Tips When Dealing With Phone Damage
Your iPhone is sleek, shiny – and fragile. While rubber cases can help, a drop onto the sidewalk, hiking trail, or kitchen floor can still cause serious damage to your phone. When faced with such a drop, stay calm and use these tips to deal with any phone damage. Don’t worry – in most cases, you can repair the damage successfully at minimal cost.
Check Functionality: First things first: Try turning your phone on and check to see that everything works. Test several apps and make a call to ensure that both the internal components and voice capabilities are working. Then test all external features, from headphone jacks to volume controls to make sure they are all functioning. If everything works, you should be able to easily salvage your phone. If something is wrong, skip straight to taking your phone into a store for replacement or professional repair – it is time to search for your warranty information.
Break Out ToothPicks and Cotton Swabs: Often even a minor drop onto a hard service can jostle components on your iPhone around. You may notice that some ports or buttons are suddenly loose or feel a little jammed. Do not worry! This is not a permanent condition: You can often fix the damage with careful application of toothpicks and cotton swabs. Use the toothpicks clear out cracks and adjust ports back into position if necessary. Use cotton swabs to clean away any dirt and spot any further damage. The iPhone’s external surface tends to be fairly seamless, especially in later models, so any loose parts could point to deeper problems that need to be explored.
Consider Repairing the Case with Epoxy: If your case or the external surface of your smartphone has cracked, you may be able to successfully repair it, especially if the phone still has full functionality. Consider using an epoxy mixture – easily available at any department or craft store in your – to seal the cracks back up permanently. You may also be able to sand out any minor scratches or rough spots due to a harsh drop.
Find Out Which Parts are Cracked: The average smartphone screen is made of two different parts, the touchscreen layer and the LCD screen that is responsible for the image. Screen cracks are a very common result of a rough phone tumble, but sometimes these parts can break separately. Deep cracks on the LCD surface are easy to spot, because the mess up the image and tend to spread over time, eventually ruining your phone. A light crack on the touchscreen layer is more rare, but it does not lead to the same permanent damage and there is a chance that you may be able to replace only the touchscreen layer without worrying about the LCD screen.
Look Into Screen Replacements: If the cracks are serious, you do not need to replace your phone entirely – unless your warranty is still in effect. You can replace the screen for far less cost than buying a new phone. Explore various screen replacement options and compare prices. Apple may replace a screen for you, but the cost might be high. Companies like iCracked might do the job for you, but also at a high price. You can also buy a repair kit yourself, but replacing a screen requires a lot of tedious work. Check out your options and make the best choice for your phone situation.
Deal with Water Damage: If your phone damage include a drop in water, it is important to take immediate action. A drop in water can cause serious damage and may void your warranty (there is even a little test strip inside smartphones that shows if the phone has been exposed to water). The traditional method 1) taking out your battery and 2) is putting your phone in a bowl of rice or a similar substance. The rice naturally absorbs water away from the phone and helps dry it out as fast as possible. Once dry, check for functionality.
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Aaron Mills is a tech blogger and iPhone aficionado. He writes on behalf of Protect Your Bubble iPhone insurance brand and other companies.
