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Condensation in front camera, fully functional otherwise

I was at a pool party three days ago and wasn't really careful with handling it in the water, thinking it should be able to handle that anyway.

Everything seemed fine until the vibration stopped working later that night, a hard reset didn't help until the next day.

The phone is fully functional right now but there's some condensation in the front camera which shows there is at least some water on the inside.

I'm wondering what the best course of action would be to ensure it doesn't break later on.

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The iPhone 7 is water resistant and not waterproof. Using the buttons under water is also going to increase the likelihood of water ingress.

Seeing as how it is clear water got in, ideally you should open up the phone to see if there was a lot of water or just a little. Either way, the best thing to do is to properly clean the logic board to insure that no water has gotten under the shields. A professional shop will remove the logic board, remove the shields and professionally clean the board in an ultrasonic cleaner if there is lots of water residue. If there is little to no water residue, then a quick brush with high purity IPA is sufficient.

If you want to try something yourself, then do as follows:

  • Open your phone and remove the logic board (follow this guide)
  • Inspect the logic board, especially around the connectors and look for corrosion.
  • Inspect both sides of the board. Unfortunately, most of the board is covered in shields. That's usually where the damage is occurring.
  • Put your board in a container with >90% isopropyl alcohol and let it sit for a while.
  • Use a soft brush, like a toothbrush and lightly brush away any corrosion you see.
  • Rinse in alcohol and repeat.
  • Let it air dry for a day.
  • Re-assemble and hope for the best.

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Thanks for the thorough answer!

I'll look around to see what repair place seems the most reputable near me and have them do water damage repair then.

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Jeroen B will be eternally grateful.
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