Introduction: Turn Your Cell Phone's "I Got Wet" Indicator From Red Back to White
Ever dunk your cellphone in water? After it is dry - how could someone tell that it got wet? Well my friend the "i got wet indicator" is a dead give away. This indicator is usually a white sticker located in the battery compartment of most cellphones. It turns red after it is gotten wet.
In my case i had my cellphone in my pocket in my pocket while working out. This is BS in my opinion because water never actually touched my cellphone. Further, I was denied a warranty claim on my (UN-used) phone headphones (which had a broken microphone), because of this sticker. How does this sticker have anything to do with the headphones - that I NEVER used??
All that i suggest here is to put a drop of bleach on the indicator and it will turn from red back to good 'ole white. check out the pics!
Step 1: Below You Can See 2 Razr Phones
one got wet [red dot] one didnt [ white dot].
Step 2: Take Bleach and Apply It to the Red Dot
Bleach it!
Step 3: After 1 Min
Step 4: After 5 Min
Step 5: After 15 Min
Step 6: Aditional Time
well - i thought it would turn the whole dot back white.... it has yet to do this. I am gonna let it sit over night.
A quick note: on iphones there is one of these indicators either on the headphone jack or under the bottom iphone cable plug. Same trick should work for iphone. I would post pics but i need my iphone to take the photos :)
good luck !!!!
Step 7: Day # 2
it shrunk another 30% and shrinking. will post again in 15 min
Step 8: Day 3
It turned white!!!
Now I will put water on it and see if it changes back to red....
34 Comments
14 years ago on Introduction
if its a nice phone, and you can get to ALL the stickers, of which I know my moto z3 has 3 of and the samsung a707 has 2, in addition to the batteries having them as well, you COULD go buy one of those $20 throwaway phones. Peel and replace.
7 years ago
Can anyone recommend me which bleach works best.
Any link to ebay or amazon for the bleach product will be helpful. Thank you in advance.
14 years ago on Introduction
Unfortunately the stickers that you are attempting to change back are not the only things that will show liquid or moisture damage to the device. The sticker is simple, a clear plastic film on top, a white permeable material next and a red dye on the bottom, once the moisture or liquid has seeped past the plastic and the material it mixes with the dye and the dye is left to dry out in that previously white material. Bleaching it white doesn't always do the trick as a lifting the edge of the sticker would normally show the red dye on the bottom and bleaching it of course removes that indication. Replacing the indicator can work, but usually if the phone has sustained that much moisture then there are surely signs on the inside of the device such as rust on the board and corrosion which are more visible that those red dots. Many cell phone companies offer replacement options now such as warranty exchanges, however they have wised up and are starting to charge customers back up to the full amount of the device if they feel they have been defrauded, so if you are planning on sending it back or trying to trick someone do so at your own risk, I work in a repair center and they have not only strict down on customers but on employees as well, if I don't detect a moisture damaged part or phone when someone returns it i'm out of my own pocket up to $300 for the mistake.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I think someone is blowing smoke up your rear or trying to scare you. I'm also in the commonwealth of VA and an employer, and you cannot fire someone for making a mistake. Make the same mistake after being warned and having written verification for that warning and then yes they can let you go, but they still cannot deduct the damages from your paycheck. They CANNOT monetarily charge you for a MISTAKE or you would have a lawsuit.
http://www.doli.virginia.gov/laborlaw/laborlaw_faqs_wagep2.html
Read #9
Reply 8 years ago
You obviously don't know How The World Works. Employers routinely violate the rights and breach the law regarding employees. Employees can fight back but it is usually an uphill battle with the legal costs risk higher than the reward, then they are left in an employment environment they don't want to stay in and expecting a good reference is then futile.
Businesses generally do a risk analysis on these kinds of practices, deciding if it benefits them more to push or exceed the legal limits, versus the few downtrodden employees who will fight back against the hand that feeds them.
However, I suspect the person was making up nonsense about actually being penalized (versus a mere myth perpetuated by a rogue manager), but did have a good point that in many cases if there is water ingress it is not hard to spot in other ways. Generally there is a fine film of solder flux remaining on circuit boards and it is water soluble, WILL definitely leave an irregular (salt) pattern change visible compared to the adjacent area. I don't feel bad about this though, because if water actually does get inside, the warranty really should be voided if it subsequently starts to malfunction.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
If they take money out of your pocket or off your paycheque, I suggest you go to the labor board... that's against the law... if infact what you say is true.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Wish it was that easy, they can't legally take it but im in va a commonwealth state, they can say make it right or you dont have job, which is basically I pay for it or go to the unemployment office.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
BBBflower so which is it? Do the take $300 from your pay check or do you get fired and go to the unemployment office? It is one or the other. Please only post useful information...
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Once again they take the money, or i'm fired, I don't know where you live but i'm in a commonwealth state they can fire me if they don't the way my farts smell.... the only thing you can win in court here is your unemployment for a few months
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Yeah.... I live in Canada, once you have worked somewhere for 3 months, they need real cause to fire you (being late, with 3 written warnings, signed and dated by employee and employer) or something serious, sexual assault, harassment, stealing, etc... Otherwise one could sue for wrongful dismissal, and the company would not only owe you backpay, they would have to offer you your position back... then the labour board keeps an eye on them and makes sure said employee is treated fairly.
8 years ago on Introduction
8 years ago on Introduction
this is a 5 year old post. Does it still work? There are two dots in my phone that are visible after removing the back cover. One is yellow and square. It is underneath a hard plastic window next to the camera. The other is a small red dot closer to the volume button. It has a plastic film-like surface protecting it. Clearly they have adapted to the dabbing of bleach trick by concealing the indicators beneath a protective layer. Water would have to penetrate the phone beneath within the mounted casing-not just inside the back cover.
However, they are still too sensitive. In my case, my phone is just 3 weeks old and I had wet fingers on a rainy day and pushed the buttons to turn on the display. I'm pretty sure that's when it happened but it's hard to tell I have never dropped it in water. So now the phone company benefits by voiding the warranty because of an overly sensitive indicator. Not fair business practice in my opinion
9 years ago on Introduction
I was wondering if after resetting the sticker to white it works again and goes to red if there is new water damage? On my phone the sticker tripped and I was having some issues just due to humidity. After drying it out its still works fine but I am wondering if it will trip again if I make it white. Any thoughts are appreciated.
12 years ago on Introduction
Someone took my phone at school and gave it back by putting it in the water fountain and now won't turn on. My Samsung Flight 2 dot turned to red. If I bleach it, will the phone turn on?
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
I know your question was asked 2 years ago, and I am not the person you are asking this to. But, I know that the indicator is just a sticker, not a electrical part. If it happens to you again, take the phone apart, use a towel and pat the inside of the phone out, and throw of the excess water (shake the phone while it is apart) and let it sit for about a month. If you can't that long, there are instructions on Google about using your oven to dry radios and other electrical devices.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
lol your special, your phones fubar no amount of bleach on the sticker will fix that you may need some more for your hair though......
10 years ago on Introduction
The problem is, I imagine the techs will notice the smell of the bleach...
I know, these indicator stickers are super sensitive.. I had a Kodak Z1285 digital camera,that apparently, the indicator sticker changed, because I had the camera in my pocket and just normal body perspiration had gotten it to change.. I also had the camera start malfunctioning, still within the warranty period. So, on suggestion from Staples (whom I bought it from), I had them send it out for repairs.. It ended-up at a repair center here in the same state... within a week, I get a call from the repair center, they refused to repair the camera because it had been exposed to excessive moisture. (note, I had it in my coat pocket.) They sent it back to Staples. Then the real kick to the teeth.. I had bought their extended warranty.. they voided it, because of the repair center findings.. I basicly had a 3-month old, $200+ brick.. Apparently they based it all off a small 1/4" X 1/16" tag inside the camera, that had turned color.
11 years ago on Introduction
cool, i didnt know you could actually make those look white again.
on my old phone i left it in the same room when i took a shower and the indicators all changed color, youd think if they can make a phone as small as they can they could make waterlog stickers less sensitive to moisture :P
12 years ago on Introduction
Hi-
I had to send my phone back after they sent a replacement due to a back light problem I had. I HAD ZERO WATER DAMAGE, and the sticker was WHITE,
B U T... I am an idiot and did not pay attention when I took the old phone into the kitchen to clean it (it was not filthy but a little funky) and I used a spray mist to dampen the screen and wiped it off. The battery and back cover wasn't on it because I had already put them in/on the new phone and a tiny bit of the mist got on the back/white sticker somehow and it turned red on the edges!
I PANICKED!
I cannot afford to pay for the phone!
LUCKILY I found the stickers on ebay for 1.75, peeled the red edged one off and put on a new white one. I do not feel bad about doing it because the phone truly had no water damage. Those little stickers are hyper sensitive to moisture.
14 years ago on Step 8
dus this work as an indicator again or not, is it just to make it look like it hsn't got wet? just out of interest :) mdog