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It’s happened again. You were trying to answer a call while washing
dishes, and your phone takes a dive straight into the sink. Getting
water inside your phone is one of the most devastating ways to watch
your mobile device bite the dust, but fear not, all is not lost just
yet.
The first, and most obvious step you’ll need to take within moments
of your phone getting dunked is remove the battery. The whole reason a
phone fries when it hits an excess patch of moisture is because the
battery is sending power through the circuits, which then short out when
the connections are bridged by the conductor of H2O.
This also goes for anything else that might keep the water from
getting back out during the drying process. SIM card, SD card,
headphones; if there’s a plugged hole, get it unplugged as soon as
possible.
If your phone doesn’t have a removable battery, move onto the next step.
Step 2: Shut Down the Phone
Do not collect $200, do not pass GO. Every spare second is of the
essence in this situation, because the longer your phone stays on, the
greater the risk it will be damaged to the point of no return.
Shut down your immediately phone using the power button, and be sure
it’s completely off before you move into the next phase of surgery.
Step 3: Take the Phone Apart
If you’re not comfortable with the idea of taking your phone apart on your own, skip to step 4.
If you’re someone like me who’s also had to replace the screen on
their iPhone enough times that getting the case open is second nature by
this point, start by unscrewing the backplate and getting the logic
board out in open air.
Note: opening an iPhone is going to void the warranty. If you have a protection plan, you probably shouldn’t open the phone.
iPhones are particularly great in this department because the two
main connectors between the logic board and the battery pop right off in
a single motion.
Step 4: Blast With Compressed Air
Regardless of whether your phone is in two pieces or still stuck
together as one at this point, the next part of this process involves
using a can of compressed air to clean out every nook and cranny
possible.
If the phone is opened, blow air into the logic board, between the
screen, and around the battery. Closed phones should be blasted through
any open holes in the case, including the speaker ports, microphone,
charging dock and earpiece.
The charging port is where you should focus most of your attention,
as it has the closest proximity to the battery compartment and will give
you the most amount of space to move the nozzle around from left to
right inside.
Step 5: When in Doubt, a Hair Dryer Will Do
If you don’t have a can of compressed air on hand (though we
recommend you try to pick a few up just in case of such an emergency), a
hair dryer will work almost just as well. Be sure NOT to turn the
settings on to any kind of heat — only use cool air.
Thought it may sound counter-intuitive, the act of heating up any
water trapped inside too quickly will cause the components to swell, and
steam to release in some of the last places you want it to go.
Step 6: Submerge in Rice, Quinoa, or Couscous
Finally, we come to the most critical step of all. The one that no
matter if you used compressed air or a hair dryer, popped the battery
out or otherwise, is your best hope for rescuing your device: stick it
into some rice.
Editor’s Note: this works because rice acts
as a (weak) desiccant, which pulls moisture out of the air, which means
it will slowly pull the moisture out of the phone. If you want a
stronger solution that will pull the moisture out of the phone more
quickly (and be way more reliable), look into getting an iFixit Thirsty Bag.
A common household item that most people are likely to have stored
somewhere in their pantry, you’ll need about half a pound to a pound for
this trick to work effectively. First, take the rice out of its
packaging and put it into a tupperware container that can maintain an
airtight seal.
Next, completely submerge your phone in the rice (we’ve also heard
couscous and quinoa work well for this process), and stick a lid on the
container after burping out any excess air. This is what helps to pull
the water out of the phone and into the surrounding grains, so the more
air you can get out, the better.
After that, you’re going to need to wait at least 72 hours before even thinking about trying to turn the device back on.
Some gurus will say it only needs 36 hours, but in testing it’s been
proven that the longer you wait before booting anything back up, the
better your chances of getting your phone back into working order
without losing any of the precious data contained inside.
This is the step that takes the most patience and pure will, but if
you can pull it off, the rewards are definitely worth the wait.
Step 7: Hope and Pray
Once the three day grace period has elapsed, pull the phone out of
the container. Carefully check every part of the device to ensure that
there’s no excess water left (this can include giving it a slight shake
downward to see if anything drops out of the charging port or speaker
slots), and once you’ve verified it’s dry as a bone, pop the battery
back in, cross your fingers, and push the power button.
If all went according to plan the phone should boot right back up,
and it’ll be like that plunge into the pool never even happened in the
first place.
Bonus Tip: Buy a Water Resistant Phone (Or Waterproof Your Phone)
If your phone is safe and sound, or if you just rescued your phone, you should really consider waterproofing your phone before disaster strikes again.
The easiest thing to do is buy a waterproof case, but there are other steps that you can take. Be sure to read our entire article on waterproofing your current phone before doing anything else.
If you are in the market for a new phone, you also have other
options. These days, waterproof smartphones aren’t just a luxury left
for military personnel or professionals working out in the field.
Devices like the Xperia M4 Aqua, HTC’s Desire Eye, and the Samsung
Galaxy S5 all have an IPX7 rating, which means they can be completely
submerged in water down to one meter for upwards of 30 minutes at a
time.
Somewhat surprisingly, however, Samsung actually took a step back this
year with the release of the Galaxy S6, turning what used to be a fully
waterproof device back into a fragile piece of hardware that could
explode at the slightest sign of rain.
Even so, the above devices are all great if you spend a lot of days
outdoors and worry about plopping your phone in a puddle, or just want
something that won’t need to get replaced the next time you’re trying to
water the garden and talk to Grandma at the same time.
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