marc:

… To my surprise, an Apple Genius handed me a replacement within a few minutes of looking at the phone. (Interesting side note, the Genius shined some sort of UV light down the iPhone’s audio-out port. Apparently Apple can tell if an iPhone has been submerged in water that way. Not that mine had.) …

what they’re looking for is a water-sensitive indicator sticker that changes color when it comes into contact with water. in the cellphone industry, this sticker is colloquially referred to as the “fuck ‘em sticker”. in that “fuck ‘em” is the warranty’s replacement decision when a sticker indicates contact with water.