I accidentally left my iPad on an electric stove set to maximum heat for up to two minutes while I was preparing food. When I returned, it was smoking heavily, and the plastic case had melted badly. I burned my hand removing it, then put the iPad in the trash with some damp paper towels over it. It had been playing a video through headphones, which started glitching before the device shut off. After about 18 hours, it still will not turn on. The smoke smelled like burnt plastic and rubber, possibly from the case and stickers. Is the battery or the entire iPad likely ruined, and is there any realistic way to recover the data?
2 Answers
Your best chance of getting the data is through your Apple account rather than the damaged device. Sign in to iCloud and check whether photos, contacts, notes, files, and other important information were syncing or backed up. Anything stored only locally may require a specialist data-recovery or board-repair service, and iPads use encryption, so recovery is not guaranteed and could be expensive. Avoid repeatedly attempting to power it on, since that can worsen battery or board damage.
If the case melted, smoke came out, and the iPad no longer powers on, it almost certainly suffered major heat damage. The battery may have vented, and heat could also have damaged the display, logic board, connectors, and storage components. Do not try charging it or turning it on again, especially if it is swollen, warm, smells chemical, or was left in a trash bin with damp material. Keep it away from anything flammable and take it to an electronics or battery-recycling service for safe handling. A repair shop can inspect it, but replacing enough parts may cost more than another iPad.
I will check iCloud first. I was mainly worried about files that may not have been synced, so I may ask a repair shop whether a board-level assessment is worthwhile.