iPhone X/XS/11 Water Damage Indicator – How To See If Your iPhone Is Water Damaged

Let’s have a look at how to tell if your iPhone X, iPhone XS or iPhone 11 has been water damaged by looking at the water damage indicator sticker hidden inside the SIM card tray. We’ll also have a closer look at this sticker by opening up the phone to see where it is and how it works.

This water damage indicator is what Apple uses to tell if your phone may have been damaged by water, even if it is dried out again. Once the indicator has been turned red, it remains that way. So opening up the tray and allowing your iPhone to dry out again won’t turn the indicator white again and won’t prevent your phone from being declined for repair due to water damage.

Here’s what the indicator looks like inside the sim card tray. The water damage indicator or liquid damage indicator (LDI) is initially white and will turn red if it comes into contact with water, indicating that the phone may be water damaged. You may need to shine a light or torch into the tray in order to see the indicator, it is not immediately visible when you look into the phone.

iPhone X iPhone XS iPhone 11 Water Damage Indicator LDI

Unfortunately, even with water resistant ratings on iPhones, Apple won’t repair or replace any water damaged phones as this is not covered by their warranty. This is because Apple has no way of knowing if the phone was misused when the damage occurred. They don’t know how deep the iPhone was submerged or for how long. The water resistance on iPhones is intended as an additional measure to protect your iPhone from damage due to rain, air moisture or an accidental drop into a pool or puddle etc. and is not designed for you to take your iPhone swimming or diving for extended periods of time.

If you enjoyed this article and video, have a look at What Your iPhone’s Battery Health Means.

Has your iPhone or mobile phone been damaged by water? Let us know in the comments section below.

Michael Klements
Michael Klements
Hi, my name is Michael and I started this blog in 2016 to share my DIY journey with you. I love tinkering with electronics, making, fixing, and building - I'm always looking for new projects and exciting DIY ideas. If you do too, grab a cup of coffee and settle in, I'm happy to have you here.

9 COMMENTS

  1. Does the iPhone 11 Pro Max have only the one Liquid Contact Indicator? Usually there are LCI’s all throughout the phone. I was wanting to know if there are more and if there are, than where are they?

    • Yes there are usually multiple indicators inside the phone. They’re usually positioned near the lightning port, up near the earpiece and then around the sim tray.

        • It’ll only turn red if water got inside the phone. It’s possible (although unlikely) that water didn’t get into your phone if it is still working.

  2. my iphone X water indicator is turned red and i took my phone to swimming for 30 minutes now it is water damaged and it turns on but the display turns to like kinda green nad everything else is perfect and I put it in rice and I will left it there for 2 days, is there any chances for my phone to be fixed?
    thanks

    • If you’re lucky then water has just damaged the display/digitizer assembly. Replacing the screen assembly might fix the problem.

  3. When you get water damaged speakers, can they get better once they dry out? If the speakers are water damaged will this always show up on the LDI or is there a chance that it might not?

    • There is another indicator at the bottom near the speakers. There is always a chance that it hasn’t turned red, but is unlikley. Water damage doesn’t usually go away once dried out.

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