When You Damage your iPhone Remember What to Do Next

Nothing hurts more than damaging your iPhone. After all the money you’ve spent on it, cracking the display or damaging it with water just feels awful.

Fortunately, if you act quickly, you might be able to fix your iPhone before the problem gets too serious. Of course, this will all depend on what the damage is, but there are still a few things you can do after you damage your iPhone just to make sure.

So act quickly! Here’s what you should do after you drop your iPhone or water-damage it.

First, Check the Damage

Whether you kept your iPhone underwater for too long or you dropped it really hard, the first thing you need to know is what the damage looks like.

If you dropped your iPhone on the floor, inspect it to find any cracks or scratches. You should also check the physical buttons and the camera to make sure everything is intact. 

If you cracked your screen, carefully check how bad the cracks are. The shards of glass can cut your fingers, so if they’re too bad, it’s best to stop using it and contact a repair shop.

Likewise, if you dropped it too hard, try using your iPhone to make sure there isn’t any internal damage.

Turn Off Your Wet iPhone

If your iPhone got water-damaged, the first thing you need to do is turn off your iPhone and stop using it for a while.

If you keep using your iPhone while it’s wet — even if it’s not damaged — you might actually create more problems.

So what you need to do is turn off your iPhone and use a dry fiber cloth to dry it. Likewise, remove any cases or accessories your iPhone has until it’s completely dry again.

Should You Charge a Damaged iPhone?

If your iPhone is water-damaged, you should not charge it if it has water inside the charging port. Even if your iPhone has MagSafe, you should still avoid charging it while it’s still wet.

Again, the best course of action is to start drying it with a dry cloth and wait a while before you charge it or turn it on.

On the other hand, if you dropped your iPhone on the floor, you can and probably should try charging it, if for no other reason than to ensure the USB-C or Lightning port hasn’t suffered damage from the drop.

Try Fixing the Damage Yourself

When it comes to water damage, you can try fixing it yourself most of the time. As we mentioned, drying your iPhone and waiting to turn it on and use it should do the trick. Unless, of course, it spent way too much time underwater.

On the other hand, things are more complicated if you’ve dropped your iPhone. If you’re tech-savvy enough, you can find all the equipment to fix your iPhone yourself — Apple even offers a self-serve repair option, although it’s not that much cheaper than taking it in for repair.

Fixing it yourself will likely take a while and a lot of patience, so consider if it’s worth the trouble. There’s also no point in going down this route if you have AppleCare+ on your iPhone since in that case any Apple Store or Apple Authorized repair shop should be able to fix the damage for considerably less money.

Take Your iPhone to a Repair Shop

If you can’t fix the damage yourself, it’s time to talk to a professional. Whether you reach out to Apple support or a different repair shop, you should ask for help if your iPhone is too damaged.

If your iPhone is still under warranty, we recommend taking it to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Partner (AASP). You’ll likely pay full price for repairs since accidental damage isn’t covered by the warranty (unless you also have AppleCare+ coverage); unauthorized third-party repair shops may be cheaper, but you won’t risk voiding your warranty by going that route.

Of course, you also need to consider if it’s worth fixing your iPhone. Sometimes, it might be more expensive to fix your iPhone than just getting a new phone.

Consider Getting a New iPhone

If the damage on your iPhone is just too much, you should consider getting a new iPhone instead.

As we mentioned, paying for repairs might be too expensive, and getting a refurbished iPhone might be a better option for you.

Fix Your iPhone Quickly

The most important thing to remember is that you need to act quickly after your iPhone gets damaged. 

Especially if your iPhone gets water damage, it’s important that you act quickly and carefully if you want to fix any problems before they happen.

Damaging your iPhone is never fun, but these tips will help you try to keep the damage to a minimum.