How A Bag Of Rice Can Save Your iPhone...And Your iPod?

This absolutely works. I did it with an iphone that drowned in Coke. Tossed it in a bag of rice along with a desiccant pack I found in an old shoe box. Voila. Worked like a charm.

Rice fixes everything. Rice is the new duct tape.

This also works for keyless entry remote things when you accidentally wash your keys.

lol @ Erin hahaha

The only problem with this is, has Apple ever bothered to inform their customers about this "save" for their ridiculously over priced products and services.Even considering that they didn't come up with it themselves this has to have been rattling around the electronics industry for a while where Apple certainly would have heard about it.Replacements mean higher undeserved profits for them.This is probably how WW2 Pacific vets dried out radios after getting them wet during beach invasions?You guys continue to buy into this and other service providers who keep prices artificially high.Turn the damn things off and watch prices plummet.

Because it's only a partial fix. More than likely the water will have triggered corrosion on the internal parts which will eventually eat through key parts long before they would have died prior to the water damage.

This doesn't always work. I originally heard of the rice method a few years ago and I've seen it work on phones that have been dropped in toilets or puddles, but if a phone goes into a swimming pool or a washing machine, good luck. If the device was only submerged for a short period of time, then yeah this method's fine.

Restaurants have done this for years.. few grains of rice in a salt shaker keeps the salt dry and keeps it from clogging up when moisture gets in it.

Only problem with submerging an iPhone in water is there are liquid submersion sensors built into many iPhone and iPod models. If your device has come in contact with water, you have voided your warranty and Apple will know better if you try getting it repaired.

From the mouth of the horse: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3302

@Pat, My Wife's 2G Iphone went through a whole Wash cycle With Extra Rinse and Still got it to work with the Dry Rice method.

I tried this in a bag of cooked rice but the phone seems worse now. Any suggestions?

It would be awesome if MythBuster's did a test of this myth. But I think it is total BS and it only takes a little thought experiment to reveal.

If rice is such a great water absorber, why doesn't your rice (often found in a cardboard box or paper bag) become soggy over months of storage? We keep a huge paper bag of rice under our counter with no special seals to prevent moisture absorption and our rice is never soggy and full of water. You have to cook it for that to happen.

I've always thought that the salt in the shaker was to absorb moisture, but I read somewhere that it really just provides agitation. A couple of plastic bbs or something else would work just as well. Think about it, has the rice in your salt ever been soggy?

The "fix" is that the few hours or days is simply long enough for the water to dry naturally. I personally don't feel the rice has anything to do with it, but would love to see it tested in a controlled environment.

What *does* work is using the same method but with a real product designed to absorb moisture from the air. When done, you can tell these things have done their job because they are wet and soggy.

BS? Nope.

Magic Internet 8 Ball says...

US Department of Energy
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen01/gen01420.htm

Now you shouldn't just trust that reasoning but it would be nice to find a site which explains it a little further in layman's terms. I'm too tired to look further...

@fryfrog

I'm sorry sir, but you are mistaken. Rice is extremely absorbent because it is so naturally dry. It's like wheat, it is a very dry plant.

Putting something wet into rice will cause the rice to suck moisture out of the air. This is why this method works much faster than letting the device dry out. It pulls the water from the device before serious corrosion can begin. However, the rice will also quickly evaporate out the water. This doesn't ruin the rice because there was not a lot of moisture. If you were to leave your rice outside in the rain, it would get soggy. It would eventually dry out again but it would clump because of the starch.

You have to remember that most places where rice is stored are not moist places. It would have to go through the paper bag before doing damage to the rice. I'm certain none of your paper bags are soggy are they?

The real key here do not attempt to turn it on for a day if not two or three, even with the rice, always er on the side of caution when it comes to electronics mixed with water! turn it on too soon and risk breaking it either more or altogether.

@Alton

I work for Apple. We tell customers about the rice fix all the time. The only problem with it is that it only works some of the time. And even when it does, it's usually a short-term fix. Liquids other than distilled, pure water contain minerals that corrode the phone's guts. Even if your iPhone survives the initial contact, i.e. it doesn't short out and fry itself, it's likely that whatever liquid got inside will cause a buildup or corrosion that will cause problems soon after. Many times, I've seen people walk in with a phone that was wet 3 months ago, then they dried it (sometimes in rice), and it worked for the next 3 months. Water is a time-bomb for electronic devices. You can't deny that.

When somebody brings an iPhone in the store 12 hours after they get it wet and they plugged it in and kept trying to turn it on, it's too late already. There's a difference between giving all the options and giving good advice. iPhones often contain users' entire lives. Our business customers often use their iPhones as their primary method of communicating with their contacts. They don't have time to play around with fixes that won't work while they don't have a cell phone and lose business for 2 days.

We're not trying to scam anybody. The Genius Bar sells iPhones to people that break theirs for $199. Even for an 8gb 3g phone, that's a $300 discount over a subsidy-ineligible upgrade. AND it doesn't affect their subsidy eligibility for the future. We're constantly down-selling people into machines that will save them money while still doing what they need. When people need iPod repairs, we tell them that we can swap the iPod for whatever price, then we tell them about other options that can fix their problem for cheaper. We're not on commission, we're not rewarded for selling a bunch of stuff, and we're totally cool if somebody wants to take the time to play with rice before they replace their phone.

And by the way, "turn the damn things off and watch the prices plummet" is true for everything. That's the whole basis for supply and demand. Yes, the iPhone is expensive. But it's not outrageous. And it's not for everyone. When people come in to buy an iPhone and it's clear they have no idea what it does (i.e. they don't know what an app is, or that it can play music), I show them the features and tell them that if they're just looking for a phone, there are much cheaper phones available that will save them hundreds of dollars over their contract.

Sorry this was so long-winded, but I think it's a good idea for you to have some clue about what you're talking about before you start throwing around your jaded opinions about "artificially high" prices. If Apple wasn't making money, they wouldn't be innovating and they wouldn't be able to strike deals with content providers. Not to mention, Apple takes care of its customers and employees, which costs money, too. Plain and simple.

The advice for a soaked laptop is to turn it off immediately, take it apart, rinse the components in pure distilled water, and then place in a warm dry airing cupboard for at least 24 hours. Substitute bag of rice for airing cupboard, if you like, or put the iPhone in a bag of rice in an airing cupboard.

Alton: It's a business. They have expenses: patents, customer service, they've got people working jobs you don't even think about. Hell the yearly air conditioning cost of the buildings they operate is probably higher than the collective income of everybody that's commented here. If it were run by the government GREAT you'd have a right to bitch. But it's not. It's not The Charity Of Apple working on donation to provide you with an iPhone for $30. It's a business.

And if they weren't charging what they do, someone else would be. It's partially perceived value. The market allows for it, and they're making millions from it. If you were in their position you'd do the same thing.

So after it fixes the phone will I still be able to cook the rice? I think I might be hungry after all that waiting for my phone to dry out!

1+ for Anonymous

I went swimming with a cellphone in my pocket- like for a few minutes. I took the back off and put it under a desk lamp overnight. 2+ years later it is still working. YMMV.

The real key here do not attempt to turn it on for a day if not two or three, even with the rice, always er on the side of caution when it comes to electronics mixed with water! turn it on too soon and risk breaking it either more or altogether...

Anonymous, thanks for the update although what you do from whatever unspecified location you work from (Apple store or Apple call in center?)I would still like to see as written policy.8gb 3g phone at 199.00 from a price 300.00 dollars higher isn't just artificially high it's an obscene rip off and those of you working for Apple to sell this junk know it! Cell phones and their access to the rest of the world is for everyone and yet somehow it doesn't seem to be reflected in Apple prices despite "supply and demand".This is exactly the lack of response to consumer needs that has motivated the drug companies for years.I'm sorry if this sounds too "jaded" but I live in the real world and actually have to pay my way.

Make sure you don't use the rice for stir fry later.

@Alton

I mean this in a friendly way, but you don't have to buy an iPhone, you choose to. If the Apple Tax is something you don't support, don't pay it. Get the free phone that come with your contract.

I have a Pre, I refuse to play the Apple/ATT game. But millions of others find it worth it. Blame them, not Apple or ATT. You obviously care about the value you get for money, and Apple does not see things the same way you do. Done and done :).

Jim Hen, the pirates in Somalia are a business.Percieved value?Who's percieved value-Gordon Gecko's?If they weren't charging what they do someone else would.How does this exonerate Apple? Some interesting slipstream thinking there Jim.Maybe if all those air conditioned R&D types were out on the street with nothing but a cup of pencils to sell things would be different.There I go again getting all jaded.

Thank you for your comments R says.Finally an intelligent comment on this blog or whatever it is.I like the "apple tax" comment especially.Godd luck to you.

I work in a retail store. I'm a specialist, which is the sales people in Apple Stores.

Take a look at other phones in the market. The Samsung Saga costs $9.99 after a $15 online discount and when you start a new 2-year contract with Verizon. Full retail - $449.99. Total discount of $440.

Blackberry Curve. $359.99. The contract price is $129.99. There's also an online discount of $100. Total discount - $330.

Palm Pixi Plus. It's $399.99. With contract it drops to $79.99. Total discount of $320.

iPhones cost more than that. BUT, they are discounted $400 when you start the contract. All of the phones mentioned require a $30/month data package, as well. And by the way, the cost for an 8gb iPhone 3G is $99 after the contract subsidy.

At $199, you get a phone that hold 16gb of data, has GPS, video recording, music, apps, pictures, a compass, WIFI, an acceptable internet browser, and the only decent touch screen on the market. Your data syncs with your computer (Windows or Mac), and everything's backed up. Everybody already knows how to use iTunes, so there's no learning curve for computer interface. Apple has free classes to show people how to use the phone.

Here's what you're forgetting. The iPhone is a luxury product. The latest and greatest always is. If you think $100 is too much for a phone that does everything, then don't buy an iPhone. Apple could make a crappy iPhone that doesn't take video, only works with some apps, has a smaller screen, and runs slowly if they wanted to. And it would be cheap as hell. But they don't. The customer experience is a payoff. Tech support is easier when our products aren't crappy.

Also, "cell phones and their access to the rest of the world is for everyone?" False. Every cell phone company and service provider is just that: a company. Cell phones and their access to the rest of the world are for paying customers. It's a privilege, not a right. If you can't afford a phone, you're disconnected. If you can't afford the monthly fees, you're disconnected. If you have bad credit and can't afford a $500 deposit, you're disconnected. Everything costs money, and the best of something costs more than the worst. Like I said before, the iPhone isn't for everybody. If you would rather have a phone that costs $10 with contract and you want to pay $40/month, there are options out there. But good luck doing more than phone calls and MMS.

Alton, in your response to Jim Hen, sure the somali pirates are a business. But they're stealing and killing people. Every transaction, be it legal or illegal, works like that. Just because Apple accepts money for goods and services doesn't make them comparable to pirates. It makes them a business. Same with Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, etc. You're stretching the truth really thin here.

I dropped my iPhone in the urinal about two weeks after I bought it (the horror!) and got it out within a couple of seconds. I knew I had to turn it off quickly but I couldn't figure out how to do it since the touch screen was unresponsive. I eventually figured it out but my iPhone was spazzing out for a couple of hours in the meantime. I tried the rice trick and even tried silica gel packets for a full week while also running a hair dryer into it several times per day. I eventually got most of it working but the backlight never came back on and it kept acting as though headphones were plugged in even though there weren't any. After about ten days of working on it I gave in, went to the Apple Store, and they "let" me buy a refurbished 3GS for $199.

Alton: If you don't like how much the iPhone costs then don't buy one. That's all there is to it. I don't have any money to my name, therefore i don't have an iPhone. Get over it. Complaining about the high prices and comparing them to murdering brigands isn't going to accomplish anything besides make you look like an irate loser with nothing better to do than bitch bitch bitch. Get the sand out of your snatch and buy a cheaper phone.

Anonymous,thank you for coming out of the Social Darwinist economics closet and informing the rest of us what we should or should not have access to and the reasons why.That must have been a hell of an assertiveness training program they sent you to to continue to defend Apple and you not even getting a commission and all. I'm not saying that every app available should be offered to every one and you did explain some of the discounts and offers that are part of the various packages at Apple. After initial start up costs prices at all the companies still seem to be more than necessary.Yes, like it or not,cell phones are increasingly becoming a necessity not a luxury.I don't pretend to know if public ownership of the airwaves even extends to phones and internet and the like.If it doesn't then it should and reasonable pricing should be enforced.Despite all that there are some who will fall for the luxury toys and more power to them for as long as the high road lasts.How about some of that Apple/ATT/Verizon overcharge being applied to a no charge public access network that the rest of us with our crappy 10-30 dollar Uzebekistan knock offs could make normal daily phone calls on and actually save our money for groceries and clothing.Hey,thanks for the input and for not taking any of this too seriously.This is my final and official Frazier style "Good Night Seattle" on this and all other topics on Seattle Weekly.If the bottom drops out again, and it will,I'll save you a cup of pencils here in Binghamton.The street corners are still free the last I heard.

Airy,I fully agree with you Apple isn't worth my time or money. I thought I made that clear in my response to R earlier.I compared certain Apple business practices to pirates some of whom happen to live in Somalia.Why this comparison offends you I can only guess?The only loss here is your inability to read for content and then defend a practice you admit you can't afford.Makes no sense to me.By the way what the hell are blogs for but to express what we all think?If things get too tough out there I have another cup of pencils free of charge.

I once met a girl who shared a story of how she heard the rice and phone thing. She didn't quite get the procedure down correctly, as for some reason she thought the rice was meant to be cooked, and dropped her phone into the pot along with the boiling water and rice. There went that phone!

Thank you for the insightful site. From time to time, the very best advice come from the articles you would not expect. So far, I decided not to give quite much thought to commenting on weblog entries and have left comments even less. Viewing your great blog post, might inspire me to do so again.

Make sure the rice isn't cooked and I have heard on tv that the phone should be in the bag for 24 hours to dry it out completely. Have passed this on to others and it has worked for them.

Firstly - yes, this trick does work. Rice is your friend.
Also, if you don't have access to rice, lay the wet cell phone/netbook/sex toy on its side (having made sure to remove as many parts as you can - battery, sim card, etc - we want it as open and permeable as possible) or face down on a dry towel. Turn a hairdryer on its highest fan setting but lowest heat setting and prop it up (one side of the hairdryer pulls air and the other expels it, so it cannot lay on its side) so that it's about 10" to 12" from the device. Now kill some time.
Stick around, though. That hairdryer actually uses more juice than a Marshall stack so we don't wanna leave our little experiment unattended for too long. Go back and take it off for an hour or so, then back on.
Sedrik is right, btw: do NOT turn it on...for as long as you can stand to wait.

Also, while I mostly lean toward Alton's views on this topic - I personally don't care HOW much AT&T or Apple charges for the thing: I will never, ever buy one.
They ARE a luxury item, which is why I think it's so absurd that most people have them.
R says: "millions of others find it worth it. Blame them..."
I DO blame the customer AND the store; I hate MacDonald's disgusting food AND am sickened by the fat slobs who flock to their drive-though.
Most of you have no use for this thing yet break your backs and your banks making sure you're seen walking around with one...because let's face it: that's all most of you do with your iPhone, play with them in puplic.
I love whenever I see some kid with trashed jeans and beat up car whipping one of these $500 ornaments out of his pocket every few moments...don't want to miss that important business meeting, eh? Or are you late for a payment on that unessential trinket? You look ridiculous. Go sell that thing and buy your girlfriend dinner or pay a utility bill or give it to the first homeless person you see because Steve J. has enough of your money.
Anyway, yeah. Put it in rice.

Either someone is a pr0-troll... or they are really butthurt.

apple is introducing a new product for cleaning up water damage: iRice

So long as people are willing to pay the price that Apple put their iPhone's at, they will be justified in doing so. That is regular busines practise, almost all businesses do this. Nothing even remotely like Somalian pirates.

There are phones available which do only the most fundamental phone functions. You can get these ridiculously cheaply. Even if you're desperate for a new one, the cheapest phones available are very cheap indeed. Phone's may be becoming a necessity, but iPhones certainly arent.

People have their own opinions about how to prioritise the way they spend their money. If they want the latest superamazing technological device and are willing to pay for it, then why should you care?

What part of Apple putting a luxury iPhone at a price you'd expect of a luxury device is wrong?

It is very possible to live with all your necessities extremely cheaply, there are companies which specialise in cheap things, and companies which specialise in expensive things. Apple is simply one of the expensive companies.

Also, rice has saved my phones over the years from destruction a few times haha, so it's all good. Do it. :)

Thank god I have a Droid with a power button and accessible battery.

This is very true. A friend of mine told me this same trick when I dropped my iPod in a mud puddle. I left it in a bag of rice over night and it worked perfectly fine the next day. This is definitely nature's money saver :)

Slightly misleading. Most phones will work after a good dunking just by letting them drain. Rice or no rice

I dropped my 3rd gen iPod nano in a sink full of water probably two months after I got it.
It still works. The thing is indestructible.

Alton,
for someone who doesn't like the company so much it sure does seem to take up a lot of your time...
who are you to be so judgmental of how anyone wants to spend their money?
apple makes exceptional products and has wonderful customer support.
maybe you would know that if you would try something instead of just complaining about it here.
who cares why you're so mean, and no one cares either.
seriously, calm down.
you sound ridiculous.

Wow.. You guys really know your rice. xD

It's not magic, it's evaporation....remember physics?

Rice also helps cure the world of hunger. Such great versatility from a grain.

it also works on ALL cell phones... i've done it twice, just take the battery out and the back off

I agree with Anonymous Apple Worker. It's your choice whether you're willing (and able) to buy a luxury product like an iPhone or not. And if you can't, no sense in bitter bashing or comparing a decent business like Apple to a band of Somali pirates.

Apple does have amazing products and amazing customer support. That is one of the reasons their prices are higher than most.

You get what you pay for.

This works like a charm, no joke. I am a VERY heavy sleeper and was using my iPhone as an alarm clock. In my sleep, I hit snooze on the iPhone and placed it back on my bookshelf. In a glass of water. It sat there for at least 20 minutes before I woke up in a panic wondering why my alarm hadn't gone off. I went into even more of a panic when, to my surprise, my iPhone was sitting in a glass of water. I immediately took out the sim card and let the iPhone "soak" in a bag of rice for 4 days, leaning the bag of rice upright against the wall so the water would all drain out. It is very important to wait at least a few days; if you try to turn your phone on before it is ready, the chances of shorting circuits and leaving the iPhone useless is much higher if it is not completely dry.

This works like a charm, no joke. I am a VERY heavy sleeper and was using my iPhone as an alarm clock. About 6 months ago, in my sleep, I hit snooze on the iPhone and placed it back on my bookshelf... apparently, in a glass of water. It sat there for at least 20 minutes before I woke up in a panic wondering why my alarm hadn't gone off. I went into even more of a panic when, to my surprise, my iPhone was sitting in a glass of water. I immediately took out the sim card and let the iPhone "soak" in a bag of rice for 4 days, leaning the bag of rice upright against the wall so the water would all drain out. It is very important to wait at least a few days; if you try to turn your phone on before it is ready, the chances of shorting circuits and leaving the iPhone useless is much higher if it is not completely dry. After 4 days of allowing it to dry, it has been working flawlessly ever since. *Knock on wood.*

I use a coffee grinder to grind spices and, to clean up afterwards, just run a tea spoon of uncooked rice through it. Versatile stuff.

I wonder how many bags of rice you could buy with the money you spent on your Iphone. Maybe to feed some people who need it?

If you eat the rice used for drying an iPhone, you're somehow able to communicate to all people around you.
No one has yet figured out how this is possible.

anonymous, evaporation is something different. do u remember science?
but thanx for trying!

I've had to do the exact same thing before. Works for any electronics. Also, the sooner you can put it in rice, the better.

Alton=FAG

Here is what this boils down to.
Alton does not like Apple and for that fact any large corporation. That is his opinion and that is totally cool.
The response to Alton is that he should "just not buy an iPhone" however in order for a movement that Alton is calling forth to occur he must find supporters.
This is the way that Alton chooses to find supporters.
Alton is against the "status quo" he is the one that has to do the leg work.
Those of you who keep saying "just don't buy an iPhone" are really wasting your time because you are the status quo the likely hood of the status quo changing is slim to none. So instead of building his argument just live in the land of status quo and let him speak.

this is absolutely 100% true I just happened to stubmble upon this but no 3days ago my phonw was Washed when my mother took my fav pair of jeans out of my room and decided that that need to get put with all the other dirty clothes. I put it in a bag of rice (something i had heard worked for phones if ever submerged in water) and viola!!!! 24hrs later my iphone was back in working order

Rice is fantastic for absorbing moisture. That's why some people make sure to always put a few grains of rice into a salt shaker. Due to its size, the rice will never come out, but it'll ensure the salt stays dry.

I remember while shopping around for a laptop to start college with I was looking at getting a macbook but applecare was so ridiculously expensive and essentially didn't cover any accidental damage so it was basically pointless. Apple is trendy and chic now and that's what you're really paying for when you buy an Apple product. I've lost respect for them since their Mac vs. PC ad campaign where they act like arrogant, patronizing, snobs under the guise of "loving thy neighbor/competing company." Apple has their share of problems just like PCs and they know it so you can replace your broken products over and over again. I have literally lost count of how many iPod Touches I have gotten replaced simply because it wouldn't turn on.

Oh, by the way, I love rice.

Penis please!

Read the whole thing (including comments). Natasha, Conor, and The One True Moe are the smartest people commenting here.

wow....comparing apple to pirates?
now i'm all for difference of opinions, but that makes you sound like a moron. If they were pirates they would just take the money and not give you anything or kill you.

I'll admit, when I bought my iPod, yeah it was so I'd fit in and so people would like me and think I was "cool". that was...2nd gen I believe? when they first introduced black iPods. that still works, and if it breaks I'd just get a cheaper one maybe.

Apple does make expensive products and everyone knows that they could sell them cheaper and still do ok, but they wont. why? because people pay more for a name. Look at...expensive jeans (I dont know brand names) and Target brand jeans (usually Levis, but you get what I mean) is a $200 pair of jeans going to give you magical powers and make you run faster? no.

you're not forced to buy from one company, by ranting off about them and making ludicrous statements and comparatives about them, you don't sound clever, you haven't convinced anyone not to buy apple, you've just made yourself look dumb.

clearly "stepping away" (meaning he's not gonna post, but is still gonna read everything) was your best option because you were just looking sad :( tears for you

Alton, shut the hell up and go away. it's a blog post about how rice can save your phone, not a debate about whether or not Apple is an evil corporation. go bother someone else.

Alton,

Quit bitching and recognize that what you are railing against is call CAPITALISM. It is what this country was built on, and if it were'nt for capitalism you wouldn't have a phone to bitch about.

I dropped my rice in the toilet. If I put it in a bag full of cell phones, will it dry my rice, or will all the cell phones stop working?

I once heard a sad story about a person that posted a helpful hint about putting your phone in a bag of rice if your phone gets wet. It's a sad story because of what happened after this person posted their advice.

Shortly after the orignal post, a whole group of social deviants posted responses that had nothing to do with thanking the original poster for trying to help people, and instead decided to take the opportunity to treat each other like a bunch of flaming idiots and somehow blaming the cell phone manufacturer for the fact that they want to make a profit if someone is stupid enough to drop their phone in the toilet. It's not Apples fault that you are stupid. It's not Apples fault that their phone is capable of being dropped in the toilet. It's not Apples fault that the toilet had water in it. It's not Apples fault that the US is a capitalist society. It's not Apples fault that Alton is so wrapped up in hating everybody and everything that he cannot see the good that companies like Apple do for him.

Erin Thompson (original poster), thank you for your selfless and helpful post. Keep in mind that you probably helped some people, and that's a good thing. Keep up the good work.

I agree with Kevin, somewhere along the way this post lost it's original intent, which ironically is to save you money. I have lost much important data to water damage, even if the rice trick only works for a few days, I would love to have those few days to recover my data before it was lost forever.

I don't own an iPhone, I don't have need of one. But there are people who decided they do and so they have one. The beauty of the whole system is that there are options, preventing companies from over-charging people. If the iPhone really wasn't worth $300 then people would stop buying it. Obviously that's not the case, sense many many people chose to buy an iPhone instead of a Droid, Blackberry, Treo, or other device. When a product fails to meet people standards they stop buying it, hence why i switched to Version from T-mobile.

So if you really feel that your being 'Pirated' by Apple, don't buy there products, and leave the rest of us at peace.

I do love the rice trick, sense rice is cheap and easy to find. And if it doesn't work, well then you lost something you never had to begin with, so why not? It's a no risk method.

I dropped my samsung in the pool. It was in there for a good minute. I took it out, put it in a bowl of rice, and the next morning it was perfectly fine.

Wow! People are all worked up on here.

Alton, you are a complete douche. Nobody is going to pass up the savior rice trick for your benefit. Think before you post or learn how to keep your unwanted comments to yourself. Check your iPhone, there's an app for that.

Sarisin:

I love how you agreed with Kevin, and then went off on the same rant that was totally off topic. Kudos to you for jumping on the bandwagon without making it seem like you wanted to.

Anyway, I've never tried this, but I did drop my boyfriend's phone in a stream once. He let it sit for a few days, and it's still working fine. That was 6 months ago, so fingers crossed that it keeps it up! If I had known about this trick, I definitely would have tried it. Thanks for the help. :)

Alton, get off of me. You are just upset that you don't have an iPhone.

Part 3 of this article should be "Throw bag of defecation infested rice away." Unless of course you've got a taste for some of that Toilet Water Rice Pilaf...

I don't have an iPhone but I did drop my phone in water twice, the first time I used a bag of dry rice and it worked after a few days but the first time I tried it it must not have been dry all the way because it crackled and the sound didn't work right away. The second time I dropped it in water, I left it on the dashboard of my car and it worked even better than the rice without all the rice dust on it. (although for an iPhone, I would either disguise it or make sure my car is locked and the alarm is on if I left it there)

Everyone, Alton is trolling you. Successfully. Minus 1000 internets for anyone who got angry at Alton.

OF COURSE IT"S NOT GOING TO WORK IN COOKED RICE, silly!

sorry to say wayne, but you aren't so sharp.

Cooked rice has moisture in it-
the purpose of putting it in the DRY rice is so that the grains of rice can suck the moisture OUT of the device and INTO the rice.

.....are you serious?

this didnt work for me, not sure if it has to do with type of rice though ( i used brown cause thats what i had.)

what did work for me though was a packet that came with my lamp. it was called h2o eater, and thats exactly what it did.
dont know where i would get anouther one though, short of buying a new lamp...

anyways, thats my rant.

This works for pretty much all phones, even if you don't put it in a bag of rice. you just have to leave the phone off until it's dried out completely.

Apple may or may not tell you about this fix... but ultimately it comes down to:

How long as the iPhone been out? And uh... why is there no waterproof sleeve for it like there are for other electronics?

Because yes, they do hope you break/drown/ruin your device so you buy a new one. That's how a company works, bringing in profit.

i did that and nothing happened it didnt turn on or anytthing :( any other ideas?

I am sorry for all you people out their who cannot or chose not to own an Iphone. I am a proud Iphone owner and will continue to be since Steve Jobs has a knack for innovation. Sure I dont own a fancy car or have the nicest clothes but I would much rather buy a $199 phone with multiple purposes and pay the measly 360 a year for the data plan. Its hell of a lot better spending 100 bucks on jeans. For those who believe that internet and phone should be free I am sorry I just dont see it that way. Hell the only reason I have such blazing internet speeds is because I pay a company to maintain an R&D department to give me the most innovative tools. And everyone try to remember everyone works for a profit. The fact that some people even have a job is because their service to their selected company is worth more to the company than the pay given out. Hell this is a capitalist world. If you dont like it I here Antarctica is still not colonized.

The problem with a waterproof sleeve is that the touchscreen does not work well because unlike most touchscreens that dont work well the Iphone runs off heat from your fingers for positioning. So thats why no waterproof sleeve is not out. plus, for what phone can you purchase a waterproof sleeve that garuantees water resistance.

@wayne A bag of COOKED rice? Really? Well of course your iPhone seems worse. Dry rice is what absorbs the moisture. Not cooked rice, it's full of moisture.

Implying Iphones and Ipods are the only electronics...
Do you give the church of steve jobs %10 of your income before or after taxes?

+1000 internets to wayne, for being a better troll than Alton

Turning the phone on while there's still any amount of water inside will lead to it shorting out. Checking your phone after impatiently waiting for an hour was a bad idea, in the long run. My friend dropped hers in a puddle and dried it out, but less than a month later the screen and keypad stopped working, and then the phone shut off and wouldn't turn back on, due to corrosion from other crap in the water.

If there's EVER any water damage, take the battery out and leave the battery door off, without using the phone or plugging it in, until you're -sure- there's not a drop of water left inside-- an hour in some rice won't fix everything. Rice does work, don't get me wrong, but only so well, and not all the time. The rice absorbs the water (the above posts are right, it's a good desiccant; desiccant packs are even better), and the water has a chance to evaporate a little at the same time.

You'll end up having to replace the phone anyway, but then at least you can get all your important stuff off of there before it's gone. Take advantage of it, trust me. Those Facebook groups, "I dropped my phone, give me your numbers" are really irritating.

Also, Alton's a troll. Stop feeding him, you're only making it worse.

And agreed with Anon, Wayne trolling ftw. XD

We did this to an iPod that went through the wash and it worked for a week or two and then went kaput. It would only turn on if plugged into a charger if i remember correctly. It was weird cause it worked for a little while.

My iTouch got really wet during a storm once, and I put it in rice for an entire week while I was on vacation. That was a summer ago. Sometimes it has glitches or can be finicky, but other than that, it's been working fine for the entire year. Now going on two.

morons.

this is not a new trick.

this has been working on cell phones since the razr was released.

even before that.

useful piece of info, but nothing new or special.

dont be idiots and go dropping you phones and mp3 players in water.

simple.

morons...

It's why you put rice in salt, so that the granules don't get stuck together...

i have an i phone that was dropped in the lake water about 3 months ago, and i just now heard about the rice thing do you think it will work if i still put the i phone in the rice even after three months of it sitting out?

also i dropped my blackberry 8520 into the water the other day put it in a rice bag, it still works except the bb button, answering button, and also the scroll button what should i do?

i have an i phone that was dropped in the lake water about 3 months ago, and i just now heard about the rice thing do you think it will work if i still put the i phone in the rice even after three months of it sitting out?

also i dropped my blackberry 8520 into the water the other day put it in a rice bag, it still works except the bb button, answering button, and also the scroll button what should i do?

i also heard that if you got toilet water in your phone, soak it in alcohol

not drinking alcohol, but isopropyl alcohol with as high percentage of alcohol as you can get

soak for around 10 minutes to have the alcohol replace the water and to clean the insides, then put it in rice since the alcohol evaporates quicker

will the rice work after you wait almost two days of dropoping it in the washing machine?

Will it work if you tried turning your phone on multiple times before putting it in rice? I didn't realize you weren't supposed to until I went on the internet in a panic over my phone. ALSO, will Verizon or Best Buy or anywhere switch the info from one phone to another for free???

It still works even if you turned your phone on at least ten times while it was still wet!!! I love rice!