New York Woman Emotional After iPhone Retrieved From the Bottom of the Atlantic, Still Working: ‘Android Left the Chat’

We’re all attached to our phones these days. Influencers Kimchi & Jollof recently learned how important — and durable — theirs was when their iPhone was recovered from the Atlantic. It happened when a gust of wind on Martha’s Vineyard knocked their phone into the murky depths. A diver recovered it later, with video and sound of the drop still available.

The couple, known for sharing travel, lifestyle, and relationship content on TikTok, documented the ordeal in a series of videos. According to the New York-based couple, the incident unfolded when a sudden gust of wind caught the phone.

The first post shows the iPhone on a tripod as they captured footage of themselves standing on the dock. The wind picks up as the man struggles to keep his hat on, and the woman’s hair gets blown in the gale.

Then, the tripod topples over, plunging the device into the deep. It records sound and footage of what might have been its final resting place. The loss appeared immediate and devastating.

Considering the cost of a new iPhone 17 Pro Max, many viewers understood her reaction. “Phones are hella expensive,” one commenter wrote.

Diver hired, iPhone recovered from Atlantic

Rather than writing the device off as a total loss, the creators decided to hire a diver to search for it. What happened next surprised both them and millions of viewers following the story online.

As another video shows, the diver eventually located the iPhone on the ocean floor and brought it back to the surface. To their amazement, the diver located and recovered the phone after it had spent nearly a full day submerged in saltwater.

Even more remarkably, the phone still functioned perfectly and had captured over two and a half hours of continuous underwater footage from the ocean floor before its battery cut out. The woman grew even more emotional when she learned the diver had successfully recovered her phone. Kimchi & Jollof shared the sound and the footage the phone captured.

“Android left the chat,” one commenter joked, referencing the phone’s apparent resilience. Another viewer suggested the incident amounted to an unpaid marketing campaign for Apple. “Apple should pay you for the free ad,” the commenter wrote.

Modern devices are designed with significant water-resistance protection. Still, manufacturers typically note that water-resistance ratings are based on controlled testing conditions and can diminish over time with normal wear and tear. That makes the reported recovery all the more unusual.

The story joins a growing list of extraordinary smartphone survival tales, including iPhones that have reportedly survived ocean submersion, river accidents, and even falls from aircraft. However, spending more than 22 hours at the bottom of the Atlantic and still working ranks among the more dramatic examples.

(featured image: Kimchi & Jolloff @KimchixJollof)

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