Wife took iPhone swimming (to save neighbor's infant)

[dan1000]

In a bizarre incident, my wife jumped into our swimming pool in order to save an 18 month old child belonging to a neighbor. Fortunately, she was successful. Unfortunately, her iPhone was in her picket at the time.

The bottom line is that it became completely waterlogged, and of course stopped working (the phone, not the infant). However, after swinging the phone around for a while to get most of the water to fly out, and after drying it off by sitting it on top of my iMac (gets fairly warm) for a couple of days, it came back to life!

The only enduring problem is that the speakers that are used to play ring tones and for speakerphone mode are now very very quiet indeed. It is possible they are still a bit wet, but I fear that they have some paper components in them, and are mushy.

Not sure if this is a tip or a request for help, or just a (hopefully) unusual iPhone story, but I thought I'd pass it on.

Dan

 

[hlkc]

How much is the iPhone compare to a human life in your case a baby life? I am proud of your wife, she did exactly everyone needs to do. She is a hero and she deserves a new iPhone from Steve Jobs

 

[Sedulous]

Hate to put you through it again, but you might want to wash the phone again. The chlorine in the pool water is now sitting inside your phone corroding it. I would suggest washing it thoroughly in distilled water. It should remove the chlorine (and distilled water doesn't conduct electricity, so it shouldn't short circuit anything).

 

[BrianKonarsMac]

Glad to hear everything worked out well in the end .

I would probably discuss assistance with repairing my phone with the child's parents. They should be grateful that your wife saved their child and be more than happy to help pay for repairs or even replace your iPhone. Keywords "should be".

Also, I'd talk to them about letting their 18 month old child wander around unsupervised/near a pool...that's just bad parenting.

 

[pilotError]

I would probably discuss assistance with repairing my phone with the child's parents. They should be grateful that your wife saved their child and be more than happy to help pay for repairs or even replace your iPhone. Keywords "should be".

No Way.

Take comfort your not going to a funeral right now.

Good for your wife, I'm glad everything worked out. The iPhone is nothing in the big scheme of things.

 

[faxao]

I had a similar (even if much less dramatic) experience. My beloved iPhone slipped out my shirt's pocket while I was brushing my teeth. As a result it was "underwater" in the basin for a few seconds.

I grabbed it and dried it immediately, cursing myself for my stupidity......

Everything seemed to work perfectly right after but, after a few minutes, the phone started to switch off and restart (white apple on the black screen) without finishing the boot.

Nevertheless if I connect the iPhone to the PC (via USB) it is switching ON without any problem: the touch screen is perfect, wi-fi is working, phone is working, music is working, itunes recognizes the iPhone.

The only thing which is not working at all is the on-off switch (the button up right).

Any suggestion to make it fully functional again ? Shall I try to open it up and clean it internally ?

Any suggestion is more than welcome ....

Thanks Stefano

 

[brn2ski00]

Yeah, kudos to your wife and patience with drying the iPhone out. When I soaked my Razr (thank god, got the iPhone right after) this past summer, I turned it on like an hour later and the thing never worked right since.

Nice going bud!

 

[dan1000]

How much is the iPhone compare to a human life in your case a baby life? I am proud of your wife, she did exactly everyone needs to do. She is a hero and she deserves a new iPhone from Steve Jobs

Actually, I can see the new warning: "iPhone has not been certified as a personal flotation device". Expect to see this as an addendum to the next upgrade license agreement. LOL

 

[jeremy.king]

Call your local news agency - you'll get a replacement in no time!

 

[Killyp]

My grandfather once saved a life - I only ever heard about it from my dad though. Child was literally at the bottom of a pool struggling, and my grandfather was the only one to see the situation and dived in and saved the kid. I have a lot of respect for my grandfather (although I wish I'd got to know him more).

 

[Eraserhead]

Can you just get a replacement on your home insurance? They seem like the people who should cover this.

 

[Draddy]

Can you just get a replacement on your home insurance? They seem like the people who should cover this.

it has to be part of the policy (and cover accidental damages) before they will.



I'm absolutely positive your wife never once thought about the iPhone before during or after she jumped in.... I'm not congratulating her on choosing a life over an iPhone, I'm affirming her for being aware of what is going on in her pool and being the responsible parent her neighbors were not being.


that being said, kudos to you for not turning it on until a few days later... most people won't wait more than a couple of hours.

 

[dan1000]

Sorry to disillusion you -- I tried turning it on every 5 minutes for 2 days

Dan

that being said, kudos to you for not turning it on until a few days later... most people won't wait more than a couple of hours.

 

[rumbletum]

On the Gadget Show here a few months/years back there was a feature on how to save your phone if it gets dunked underwater, as I remember the main points were:

1. Switch off
2. Dismantle your phone as much as possible (not much to do here on iPhone)
3. Put it under a GENTLE heat source, ie a lamp
4. Leave a few days until you switch on

 

[faxao]

I had a similar (even if much less dramatic) experience. My beloved iPhone slipped out my shirt's pocket while I was brushing my teeth. As a result it was "underwater" in the basin for a few seconds.

I grabbed it and dried it immediately, cursing myself for my stupidity......

Everything seemed to work perfectly right after but, after a few minutes, the phone started to switch off and restart (white apple on the black screen) without finishing the boot.

Nevertheless if I connect the iPhone to the PC (via USB) it is switching ON without any problem: the touch screen is perfect, wi-fi is working, phone is working, music is working, itunes recognizes the iPhone.

The only thing which is not working at all is the on-off switch (the button up right).

Any suggestion to make it fully functional again ? Shall I try to open it up and clean it internally ?

Any suggestion is more than welcome ....

Thanks Stefano

I assume my iPhone has dried up by now (the disaster happened last week....) but still not functioning if not connected to the USB port .... sigh !

 

[jemeinc]

you need to buy that lovely lady another iPhone-and make it a 16 GB version- she deserves it!!! go now. you've gotta keeper on your hands there- throw in a $25 iTunes card as well.
;-)

 

[kylos]

On the Gadget Show here a few months/years back there was a feature on how to save your phone if it gets dunked underwater, as I remember the main points were:

1. Switch off
2. Dismantle your phone as much as possible (not much to do here on iPhone)
3. Put it under a GENTLE heat source, ie a lamp
4. Leave a few days until you switch on

I would replace step 3 with a full isopropyl 99% alcohol (sometimes labeled as rubbing alcohol, but make sure it is also labeled as isopropyl) swabbing. The alcohol evaporates quickly and does not leave any residues that can compromise the circuitry. Basically, swab all the internal components to remove any mineral residue left by the water. It's faster than having to wait several days after rinsing it in distilled water. In any case, I would not recommend simply letting it air dry, as mineral residues can remain on the circuit board.

To faxao: As long as you haven't fried anything, opening it up and giving it a good cleaning could very well help, as there could be mineral deposits on the circuitry which you need to clean off.

I once ran my phone through the washer. After a good cleaning, it started up just fine. The lcd had a splotch on it for a couple days, but that cleared up.

 

[wrboyce]

No Way.

Take comfort your not going to a funeral right now.

Good for your wife, I'm glad everything worked out. The iPhone is nothing in the big scheme of things.

Yes way. It's shameful parenting and if it only costs them the price of an iPhone then this time they have been very lucky indeed!

 

[kylos]

Yes way. It's shameful parenting and if it only costs them the price of an iPhone then this time they have been very lucky indeed!

How do you know all the details to be sure that it must be a case of shameful parenting? It seems that the main concern is about the child and not about the phone. If the parents show signs of chronic irresponsibility, then perhaps they should ask for some help replacing the phone, but accidents do happen, and little children can move amazingly fast, so I wouldn't presume to blame the parents instantaneously. In any case, the phone function almost perfectly, so what's the point?

 

[wrboyce]

Admittedly, assumptions were made....

I personally wouldn't leave a young child near a swimming pool (or any large container of liquid) unattended; because, as you point out, children can move very fast. Either way, we're getting OT and I don't have any kids, so I'll shut up ;-)

 

[waterskier2007]

Glad to hear everything worked out well in the end .

I would probably discuss assistance with repairing my phone with the child's parents. They should be grateful that your wife saved their child and be more than happy to help pay for repairs or even replace your iPhone. Keywords "should be".

is that a joke or what. i cant believe someone would post that??

 

[faxao]

I would replace step 3 with a full isopropyl 99% alcohol (sometimes labeled as rubbing alcohol, but make sure it is also labeled as isopropyl) swabbing. The alcohol evaporates quickly and does not leave any residues that can compromise the circuitry. Basically, swab all the internal components to remove any mineral residue left by the water. It's faster than having to wait several days after rinsing it in distilled water. In any case, I would not recommend simply letting it air dry, as mineral residues can remain on the circuit board.

To faxao: As long as you haven't fried anything, opening it up and giving it a good cleaning could very well help, as there could be mineral deposits on the circuitry which you need to clean off.

I once ran my phone through the washer. After a good cleaning, it started up just fine. The lcd had a splotch on it for a couple days, but that cleared up.

@Kile? Thanks for your hint: I will certainly give it a try in order to give to my iPhone a chance to be back fully functional......

 

[wrboyce]

How do you know all the details to be sure that it must be a case of shameful parenting? It seems that the main concern is about the child and not about the phone. If the parents show signs of chronic irresponsibility, then perhaps they should ask for some help replacing the phone, but accidents do happen, and little children can move amazingly fast, so I wouldn't presume to blame the parents instantaneously. In any case, the phone function almost perfectly, so what's the point?

My Dad just read this and reminded me of a time, many years ago when we were in North Carolina..

It was freezing.. Around 9 years ago and at the time of a Hurricane. We were walking around the pool area (it was freezing - no plans on going for a dip) when my little sister fell into the pool. I dived right in after her, and probably saved her life, but my parents were both right there... She was under supervision.

I suppose in my above post, I had made the assumption that the 18 month old child had been left unattended and walked into the Neighbor's garden then fell into the pool - which would be terrible parenting; bordering on Child Abuse!

 

[dan1000]

It's about the phone, not the parenting

Folks. The number of people here who have made impassioned comments about parenting on the basis of only the most flimsy information is staggering.

Personally, I think a psychologist could have a field day with it. Still, to set the record straight: several kids were in the pool, several parents were right by the pool. My wife was the first one to react. If she hadn't, then a split second later someone else would have.

My wife and I appreciate the feelings behind the parenting comments, but truly, the post was about the phone!

The speakers have not "come back" at all, so I believe my best option will be to take the phone in to Apple for repair.

Dan

 

[charlestrippy]

i bet if you took it into a local apple store and explained to them what happened - i'd be willing to bet they'd make an exception for you. if not, just tell them they're going to hell? hah

either way, i'm happy the child is okay