Waterlogged Iphone, Now What?

I've always had great luck with ebay. You can find a lot of new phones that were never sold and are now old stock because something newer and better came out. For a kid I'd never get something new. Used with a good case yes but new NEVER.

I switched carriers and sold my old one to a friend for $35. We gave two old Iphones to relatives for free. I would post on facebook. Mine were in a drawer until someone posted they were looking to buy one.

You can buy refurbished directly from Apple. They cost less and come with a warranty.

ETA: Toula is right about the rice. I assumed you tried that but just in case... My LO dropped his iPod into a fountain, completely submerged. I took the case off, towel dried it, and let it dry overnight, it wouldn't turn on. Took the sim card out to give a slot for the internal water to evaporate and put it in a bag of rice for 48 hours. It worked again.

While I have not ever purchased a used device, we have loads of them sitting in drawers, and I had been testing them all in the previous weeks --- 2 iPhone 4ss, a 5s, and a 6 not being used. They all work just fine. Since our youngest starts middle school next week, we wanted him to have a phone. My husband and I both have the 6s.

I did some research and found that the 5s will support all of the updates (including the new iOS 10 due in September), for quite some time. We decided that the 5s would be fine for our son. He's just 11, and it's his first phone. He does not need the latest/greatest, and the 5s does everything he needs/wants it to do.

Even though it's just sitting there in the closet, I couldn't see giving him the 6, which is still over $500 (due to memory size). Plus, my husband likes to keep that as a backup in case something happens to his phone. So, we cleaned up the 5s, got him his new number, and he's happy as can be. Games, apps, all the extras work perfectly, even though my main reason for him having it is communication with us.

So, if you find a reputable place to purchase a 5s, there should be no problem doing so. If you have a friend or family member with one just sitting around, offer to buy it from them. You are not "downgrading" since your 13 year-old's phone was the 5s. You are just replacing what you damaged with the same item.

If I broke my kid's phone I would replace with the same model or better. A 5S can be reasonably priced new depending on your carrier. Or your child may want to upgrade to a used newer gen phone. We have bought most of our phones new without issue from eBay, Amazon, Gazelle and other sites, or you can get refurbished phones from Apple.

How about a plain old flip phone. You want her too behave phone so you can reach her. A flip serves that purpose.

How old is it? (Seriously... was it a hand-me-down that is out of contract? Or did you just get it in the last year, new, for him?)

You can buy them used. You can also buy refurbished (I've bought lots of refurb apple products and never had a problem at all). Have you considered, though, maybe upgrading your own and handing down your current phone to your son? It isn't his fault that the phone is damaged. And you probably don't want him having a brand new one that isn't fully paid for, either. Yet, I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on a device that is 2 generations old already, either. So, assuming you have a newer one yourself, maybe consider giving him yours as a replacement (even if it's still under contract, it probably doesn't have long left, right?), and upgrade your own?

Oh, and next time you have a water issue, try the rice. It's worked for us. Daughter's 5S was dropped in a (clean) toilet. Husband's 4S got soaked in a monsoon on the golf course. And his 7 year old iPod Nano quit working, finally, last year... rather than toss it, I stuck it in rice and forgot about it. Found it about 3 weeks ago... plugged it in to charge, and voila! Good as new again.

If I were the one to cause the issue, I would not downgrade my kid for my mistake.

Did you happen to have insurance? I know the deductible varies but sometimes it is better than nothing.

I don't know about buying used. I see them for sale all the time. My hubby would sell his IPhones when he upgraded. I never did and I still have all of mine. I'm just not convinced they are wiped completely clean. I could make a few bucks if I got the nerve to sell mine!

Hubby & I got our 2 most recent phones (iPhone 4 & 5) on eBay. Look for sellers with good ratings - read through some of the recent feedback. Make sure the phone is "unlocked" & compatible with your carrier (Verizon, ATT, etc.)
The FIRST thing to do once it is shipped to you is take it to your carrier store & have them boot it up & verify that everything works. If not - go through eBay customer service to return it & get refunded.

Alternatively you can buy from private parties locally, like off Craigslist. Have them meet @ your carrier store to make sure everything works before exchanging payment. Easy peasy. Workable phones at $100's off the price of new! Good luck. T. :)

I also suggest checking out buying a refurbished from Apple. When people upgrade to the newest, they trade in their old ones, Apple reburbishes and sells them again. They might actually work with a company that does it but it is the same thing.

Honestly if it was my fault I would not make them downgrade, if I was concerned about them having the "latest and greatest" I would consider upgrading my own phone so they can have my current one.

Maybe buy a new "old model"? A new unused 5 or 5s might not be too expensive these days.

Did you try putting it in rice yet? I know a lot of people of who actually submerged their phones in water… A couple of them dropped them in the toilet. They put it in bowl of rice so it's completly covered… And left it for a week or so ... And the phones actually worked again. Something about the rice absorbing all the moisture .... It's worth a try.

I've bought a refurbished tablet years ago. Still use it, have had no problems. My son-in-law buys refurbished electronics. I think his current phone is refurbished. He also sells his old phone. He tends to be paranoid about his personal information being comprmised. He wouldn't sell his phones if personal information could be seen.

Refurbished electronics usually have a warranty. Refurbished means the entire phone is looked at and parts replaced if needed. They are like new.

Reputable dealers would not accept a stolen phone.

I loved my S5. I would say that you can get a used phone and it be okay. I do suggest that you find out how to check the number on the inside of the phone so you can see if it's an insurance phone, been replaced and has been taken off where it cannot be used as a phone again, and other ways to insure it's usable.

If the mother board is damaged its done for. You can only use rice or other dehydrating materials if it didn't reach the MB. Get a used one at a pawn shop. iPhone's that have been stolen more often than not are locked and cannot be used by anyone besides the original owner. If your used phone suddenly becomes locked and you can't get into it, the pawnshop you got it from should be more than willing to accept it back for a full refund. The pawnshop should also be willing to accept it back in the event that there are malfunctions (at least for store credit).
Also, find out how much the used ones are going for online and show the pawnshop that price. They can negotiate with you to give you less than the online amount- no matter how much money they put into that phone, they have to sell it for what it's worth, even at a loss.
My family owns a chain of pawn shops that deals heavily with apple products and we repair them as well.