What to do when your phone gets wet
The first hour after a phone gets wet matters more than anything that comes after. Water rarely kills a phone on its own. The damage comes from power running through wet parts, and from corrosion that builds over the following days.
The first ten minutes
Do
- Get it out of the water and turn it off right away.
- Take off the case and pull out the SIM tray.
- Wipe it dry and set it somewhere with good airflow.
- Bring it in as soon as you can, even if it seems fine.
Don’t
- Don’t plug it in or charge it.
- Don’t press buttons to see if it still works.
- Don’t use a hair dryer, oven, or microwave.
- Don’t put it in rice and wait.
Why rice doesn’t work
Rice only touches the outside of the phone. It can’t pull water out from under the screen or off the circuit board, and grains and starch dust can get stuck in the ports. Apple now tells iPhone owners not to use rice at all. A day or two in a bag of rice mostly gives corrosion time to start.
Water resistant isn’t waterproof
Most newer phones carry an IP67 or IP68 rating, but those are tested in still, fresh water in a lab. Pools, salt water, soapy water, and drinks are harder on a phone, and the seals that keep water out wear down with age and drops. Manufacturer warranties generally don’t cover liquid damage.
What we do with a wet phone
We open the phone, find where the liquid got in, and clean the inside to stop corrosion from spreading. Then we check the screen, battery, charging port, and cameras, and tell you what works, what doesn’t, and what it would cost to fix. If the phone can be saved, we’ll say so. If it can’t, we’ll tell you that too.
Tip Salt water, pool water, and sugary drinks do the most damage. Tell us what your phone got into when you bring it in.
If it still works, back it up now
Phones that survive a dunk sometimes fail days or weeks later as corrosion spreads. If yours turns on, back up your photos and contacts right away, then bring it in to be checked.