It seems that Apple has changed its stance towards possible water damage on iPhones, iPods and iPads. According to Time.com, the company’s new rule seems to state that even if the Liquid Contact Indicator inside the speaker jack of the iOS device shows that liquid has entered the hardware, you might still be able wrangle a replacement.
Previously, if the Liquid Contact Indicator showed up as red, a user had little or no chance to replace the device if a future fault had occurred on the hardware. This was because Apple states that the indicator trigger would show that the device had either touched or fallen into water and thus would void the warranty.
Many users have previously complained that the indicator can sometimes be triggered by sweat or humidity; there was also a case last year in Korea where a 13 year old took Apple to court over the matter and was even offered a payoff by the company, which they chose to refuse.
It has been well documented that Apple denied humidity or sweat from a hand could trigger the Liquid Contact Indicator, but the new stance does seem to illustrate that the company is now being more open to the fact that there could be other reasons behind it.
The new amendment to the rule shown below specifically states that “If a customer disputes whether and iPod with an activated LCI has been damaged by liquid contact and there is no signs of damage from corrosion, then the iPod may still be eligible for warranty service.”
It will be interesting to see how Apple stores deal with this new decision now that it has come out into the open, and how an Apple Store Genius will decide if a consumer is telling the truth when they say that water damage has never occurred despite the indicator showing that it has.
Image Source: iGeneration