No iPhone is entirely water resistant! So, submerging your iPhone in the water longer than it can handle will cause damage. You must fix it when it gets water damaged, except if you want to buy another phone. The question now is, how much does it cost to fix a water-damaged iPhone?
The cost to have a water-damaged iPhone depends on whether you have AppleCare or not. If you have AppleCare, it will cost you around $99 to have it fixed. If you don’t have AppleCare, the cost can range between $400 and $600, depending on the model of the iPhone.
While iPhones have an IP rating, their protection rating is not permanent. Most of the time, iPhones can only resist water to a certain depth and for a set period. For example, iPhone 13 can resist water at a maximum depth of 6 meters for 30 minutes. If you were to keep submerging it, again and again, the degree of protection would decrease.
Keep reading to learn more about fixing water-damaged iPhones.
What Are Your Repair Options If Your iPhone Is Water-Damaged?
Your iPhone has a built-in Liquid Contact Indicator, which you can use to test whether or not your iPhone has been exposed to water. If your iPhone has been exposed to water, the indicator, which is a silver strip, will turn red. If you’re using an iPhone 6 or later model, the LCI strip is located in the SIM card slot.
Once you have inspected the indicator and you ascertain that your iPhone is misbehaving due to water damage, you have to consider your repair options. Note that you are not to only depend on the result of the LCI to conclude that your iPhone is water-damaged. But if it is, you have three repair options depending on your budget.
Here are the three options you have when you want to repair your water-damaged iPhone.
Option #1: DIY
The first option in this guide is fixing your water-damaged iPhone yourself. This option is viable if your iPhone isn’t damaged or malfunctioning. However, you need to dry out the water in the iPhone. There are multiple ways, but the best is to allow it to air dry on a towel for at least 48 hours.
Please don’t use a hair dryer or other heat source to force dry the water out; you can damage electronics components in it.
For this method, you don’t need anything other than a piece of prying tool and towel which can cost you between $0 and $10.
Option #2: Professional Repair Service
If you don’t know how to repair your iPhone, you should take it to a professional. However, this will cost you significantly more depending on your iPhone’s model and the damage’s intensity.
Here’s how much to expect to spend when you take your iPhone to a professional.
- If you took your iPhone to Apple, you could expect to spend anywhere between $400 and $600 depending on the model of iPhone you’re using and if you don’t have AppleCare.
- If you take your iPhone to a third-party repair shop not authorized by Apple, it will cost you between $70 and $400, depending on the nature of the repair and the model of iPhone you’re using.
Option #3: Filing an Insurance Claim
Finally, if you have insurance on your iPhone, you can file a claim to get it fixed on a budget. Depending on your insurer, you may get a mail-in repair, on-location, or in-store. Also, be aware that some insurers will not repair ad return your iPhone when you claim the warranty; instead, they send you a refurbished replacement iPhone.
Here’s how much to expect to spend when filing an insurance claim.
- If you have AppleCare insurance, your iPhone repair will cost only $99.
- If AT&T is your insurer, it will cost you anywhere between $125 and $250 to have your water-damaged iPhone fixed.
- If Verizon is your insurer, it will cost you around $129 and $229 to have your water-damaged iPhone fixed.
Having unauthorized personnel work on your iPhone will void your warranty if you still have an active one.
Conclusion
Getting your iPhone water-damaged is not an experience anyone hopes to encounter, but sadly it does happen. So, if you’re unfortunate to have your iPhone damaged by water, it is essential to know how much you need to budget to fix it. You also have different repair options you can choose from.
The option you have to repair your water-damaged iPhone will help you decide whether it is worth it. Because except there are essential files on your iPhone you can’t afford to lose, there is no point in spending extravagantly to repair a water-damaged iPhone.
