Thank goodness the new iPhones are waterpoof because dropping your phone in water (er, the toilet, more specifically) can happen way easier than you might think. From my own personal experience, I've fallen victim to this careless mishap not once but TWICE. Never put your phone in your back pocket before you go to the bathroom, people! No one wants to admit that their iPhone's water damage came from an unfortunate run in with the commode, but it can happen to the best of us. If you're ever in my shoes and your beloved piece of technology makes its fall from grace into toilet water, there's one specific thing you should never do to salvage the device. And count your lucky stars if it fell in before you did your business.
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Do NOT, under any circumstances, try to dry your phone with any sort of heat, including a hairdryer. It might seem like the necessary solution, especially in the midst of such a stressful moment, but leave the tools aside for now. Adding heat to a wet iPhone can get rid of some moisture within the phone, but you run the risk of overheating the device and causing even more damage than you started with.
You should also turn your phone off immediately and avoid charging it. This helps prevent it from short circuiting. We know you want to check and make sure your phone is working properly more than anything, but resist the urge and leave it alone. And, this should be a given, but IMMEDIATELY remove your phone from the water/toilet. The longer it sits in water, the higher the chance of damaging your iPhone. So, what actually works when you drop your phone in the toilet?
After you've turned your iPhone off, remove the case and gently dry the device with a towel. Make sure that water doesn't creep into any holes, like the headphone jack, while you're drying it. Then, set your iPhone on the towel and let it air dry for a few days. It seems torturous going without your iPhone for a few hours, let alone days, but patience is key when it comes to letting your phone dry completely. It's better to wait it out than have to buy a brand new phone.
Then, there's also the trusty rice method. During my first iPhone toilet mishap, I didn't soak it in rice and it ended up having a lot of issues. The second time, I learned my lesson and happened to be near a Chipotle, so I asked them for a bowl of uncooked rice. Miraculously, leaving my iPhone in the rice for a few hours did the trick. Dry, uncooked rice has the ability to soak up moisture, making it the ultimate hero in your dramatic wet iPhone saga. Make sure you completely cover the phone in the rice—leave no area untouched!
At best, wait at least a day or two before turning on your phone after a dunk in the toilet. Technology and water have never clashed well, so there's no set formula for saving an iPhone completely if it falls into water. But, you should definitely try your luck with these steps. The most important things are getting your phone out of the water as quickly as possible and trying to get as much moisture out of your phone as you can. Apple's warranty unfortunately doesn't cover water damage, so proceed with caution however you decide to extract your toilet-water soaked iPhone.