It fell in the toilet. Your clumsy partner poured a glass of water on it. You forgot it was in your pocket when you jumped into the pool. Those are just a few of the hundreds of ways your phone can come into contact with liquid life-threateningly.
Fortunately, waterproofing has usually become standard on modern phones. New iPhones, Samsung Galaxy devices, and Google’s latest Pixel phones all have some degree of water resistance or water resistance. A phone’s water resistance is measured on an IP scale (or Ingress Protection). If your phone has a high rating such as IP67 or IP68 protection, congratulations, it will probably be fine! But if it’s rated lower or none at all, prepare for the worst before chilling out in the hot tub with your trusty Sidekick.
So if your phone decides to take a dip, once you’re done going crazy, you’re likely to frantically tap, blow, or blow on all the buttons with a hair dryer to get rid of all that water quickly. While these are all well-intentioned actions, guess what? Completely the wrong approach. This is the right way to save your water damaged smartphone.
First pick it up as soon as possible. If your phone is still at the bottom of the jacuzzi or toilet, get it out as soon as possible. The longer it is in the liquid, the greater the risk of damage.
Once the device is no longer submerged, turn it off immediately. Don’t try to press any of the other buttons or load apps, just turn it off. Remove the case if you have one. If you have a phone with a removable battery, remove the battery. You want to disconnect the power in the device as soon as possible to avoid the possibility of a short circuit. Most smartphones today do not have removable batteries, but some older models or new models built for reparability, such as the Nokia 1.3, allow you to take the battery out.
Do not blow dry or put your wet phone in the oven! Heat can damage the delicate electronics inside. What you need to do is quickly wipe the naked, case-free phone with a clean towel, taking care not to accidentally get water in the charging port, SIM or MicroSD slots, or headphone jack (if your phone still has one). If traces of water are trapped in cracks or nicks in the case, carefully and conservatively try to use compressed air to blow it out. If you don’t have a can of air, you can gently blow it out with your mouth. Be careful not to blow the water further into the phone, or add your own spit to the mix.
Next up, we have a few different options. When searching the Internet or asking a friend, one common piece of advice you hear is to put your device in a bag of rice. It often works in a pinch, but that method can cause some issues. While rice is absorbent, it cannot collect all of the moisture hidden deep in your phone so it only serves as a partial solution. Also, the rice gets mushy and sticky as it absorbs the water, and then you could end up with sticky bits of rice stuck in the seams and ports of your phone. To be on the safe side, wrap the phone loosely in a paper towel before dropping it in the rice.