What to Do with a Water-Damaged iPod
How to Treat an iPod that Falls into Water
I was going to the bathroom, I wasn't paying attention, and I knocked my iPod into the toilet. Stop laughing. It happens. And yes, it was...gross. It wasn't a clean toilet. But I don't care how germophobic you are, when your iPod falls into a toilet, you see $300 flashing before your eyes, and you will grab it and pull it out very, very quickly.
I hit the net immediately, and in my frantic search for a way to fix my iPod, I learned a few things from other iPod users who had committed similar atrocities to their beloved iPods. If you've got a water (or, uh, other liquid) damaged iPod, here's what you need to do to maximize your chances of coming out of the experience with a working device.
1. Get it out of water. The longer your iPod's in water, obviously the longer it's susceptible to damage. Get the iPod out of whatever liquid it's in and place it on a dry towel.
2. Don't try to turn the iPod on. Remember that water and electricity don't mix; your initial impulse will be to try to turn the iPod on to see if it's working, but that increases your chances of frying the iPod's board, which is the most expensive and important component in an i Pod. Also, the iPod might try to boot up the hard drive, which is very bad news.
3. Don't try anything crazy to dry it off. Using an oven or a blow dryer isn't a great idea (I've read that people have tried both of those things). Either let the iPod dry out for about a week on its own or carefully open the iPod up by working a box cutter or piece of plastic between the metal and the white plastic across from the fast forward key and gradually unlock each of the clips that hold the iPod together and dab the inside with a nonstatic cloth. Don't try to use any cleaning fluids, and again, don't try to turn the iPod off, even if it looks completely dry.
4. In about a week, try to boot up the iPod. You might get lucky; it may boot up. If not, you're going to have to call an iPod repair center like iPodMods or iPodResQ (links to each at the bottom of this article) and be prepared to pay the price for your carelessness.
Sadly, my story didn't have a happy ending; I ended up replacing the electronics board and the hard drive of my iPod. However, if you don't try to start your iPod up immediately and follow these tips, you might have a chance at getting your iPod back.
Published by Phil Dotree - Featured Contributor in Technology
Phil Dotree has written copy for numerous websites and news sites for five years. His articles have appeared on the Howard Stern Show, Fark, Digg.com, and more. Phil is currently working on a book about fr... View profile
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197 Comments
Post a CommentMy ipod nano got wet in my bag after a bottle of water leaked onto it. Afterwards i dried it out using a hair dryer but no use, it didn't work. Went to apple shop and denied all knowledge of it getting wet, Unfortunately it has sensors in it which turn red when contact with water is made so they knew straight away. It was 2 months outside of the warrenty but they replaced it with a brand new one for a fee of £55 which is the cost of the repair. A new one is £115 so i think i had a good deal and it was my fault it got wet. It is only covered for 90 days though instead of the usual 12 month warrenty.
My iPod fell out of my pocket as I was about to sit down on the toilet. I immediately grabbed it and tried turning it on (which I later read you should NEVER do). I heard about the rice thing so I sat it in a box of rice for about two weeks without touching it. I put it to charge today and it works. Thank God because I had just bought that iPod a couple of weeks before the incident and did not purchase insurance.
My daughter just stuck my ipod 4th generation into a cup of pop and the ipod was on I couldn't turn it off but it was only in the pop for a couple of seconds if anything like a min. Now the screen is just black but the water sensor on the bottom is still white should I just bring it in to the apple store and say idk what happened to it? When she stuck it into the cup of pop it was on about 1/3 full and she stuck it in from the top? Any ideas?
I have an iPod touch 3rd gen. and I left it outside in my shoe and it started raining, it was outside for an hour and a half, when I got it I wiped it off and i tried to turn it on and the screen stayed black, it did nothing, so I plugged it in for like 2 mins.and then put it in the fridge for about 2 hrs. And then put it in a bag of rice for 24 hrs. When I tried to turn it on again, nothing happened, CAN I DO ANYTHING TO GET IT TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!
I dropped my ipod into the hot tub while leaning over. It went right to the bottom of one of the deepest seat.
I had the idea of sublimination from grade school, so I froze it, and then heated it 2 times each.
Works fine, that was 8 months ago.
my ipod got washed about a year ago. i let it dry and then tried to charge it. my ipod has all the music in it but it only works when it is connected to the computer or the charger, once i disconnect it my ipod dies what do you think the problem is?
My iPod fell into the sink while I was doing dishes cause I like to listen to music wherever I go. I automatically pulled it out of the sink after about three seconds (almost had a heart attack). Apparently you shouldn't turn it on. Okay...and I panicked and didn't think so the first thing I did was search the net. So I'm putting it in a box of white dry rice and praying for the best. But now I notice that a small white smudge is on the corner of the inside of the screen...can I get rid of it without removing the screen? (Although I highly doubt it) OMG someone tell me if the rice thing actually WORKS!!!
I accidently got my i touch damaged with water. sent it to an apple store where i bought it. they say it may not be covered by warranty coz of water damage. this is really stupid i think. apple should be able to repair this. all they are interested is in selling. totally disappointed... i hope they can repair it.
i dropped my ipod in water and the screen started flickering. if this happens, DO NOT PANIC. i put my ipod on a heater for two days. i used a hair dryer on a low heat and medium strength and used it on the ipod touch for about 5 minutes.i then charged my ipod and it started working, there were some weird lines so i put it in a bowl of rice
i put it in my bag, but a bottle of juice was leaking in the bag, so my ipod soaked in there for about 5min. so obviously i checked to c if it's still working and it did. but i dried it as well as i can. now 8 hours later, i find the ipod heating up and smelling like burned toast. its dead for sure isnt it? does anyone know?