Apple advertises the iPhone 14 with, among other things, the IP68 protection class. This means, among other things, that the smartphone is waterproof for up to 30 minutes at a depth of up to six meters.
For a Hawaii vacationer, hope for a functional cell phone still seemed lost: In December 2022 Zach Siggelkow spontaneously bathed his iPhone 14 in the ocean during a kayaking trip on Waikiki Beach and couldn’t be found again.
Even if Siggelkow had found the iPhone again, it would be extremely unlikely that the device would still start; after all, it’s not just the depth and duration that are crucial; The IP68 certification only applies to fresh water and not to the salt water of the ocean.
Accordingly, Siggelkow came to terms with the fact that his old iPhone 14 was gone forever – initially.
33 days later, the person who found the iPhone reports a surprising message
A little over a month later, Dr. Karl Brookins near Siggelkow.
According to his own statements, Brookins himself often goes to Waikiki Beach as a diver and discovered one during a trip strange rectangular part
as the retired fisheries scientist explains.
In fact, it was Siggelkow’s iPhone 14, which was badly affected by the 33 days at the bottom of the ocean.
Of course, Brookins no longer assumed that the iPhone would start again, but as we all know, the better way to try is to study.
That’s why the scientist used a well-known trick: Brookins placed the iPhone in a bowl of rice for a week to remove the moisture and salt from the device.
Lo and behold: After the rice treatment, the iPhone 14 could be charged and started again. Only the date remained at December 21st, all other functions could be used without any problems.
Brookins then proceeded to unlock the iPhone in order to contact the rightful owner via email. It wasn’t a difficult undertaking, because as Siggelkow admits, his unlock code isn’t exactly the most secure: We wouldn’t recommend 1111 as a PIN if you’re serious about the security of your devices.
Siggelkow himself was of course happy about the unexpected news. Understandably, he didn’t expect the iPhone to be found or that it would start up again.
So he was able to back up all the data to his PC – even though the iPhone had been lying around in Hawaii longer than I will ever have in my life.
Have you ever dropped your smartphone in the water? Did it still work after that? Did you have to use the rice trick or did your cell phone finally fail you? Let us know in the comments!
