A strange thing happened to my iPhone about a month ago. As I’d use my iPhone for anything other than calls — to play Bookworm, listen to Hebrew lessons, etc, the sound would cut out. This became more and more frequent until one day I had no sound for any of my apps. I also lost the alert sounds that would tell me I had a text message or email. I couldn’t even know someone was phoning me or had texted me using any text app.
Thankfully, although games, language apps, the Music app were all mute, I still had perfect sound for phone calls and even more oddly, I had sound for calls via the Vonage app. However, I had to keep the phone close to my body or in my sight to know I was receiving a call or text.
I could no longer hear word pronounciations to learn a language or look up how to say something correctly in Hebrew. I could not listen to the Hebrew lessons in my iTunes. Nor did I know when I had a call or text.
Enter my Bheestie Bag — my iPhone sound fix!
Sometimes the answer to a problem is right in front of our nose and we still miss it. I made it a point to travel with my Bheestie Bag and it was right in my backpack. But it took me perhaps weeks to realize I should try it to solve this problem!
My first Bheestie bag after using it on my iPhone for a year.
Finally one night, I turned off my iPhone per the Bheestie Bag directions, took it out of my highly protective Nuguard KX case from Other World Computing in order to provide maximum exposure and drying, then put my phone into the bag, zipped it closed and let the bag try its magic.
The next day I took the phone out of the bag — and I had my sound back!
Remember, moisture can destroy or shorten the life of electronics!
Bheestie’s website (perhaps no longer online) tells us all about how moisture can ruin a device — and simply shorten the life of any electronics.
Indeed, I hadn’t gotten my iPhone wet:
- I hadn’t used it in rain or snow.
- I hadn’t dropped it into the toilet, sink or bathtub.
- I hadn’t left it in the bathroom as I showered.
- The ceiling hadn’t leaked on it.
- I had not done any of the things that we consider to cause water damage.
But there were conditions that cause humidity — and that was enough to stop my iPhone’s sound from working!
UPDATE as 2015 comes to an end:
Ever since that day, over half a year ago, I remember to put my iPhone into the Bheestie Bag once in a while.
I have never had another problem with my iPhone. And, by the way, I am writing this while the iPhone 6S and Plus have long been out. I am using a years-old iPhone 4S and it still works perfectly!
I now carry a laptop-sized Bheestie Bag as well!
Spring 2017 Update:
For a month or two, their website has not loaded. I am unsure whether they are still in business. But I am keeping this post up here because there are lessons shared here. If you can’t find a Bheestie Bag to buy, collect packets of silica and put your device into a plastic bag with them OR wrap your device in a coffee filter and put it into uncooked rice (for a much longer time). Or make your own drying packets: get 100% Silica Cat Litter and wrap some into a coffee filter, then seal it. Make a few and put your device into a plastic bag with them.