10 Things I Learned When My iPhone Died (and why having an iPhone makes me a better mom)
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From the kitchen I caught my son in the act. I lept from the stool I was on and rushed into the living room, but it was too late. My iPhone was already dunked in a glass of water by my two year old.
Noooooooooooo!!!
I did all the things you are suppose to do (dry it off, turn it off, let it sit in rice), but it didn’t work. My iPhone died.
10 Things I Learned When My iPhone Died
1. First World Problems Can Make Me Cry – You’ve heard the term “first world problem” before, right? It is something people say when they (or someone else) is complaining about something somewhat superficial that would only be a problem for someone living in a first world country.
Cable is out and you can’t watch The Real Housewives of Atlanta? First world problem. You can’t decide what paint color you want for your brand new mercedes? First world problem. Your son drops your iPhone in a glass of water and now you can’t check Facebook as often as you would like? Definitely a first world problem.
But I cried! I cried big time. I was mad at myself for crying, but as the days went by without a functioning cell phone I began to realize my feelings were valid. If you find yourself in this position, just let it out baby! Cry a big, ugly cry. It is okay.
2. Always Having a Camera With Me is Awesome – I am the family photographer in my house. I try to document everyday life along with the kids’ milestones. I instantly missed having a camera with me at all times.
3. My iPhone Makes Cooking Easier – I love Pinterest. (Follow me!) I use it to organize all of my online recipes and I often pull up recipes on my iPhone while I’m making supper.
4. Going to Bed in the Dark Isn’t Fun – I’m usually the last one to bed every night. I use the light from my cell phone to guide me up the stairs, check on sleeping children, and crawl into bed without disturbing anyone.
5. My iPhone is Good for My Mental Health – I am an extrovert. My Myers Brigg’s personality type is ESFP. Being around other people is energizing for me and I crave social interaction. The death of my phone actually made me feel lonely. I missed listening to my favorite podcasts, checking Instagram, and chatting with my friends on Voxer.
6. I’m Obsessed with Checking My Notifications – As soon as my iPhone died, I realized how often I glance at my phone to see if I have any notifications waiting for me. I don’t read each email as soon as it comes in. I don’t respond to all facebook comments right away. I don’t always take action on my notifications, but I like to know if they are there. Checking on the computer took a lot more time. I had to bring up each website and I would often get distracted with what I found.
7. Smart Phones Make Blogging Easier – This blog brings in a small income that is very helpful for my family. We have big plans to pay off our debt (Sallie Mae, I’m looking at you!) with money that I earn from blogging. I’m a better blogger with my iPhone.
8. Smart Phones are Expensive – I wasn’t due for a phone upgrade for at least 5 months. I thought about waiting that long to replace my dead iPhone for about 0.002 seconds. The answer was, “No way!” iPhones normally cost around $600-$700, but service providers (AT&T, Verizon, etc) subsidize some of that cost so they can offer them at a greater discount to their customers.
I made some calls and quickly realized that my cheapest option for a new phone was to replace it at the Apple Store. It cost $200 and the phone was brand new. Thank goodness for tax return money.
9. Lifeproof iPhone Cases are Worth The Cost – Lifeproof cases are waterproof cases that can go upto 6 feet underwater. They also protect your phone from snow, dirt, and drops. Lifeproof cases cost around $80, but that is less than 50% of what I paid to replace my dead iPhone. I purchased my Lifeproof case on Amazon while it was on sale for $48. You can read more of my thoughts on Lifeproof cases below.
10. A Properly Backed-Up Phone is Heavenly – My iPhone had been fully backed up just one or two days before it was dunked in the water. I didn’t lose anything important. My phone’s storage and my iCloud account are always on the verge of being full. Paying for some extra iCloud storage a few months ago so I could backup my phone was well worth the cost. If you are getting error messages that your phone can’t be backed up, do something about it!
In conclusion, I’ve realized that my iPhone makes me a better mom. I’m less distracted than when I’m using my laptop. I take more family photos. I try new recipes. I bring in more income for my family. Above all, I’m a happier extrovert with my iPhone.
Of course, it was also a bit of a shock to see how much I am constantly looking for or thinking about my notifications. You may have read the guilt inducing “dear mom on your iPhone” type of blog posts. Those writers have a valid point. We all need to work hard to keep our technology use under control. However, iPhones aren’t all bad. My iPhone has been a huge blessing to me and my family. It really has helped me be a better mom.
The Nitty-Gritty About Lifeproof Cases
I asked someone at the Apple Store what I can do to prevent my phone from dying a terrible, wet death again and he had two suggestions for me: 1) always keep it in my pocket & never let my kids touch it 2) buy a lifeproof case. I went with the case.
I didn’t realize how nervous I had been about my iPhone until I put the Lifeproof case on it. A weight was instantly lifted from my shoulders. I don’t worry about using it while I’m cooking or when it is raining. I’m no longer paranoid about it falling out of my back pocket and landing in the toilet! The peace of mind is amazing.
Things I don’t love about the Lifeproof case:
- It is harder to hear audio (music, videos, vox messages). I keep the volume turned up louder than I did before and sometimes I open the door for the charger to let more sound out. I can hear perfectly fine when I hold the phone up to my ear.
- The touch screen isn’t quite as sensitive. It works well the majority of the time, but there are times when I have to press things 2 or 3 times before the screen responds. This is especially noticeable when I’m taking pictures.
- I use my ear buds a lot to listen to podcasts. There is a plug that needs to be unscrewed and then screwed back in when I switch to using my earphones. It can be a bit tedious.
Overall, I am pleased with my Lifeproof case. I recommend it to anyone who is clumsy, has children, hangs out around water often, or doesn’t have the cash to spend at least $200 on a replacement iPhone.
You can find Lifeproof cases at a variety of retail stores or on Amazon:
Has your iPhone died an awful death? How did you react?
Disclosure: I was without a cell phone for 4 days. I bought my Lifeproof case on sale on Amazon. Lifeproof has not sponsored this post in anyway. This post does contain affiliate links, which help support Simply Rebekah. Thank you!
Well, I don’t have an iPhone, but I do have an Android. I could’ve used a Lifeproof case with the first one I had because I forgot I had it in the pocket of my Ergo carrier when I went into a public restroom to change the baby. I grabbed him out of the carrier, flipped it down, and out fell my phone onto ceramic tile. Yeah, it was shattered. Still functioning, thankfully, but shattered. It had a cheap case on it initially, but it started to fall off after a while, and I didn’t make it a point to replace it right away. I dealt with it being shattered for the rest of the time until I could upgrade. With my next phone, I’ve definitely been diligent in making sure the case was functional and have kept a screen protector on it. And keep it away from my curious toddler.
I appreciate being able to do all those things on my phone, like looking on Pinterest for recipes, or I use it to find library books while I’m out (or remember an author or something). I know I’m a little crazy with checking for notifications on FB and stuff. I’ve uninstalled that app a few times just to take a break. (But ultimately, I like being able to share photos and stuff instantly, so it’s on my phone for now.)
My husband lived with a cracked iPhone screen for over a year. I was pretty impressed with his ability to hold out on replacing it!
I’ve had several iPhone deaths. 🙁 my son took mine and played submarine in the toilet with it. I didn’t find it for hours! Then I left one on the top of my car and drove off. Never did find out when or where it flew off!
I have heard great things about the lifeproof cases and almost got one. Just a word of caution about buying on Amazon. There were a lot (I read pretty much all the reviews) that said the case they got was a fake! I hope this isn’t true of yours, but just a heads up to check the serial number against the company. If your phone is damaged while using one of their authentic cases, Lifeproof will replace the whole phone! Yay!
How can you tell if the Lifeproof case is a fake? The serial number? I’ll have to check that out! The box looked legit and the price seemed to be high enough! haha!
It died the other day….as in it went from 22% to black….I was lost for all 45 minutes before I could charge it again. You know when the power goes out but you still turn on the bathroom light….ya that was me looking at my phone….As an ISFP I love my phone so I DON’T have to talk to anybody lol
LOL! I’m not talking about when the battery goes dead, Katey! Haha!
I don’t have an iPhone (yet. Upgrading from Android to iPhone this fall) but I feel the same way. I am by no means glued to my phone but I do find it an amazing tool and think that it helps me be a better mom. Even as simple as my daughter wants to play outside and I have blog/business work to do….we go out to play and I do the work on my phone. Instead of making her stay instead so I can use the computer.
YES, Julie! I’ve been able to “work on the go” quite a bit. Some people would say that is awful and the phone should be 100% put away, but really you have to look at the alternative. Stay inside so momma can work or go outside and let momma “play” on her phone while the kids burn off some energy. I know which one I think is better!
I was painting the trim in my bathroom listening to a podcast and my phone fell out of my pocket and into a can of enamel paint. Luckily it was in an otter box. I quickly pulled off the case and used a safety pin to punch the paint out of the speaker and charger. The phone survived and I was at Verizon an hour later buying a lifeproof case which I like much more than my old otter box.
Oh my word, Mollie!!! I used to always be scared of dropping my phone in the toilet, but I never imagined dropping it in PAINT! Thank goodness you were still able to use the phone.
I killed my phone a few months back. Me and my husband got into a nasty argument and my phone was in my hand so that’s what I chucked (my phones been thrown quite a few times and it was 1.5 years old and an iPhone 4S) well the case cracked off and it’s basically popped in a cloud of teeny tiny glass shards and then fell to the floor. It had been thrown where it dented my wall, and no damage. But this time, pure destruction occurred. Instantly I broke down and cried. For 20 minutes. I live 40 minutes out of town, we got rid of the landline because we both used our cells more than the phone and we have no internet. I was LOST! And the worst part… My screen still lot up. And I could hear my phone ring when someone would call or the ding for a text all my notifications still lit up the screen, but no matter how hard I touch it, I couldn’t make anything work 🙁 so for a month I was without a cell while I mailed mine to the city to be dealt with my apple.
It sucked, and the crappy thing is it was all my fault!
Oh my word, Raylene! Note to self: Don’t hold my cell phone while arguing with Nate.
We still have a landline, so it wasn’t sooooo awful living without my cell phone.