosion after the initial water exposure.
3. Water damage indicator stickers
Many newer iPhone models have water damage indicator stickers inside the SIM card slot that turn red when wet. Professional repair specialists are able to replace these stickers to hide evidence of water exposure from Apple during future Genius Bar visits.
4. Component-level repair
For severe water damage causing shorts to components like the logic board, professional microsoldering is used to replace damaged connectors and ports at a board-level. This precision soldering fixes short circuits from liquid damage.
5. Full iPhone replacement
For extreme liquid exposure cases where the entire iPhone mainboard and electronics are beyond repair, a full replacement of all iPhone internals may be required. This surgery-level transplant of all the core components resolves heavy water damage.
Professional water damage repair combines precision cleaning, component-level fixes, and replacements to reliably restore iPhones from a wide range of liquid damage scenarios.
DIY tricks to try at home for minor iPhone water damage
Before taking your iPhone in for professional service, you can try these DIY tricks yourself for minor water exposure situations:
Dry it out completely
- Leave the phone powered off and remove any covers/cases.
- Use a microfiber cloth to wipe off any external moisture.
- If speaker/earpiece ports have water visible, lightly shake the phone to clear excess droplets.
- Place the iPhone before a fan blowing room temperature air to aid evaporation.
- Put in an airtight ziplock bag with silica gel packs for 1-2 days.
Displace water from internals
- Lightly tap/shake the iPhone face down to clear any water from openings.
- Connect charger cable and let it heat which helps evaporate moisture inside.
- Vacuum headphone port gently using mic attachment to extract water droplets.
Absorb residual moisture
- Bury phone in uncooked rice or silica gel packs for 24-48 hours.
- Use moisture-absorbing packs designed for electronics.
- Slip in packets of desiccant like those packed with pills, shoes, etc.
Trying these home remedies can help dry out your iPhone initially for minor water exposure. But if issues persist, take it for professional water damage cleaning and repair.
How much does iPhone water damage repair cost?
The cost to repair an iPhone with water damage depends on the severity and which components need fixing. Here are typical water damage repair costs:
- Minor cleaning/drying – $0 if DIY rice method works, $30-70 for professional cleaning service.
- New indicator stickers – $10-20 if water stickers are triggered.
- Screen or backlight repair – $80-150 if display has visual defects from water.
- Logic board repair – $130-350 if board circuits are shorted and need microsoldering fix.
- Other component replacements – Buttons, speakers, cameras, etc from $50-150 each.
- Full iPhone replacement – Up to $549 if cheaper to replace than repair.
On average expect to pay $150-300 to get an iPhone fully fixed and working again after water damage based on typical repair costs. Get a quote from a professional service for your specific model and damage details.
How to avoid water damage to iPhones
While accidents can always happen, you can take some precautions to keep your iPhone safe from water:
- Use a waterproof case when at the pool, beach or on a boat.
- Avoid keeping your iPhone in bathroom spaces where it can get splashed.
- Be careful not to leave your iPhone near sinks or tubs where it can fall in.
- Never use your iPhone when it’s raining or expose it unprotected.
- Keep it away from lawns or surfaces when they are wet.
- Get AppleCare+ coverage for cheaper repair/replacement if accidental damage occurs.
Practice these simple habits of keeping your iPhone away from water risks. But if it does get wet, quickly dry it out and get professional help to avoid permanent damage.
Conclusion
Water exposure can seriously damage an iPhone when liquid seeps into internal components like the logic board and display layers. This corrosion causes shorts that show up as white lines or blotches on the screen. For minor water contact, try drying methods at home like rice or moisture-absorbing packs. But for anything beyond brief splashes, take it to repair pros who have the tools and expertise to extract water, repair shorted parts, and restore your iPhone.
