💧 Water damage
Water damaged phone in Costa Rica: what to do now
Send your phone model and a photo: you get the price before the repair.
- Free diagnosis
- Written warranty
- Mon–Sat 8:00–18:00
If your phone got wet in the ocean, a pool or a Costa Rican downpour, turn it off now, do not charge it and do not put it in rice. Salt and chlorine start corroding the board within hours, even if the phone still seems to work. The sooner it is opened and cleaned, the better the chances of saving the phone and your photos.
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The first 10 minutes
- Turn the phone off and leave it off
- Do not plug it in, even if it says “liquid detected”
- Remove the case and the SIM tray
- Dry the outside with a towel; no hair dryer
- Message us with the model and whether it was salt water, a pool or fresh water
Why rice does not work
Rice only dries the surface. The water and salt that matter are inside, under the shields of the board, and keep corroding while you wait. What actually helps is opening the phone, cleaning the board in an ultrasonic bath with isopropyl alcohol and drying it under control. That takes 24 to 48 hours.
How it works
- Message us on WhatsApp with your phone model and what happened (a photo helps).
- We reply with the price and the repair time before anyone opens the phone.
- We agree on a pick-up point: your hotel, your condo gate or a spot in Alajuela.
- The phone is tested in front of you and the warranty is given in writing.
Is my iPhone waterproof?
iPhones are water resistant, not waterproof, and the rating is for fresh water in a lab. Ocean water, pools, hot tubs and old phones with worn seals often let water in. Apple does not cover water damage under the standard warranty.
Parts, warranty and diagnosis
About replacement parts
No replacement part sold in Costa Rica is 100 % original — not even for iPhone. Every part comes from factories in China. What changes is the quality, and we tell you which grades exist for your model, and what each costs, before the repair.
- Standard. The budget option. On phones that came with an OLED or AMOLED screen it is usually an LCD (incell) panel: it works fine but looks a little duller and uses a bit more battery.
- Premium. A good-factory OLED or AMOLED screen, or a battery with the same or higher capacity than stock. Colors, brightness and battery life very close to what the phone came with.
- Original-grade. The best quality that reaches Costa Rica: by eye and touch it is hard to tell apart from the factory part. It still comes from China and is not an Apple, Samsung or Xiaomi part. Not available for every model.
- Free diagnosis, no obligation to repair.
- Screens and batteries: 1-month written warranty on the part and the labor. It does not cover new drops, liquids or third-party opening.
- Water-damaged phones: we clean the board and do our best, but there is no guarantee the phone will fully recover.
- Back up your phone before handing it over. Screen, battery and port repairs do not touch your data.
- Mangocel is an independent repair service, not an Apple or Samsung authorized provider.
Frequently asked questions
My iPhone got wet and won’t charge. What now?
Do not force it. The “liquid detected” warning protects the port. Leave it off and dry, and get the board checked: charging a wet phone is what usually kills it.
Can you recover my vacation photos?
Often yes, if the board is cleaned quickly. If the phone does not turn on, we try to repair it enough to copy your photos; we tell you the result without promises.
More in English
- Phone repair in Alajuela, in English
- iPhone repair in Alajuela, Costa Rica
- Phone screen repair in Alajuela: Samsung, Pixel and more
- Phone battery replacement in Alajuela: Samsung and Android
- iPhone screen repair in Alajuela, Costa Rica
- iPhone battery replacement in Alajuela
- Is there an Apple Store in Costa Rica?
- iPhone back glass repair in Alajuela
- Phone repair near SJO airport
- Phone repair in Atenas and Grecia, in English
Phone broken in Costa Rica?
Message us in English with the model and what happened. We reply with the price and the time before touching your phone.
Hours
Monday to Saturday · 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Service area
Phone repair in Alajuela centro, Grecia, San Ramón, Atenas, San Carlos.