Most of us have experienced it before: that heart-stopping moment as you watch your phone hurdle down toward that puddle, or pool, or in some very unlucky cases, the toilet. Fixing a water damaged phone can prove to be extremely difficult, but there are some things you can try that can potentially bring your phone back from the brink of death.
Act Fast
Remove your phone from the water immediately. The longer it is submerged, the more damage is being caused. So move quickly and get it out of there!
Turn It Off
The first thing you should do as soon as you retrieve your phone is turn it off. A lot of people make the mistake of immediately trying to turn on their phone to see if it still works, effectively causing it to short circuit. Taking out the battery or performing a hard shutdown on phones that do not have access to the battery are the best options. And if your phone was already off when it became submerged, DO NOT turn it back on yet.
Make a Path
After you shut your phone down, the next step is to open up your phone as much as possible to create paths for the water to exit. Remove any outer protective case you may have on so that you are working with a bare phone. This includes taking off the back cover, removing the battery, SIM card, memory card, and any headphones you might have had plugged in. Note: If you have a battery that cannot be removed easily, don’t try to remove it. You don’t want to risk damaging your phone even further
Rinse It
If you dropped your phone into water that was unsanitary, salty or any other liquid, rinse it under a stream of clean tap water to flush it out.
Drain It
Shake it. Tilt it. Blow into it. Do everything you can to get as much water out of it as possible.
Open It
Open the case of your phone to allow air to get in. If you’re not sure how to do this correctly, there are many tutorials online. You can also bring it into Battery Joe, we’d be happy to help.
Dry It Up
Now it’s time to dry your phone. You may have heard that sticking your phone in rice is the best way to absorb water from it, but there are actually a few other solutions that work much better. Try putting it near a fan or in a room with a ceiling fan to improve air flow. If you were planning on using an absorbent, silica gel is probably your best option. This can be bought in stores as “crystal” cat litter. Instant couscous or instant rice work much better than conventional rice and can be used as a suitable replacement to silica gel.
Leave It
Leave your phone alone for a few days. Do NOT try to turn it on until you are absolutely sure that the water trapped in tight spaces or in the circuit boards have had more than enough time to dry completely.
Test It Out
Once your phone is completely dry and put back together try turning it on. If it is still not working, charge it for a few hours and try it again. If there is still no response after charging, you might need to replace the battery. Battery Joe would be happy to help you out with this part, and we can change your iPhone batteries as well. If all else fails, be sure to hold on to your SIM and SD cards to save your contacts and possibly some data.
Hopefully, these few simple steps can save you from a big headache in the future, and if not, be sure to stop by Battery Joe and stock up on accessories for your new phone!