Water-Damaged iPhone: How to Recover Data & Save Your Phone

Having water damage to your iPhone can be very frustrating. You may not know what to do or how to fix it. Even though modern iPhones can resist water for a while, older models are more delicate and you may end up with a water-damaged iPhone. But don’t despair! There are ways you can try and fix a water-damaged iPhone and recover any lost data. 

There are steps to fix a water-damaged iPhone and recover any missing data from it, including photos and videos.

Symptoms of water damage iPhone

If you’re not sure your iPhone has liquid-related damages, you can see some common symptoms of it.

When water or any other liquid has been in contact with your iPhone, there are some telltale signs to look out for:

• The phone won’t turn on.
• There is corrosion around the charging port or headphone jack.
• The screen shows water damage indicators such as lines, streaks, or discoloration.
• You hear a buzzing sound from within the iPhone when you shake it.
• The buttons don’t work properly.

Also, Apple has a mechanism, the Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI), that helps users to see if their iPhones and iPods have liquid damage. However, recent models, such as iPhone 14, may not have a visible LCI, but they are more resistant to water spills.

How to locate LCI on your iPhone

Locate LCI on iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 12 Pro

On these iPhone models, the LCI is located on the bottom at the same side as the volume buttons.

Source: Apple support

Locate LCI on iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and iPhone 12 Pro Max

On these iPhone models, the LCI is located on the same side as the volume buttons in the middle.

Source: Apple support

Locate LCI on iPhone 11 and iPhone XR

On iPhone 11 and iPhone XR models, the LCI is located on the bottom at the same side as the ON/OFF button.

Source: Apple support

How to locate LCI on iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus

On these iPhone models, the LCI is located on the same side as the ON/OFF button in the middle.

Source: Apple support

Important: Water damages are not covered by the one-year warranty. If your iPhone presents the above symptoms and/or has the red LCI light, you must contact AppleCare or an  iPhone repair service provider for help.

8 steps to fix a water-damaged iPhone

Follow these steps to salvage your iPhone before trying to recover its data.

Step 1 – Remove the iPhone or iPod from the water or the wet surface

The first step may seem the most obvious one, but we can’t overlook the basics. Also, you may pick your iPhone from the water, as if it falls on a pool, but, you must look for a dry surface to proceed to the next steps. Therefore, you can’t leave it on wet surfaces, even if it is not soaked in water.

Step 2 – Power off your iPhone

Shut down your iPhone immediately. This will minimize the water damage and help prevent further corrosion or data loss.

Your phone has electrical circuits, and, the sooner you power it down, the higher your chances of salvaging both the iPhone and the data on it.

If you can’t turn off your iPhone, you can try to force it to turn off.

Warning: Don’t turn it back on until you finish all the steps and don’t plug it into a power source or another device, such as a computer.

Step 3 – Remove the iPhone case and the SIM card

Take out the SIM card, battery, and any other removable parts from your iPhone. If you use a case, remove it as well to allow the iPhone to “breath” and prevent it from holding in moisture.

Step 4 – Wipe the iPhone

Use a clean, dry, and soft towel or another absorbent cloth to wipe down the phone.

Try to remove the most water you can, and get all the excess moisture off. You can use a cotton swab to attempt to dry smaller parts of the iPhones, such as the charging port, the volume keys, and the headphone jack.

Step 5 – Check the LCI light

Check if the red LCI light is on. If it’s, you’ll have to contact a data recovery service or try DIY methods to restore your iPhone.

Step 6 – Wait 48 hours

Leave the iPhone in a dry and ventilated room for at least 48 hours so that any remaining water can evaporate completely away from the device.

Remove any part you can, such as the battery and SIM card slot.

DON’T use a hairdryer to dry your iPhone as the heat can damage other parts of the iPhone.

DON’T put it on uncooked rice, as it has no proof of being effective. Besides, dust and grains can get inside the iPhone, leading to other damages.

You can use silica gel instead of uncooked rice. Cover the iPhone with silica gel sachets, if you have those in your house or can easily buy them at craft shops or even Amazon.

If you don’t have silica gel sachets, just leave the iPhone on a dry surface. If possible, place it over a towel to absorb any moisture still on it.

Step 7 – Turn on your iPhone

Reassemble your iPhone and try turning it back on to see if it works properly after drying up completely.

Don’t try any DIY methods to open the iPhone and remove the water from inside of it unless you’re confident you can do it without damaging your iPhone any further.

The best way is to seek professional help.

Step 8 – Backup your iPhone

As soon as your water-damaged iPhone turns on, back it up to your iCloud account or another cloud service of your preference.

Water-damaged iPhone data recovery

After completing the steps on trying to salvage the iPhone and back up its data, you should look for an iPhone data recovery service near you to make sure there is no moisture left and no other damage resulting from the water.

1. Recover water-damaged iPhone data from a backup

The best way to recover water-damaged iPhone data is by selecting to restore it from the backup you made. You may need to connect your iPhone to a computer and select an iCloud backup to restore your iPhone.

To recover your iPhone data from an iCloud backup:

1. Turn on your iPhone and erase all its contents

2. Follow the on-screen setup steps until Apps & Data, where you should choose the option Restore from iCloud Backup.

Source: Apple support

3. Sign in with your account and choose a backup.

Don’t turn off the iPhone and keep it connected to the Wi-Fi until the restore finishes.

To restore your iPhone data using a computer

1. Open Finder or iTunes and connect your water-damaged iPhone to your computer or Mac

2. Find your iPhone and click on the option Restore Backup

Source: Apple support

Choose the backup you want to restore your iPhone from and click the Restore button.

2. Retrieve data from a water-damaged iPhone using software

If you can turn on your water-damaged iPhone and the USB port is working, you can connect it to your Windows or Mac computer and use iPhone data recovery software to retrieve any missing files.

3. Contact a data recovery service to restore & fix your iPhone with water damage

However, if your water-damaged iPhone won’t turn on anymore, the best way to recover data from it is to contact an Apple professional data recovery service. These services will help retrieve your iPhone’s lost photos, videos, contacts, and other important files that may still be stored in the iPhone’s memory.

SalvageData experts can restore photos and videos from the most damaged phones, making impossible data recovery cases possible.