Chosen Solution
So the dog peed on my daughter’s phone, and it wouldn’t charge. We cleaned out the charging port, but then the screen wouldn’t come on. I put the phone in DFU mode, and the Apple logo appeared. However, since then, the screen has been black. The Finder says that the phone needs updated or restored, but when I try to restore, eventually the phone will restart, and the restore will seem to fail. The screen is still black, so it’s possible there’s something I’m supposed to be responding to. Is there something else I should try or check for before I try installing a new screen?
Hi Calion, The problem is, water (liquid) damage is always a crapshoot. Ideally you’d want to open up the phone and clean everything you can with high purity isopropyl alcohol. That kind of repair needs to be done as soon as possible after the exposure to minimize corrosion and circuit damage. I’m skeptical that replacing the screen will help. The fact that you saw the Apple logo indicates that the screen is still functional and that it’s something else that’s keeping it from booting. If you’re comfortable with doing your own repairs, take a look at these guides to liquid damage on iPhones. Repairing iPhone Liquid Damage - iFixit Repair Guide iPhone Liquid Damage Repair - iFixit Repair Guide If this looks like more than you’re comfortable with, then I’d suggest taking it to a repair facility that’s experienced with liquid damage. But whatever you decide, you definitely want to do it sooner than later. The longer you wait the worse the damage can get. Best of luck with it, and let us know how it goes.
liquid damage is always a crapshoot. the good news is it doesn’t look like the pee penetrated too far into the phone. the LCI (Liquid Contact Indicator) - the white oval directly above the apple logo on the battery and below the black square near the top - is still white, if liquid had reached it, it would have turned red. for submerged phones, i usually recommend disassembling and removing the major parts (motherboard, camera, taptic, speaker, battery, etc) and treating them to a soak in 99% IPA (isopropyl alcohol) - with the exception of the rear cam and battery, those should just be wiped down with IPA. very gently use a soft bristled toothbrush to scrub away debris that may have settled on the parts. then a rinse with fresh IPA and let the parts dry in a warm environment at least overnight. the screen is a bit trickier. you an only remove the earpiece/front-camera assembly and the back shield, the rest of the display is pretty much sealed up but if liquid got in there, it could be a problem. to address the phone booting/non-booting issues, i recommend downloading a copy of 3utools (it’s a great utility and it’s free). disconnect the display from the phone, connect the base to the pc via usb and power it up. if the phone boots, 3uTools should see it and give you an summary screen, or a popup that says the phone is in recovery or DFU mode. you’ll have the option to do a flash, which installs the latest IOS, but if it’s via recovery or DFU, it will probably wipe the data from the phone (hope you have a current backup). good luck
