How To Save A Wet Cell Phone 11 Steps With Pictures

Do not use a blow-dryer or try placing the phone into an oven, microwave, clothes dryer, or any other device—the heat will damage your phone! Avoid shaking or moving the phone excessively, so as to avoid moving water through it.

You could also try sucking out the water with your mouth. This is very gentle and allows you to be close enough to your phone to hear where the water is. Just don’t breathe any spit back into the phone, as that will do more damage. Listen for trapped water while doing this to focus on water-logged areas. Continue to remove water there until the ’trapped water sound’ is all gone (would sound like only air flow then).

Using a higher psi may damage the inner components of your phone.

You can buy silica gel online or at a store, but remember: Speed is the most important element in saving your wet phone. If you don’t have silica gel, move to the next step. There’s no need to open the packets. Simply place them in the container with your phone.

You can find crystal cat litter at most grocery stores and pet-supply shops. Other desiccants, like couscous pearls and instant oatmeal, will also work just as well.

If you’re using couscous, look for the larger pearls, often called “Israeli” couscous. The finer-cut variety can make its way inside your ports. Obviously, don’t add any included seasoning packets. When using instant oatmeal, don’t use the kind with flavors or added sugars. If you don’t have any of these foods and plan to make a trip to the store, go for the crystal cat litter instead of any food item. It will work much better.

If your phone turns on, use it while continuously feeling the backside for overheating (to prevent spontaneous shut offs). Every few minutes (or if it shuts off), remove the back casing (if possible) to wipe off the water droplets that ooze out. Put it back, turn it on, use it, and repeat again, incrementing to more demanding tasks, like video, each time, until the water is all gone (as heat facilitates water out from core electronic parts, which is a part of the recovery process). If nothing happens, place the phone back into a desiccant and give it another day or two before trying to turn it on again. This may need to be repeated multiple times.

If your phone is modern and/or a flagship model, there’s a good chance it’s water resistant. [5] X Research source Water-resistant phones have ratings that begin with “IP6,” followed by the number 7 or 8 (e. g. , IP67, IP68). The phone’s IP rating represents how much water it can handle. IP67-rated phones can generally be submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes without water making its way inside. Some phones that are rated IP67 are Google Pixel 2, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone X, and iPhone XR. IP68-rated phones can be submerged in up to 1. 5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. [6] X Research source Some IP68-rated phones are iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 12 models, iPhone 11 models, Google Pixel 3 and later, Samsung Galaxy S7 and later, Galaxy Note8 and later, Sony Xperia 1 II, and LG Velvet. Don’t turn on your phone and/or open apps to see if it’s working.

Pat down your SIM card, memory card, and/or SIM tray with a dry paper towel or cloth, and then it down to dry. These parts tend to not get water damage and can be kept for recovery. Some phones have water damage indicators that can tell you if water made its way inside. If you have a phone with a removable battery cover, you’ll usually find a water damage indicator behind the battery, or on the battery itself. [7] X Research source If your phone has a removable SIM tray, you may find an indicator on the tray. Look for a small white, pink, or red dot or square. If the dot is pink or red, that means the water damage indicator senses water has made its way into the phone.