Chosen Solution
Hello everyone! My iPhone SE (1st generation) was in the pocket of my jacket one rainy day (1st mistake) and when I came back home later that day I noticed some water had found its way under the screen. There were loads of little water bubbles, but the phone worked fine so I didn’t think much of it (2nd mistake). During the following days, the water slowly disappeared and the screen looked like it was back to normal. However, on the third day or so the touch screen stopped working and now still doesn’t work. The rest of the phone seems to work fine, buttons, internet connections, alarm (sigh). Has anyone else had this problem before?
Unfortunately it seems the water damage has spread inside the device as you took no immediate actions (putting the device in rice overnight is the most common and surprisingly effective method of water removal). At this point there is likely some corrosion that has spread on the screen/logic board and is causing the issue. If the display is still working and it’s just the digitizer, you may be able to open up the device and give the inside a really good clean with some isopropyl alcohol. I’d suggest even leaving the logic board in a small amount of iso for a little while and then gently cleaning with a soft toothbrush. Thi may remove any water damage currently preventing it from operating correctly although it won’t be a definitive fix and the corrosion may come back later.
Ideally, you would replace each part exposed to water and ensure that there is no corrosion left inside the device.
