Guide

Wet smartphone first aid: first steps after water damage

By Marcus Brown, phone technician

This page lists what to do if your phone gets wet, based on what phone makers and repair guides say. It uses their own words as the source. It does not use a sound tone as the first step.

Skip the tone and read this page first if:

The phone was under water, not only splashed.
The phone does not turn on, or the screen does not respond.
The phone is hot, or the battery looks swollen.
The liquid was salt water, soap, juice, or another sugary liquid.

In these cases, power the phone off, keep it unplugged, dry it in airflow, and ask the maker or a repair shop. The tone does not reach the inside of the phone. Sources: 2 6 7

What to do if your phone gets wet, in order

Take the phone out of the water. If it was submerged, turn the phone off. 3 7
Do not plug in a cable. Do not charge the phone. Wet connector pins can corrode and cause permanent damage. 1 7
Take off the case and any accessories.
Wipe the outside with a clean, soft, dry cloth. Do not press hard. Hard pressure can push liquid further in. 4 5
Tap the phone gently against your hand with the connector facing down. This removes excess liquid. 1 2
Hold the phone with the speaker facing down, or put it speaker side down on a lint-free cloth. Check if water drips out. 2 4
Do not use a hair dryer, heat, or compressed air. Do not push a cotton swab, paper towel, or other object into an opening. 1 2 5
Leave the phone in a dry place with some airflow. A fan that blows cool air into the connector can help. 1 2 3
Wait at least 5 hours before you charge with a cable. This is Apple's rule for a wet iPhone. See the details below. 1 2
Only if the phone is on, responds normally, and was not submerged: you can try the tone on the home page. It helps with a muffled speaker only. 8

Tone tool: Water eject tone. Checklist with a drying timer: Wet phone checklist.

Charge port and charger: wait times

Wait at least 5 hours before you charge with a cable. This is Apple's rule for a wet iPhone. Apple's liquid-alert page allows a first try after 30 minutes if no alert shows. Waiting longer is safer.

Source	What it says
Apple 102643 (liquid-detection alert)	Try charging after at least 30 minutes only if no liquid alert shows. Leave the phone in a dry place with airflow for up to a day.
Apple 108039 (water resistance)	Allow at least 5 hours before charging with a cable or connecting an accessory. Put the phone speaker side down on a lint-free cloth.

Wireless charging is fine once the back is dry. (Apple 102643)
Android makers give no single wait time. Google says to let the phone dry at room temperature. Samsung says to dry it and avoid heat.
Apple also describes an emergency option to override the liquid-detection alert and charge. Use it only in a real emergency.
Our drying timer shows 5 hours as the recommended time. It shows the 30-minute try as a secondary, earliest time. Both numbers come from the Apple documents.

Sources: 1 2 3 5

how to dry a wet charging port

Other phone makers

Google Pixel: lift it out of the water, turn it off, dry it with a soft cloth, and put it on a flat surface to finish drying at room temperature. Google says water damage is not covered by the warranty. 3
Samsung: for faster drying, use cool air and gently shake the device a few times while you hold the speaker face down. Samsung says moisture on the speaker mesh can be removed by speaker vibration during a call. Samsung says to avoid heat. 4 5
Xiaomi: wipe off residue with a clean, dry cloth and do not press or rub hard. Dry the phone in a dry, well-ventilated place. Xiaomi says silica gel packets can help. If the problem stays, contact the after-sale service center. 6

Salt water and sugary liquids

Samsung says to rinse salt water off with fresh water, then dry the device well with a soft cloth.

General advice: if the liquid was not fresh water, seek service. Do not charge the phone.

Sources: 5

When to get service

The phone was submerged. iFixit says a submerged device probably needs a new battery.
The phone does not turn on after it dries.
The sound is still muffled after a full day of drying.
The liquid-detection alert comes back, or charging does not work.
The liquid was salt water, soap, or a sugary drink.

Apple says liquid damage is not covered by warranty, but you might have rights under consumer law. Google says the same about its warranty. Ask the maker before you pay for a repair. Sources: 2 3 6 7

The rice myth

Do not put a wet phone in rice. Apple says rice particles can damage the iPhone. iFixit says rice and similar drying agents will not help.

General advice: rice does not remove the minerals and other dirt that liquid can leave inside. Airflow and time are the methods the phone makers give.

Sources: 1 7

How to dry your phone fast without rice

Phone makers give two methods: moving air and time. Put the phone near a fan that blows cool air, with the connector facing down. Samsung says cool air can speed up drying.

Phone makers do not give a faster method. Do not use heat, rice, or compressed air.

Sources: 1 4 7

Can I use a hair dryer on a wet phone?

No. Apple says not to use an external heat source or compressed air to dry an iPhone. A hair dryer is an external heat source. Samsung also says to avoid heat.

Sources: 1 5

Phone will not turn on after water

Keep the phone off. Do not charge it to test it. Google says to turn the phone off and let it finish drying at room temperature. iFixit says to disconnect any power source as soon as it is safe.

General advice: if the phone still does not turn on after it dries, ask the maker or a repair shop for service.

Sources: 3 7

How long does a wet phone take to dry?

Apple says to leave the iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for up to a day if the liquid alert returns. Apple also says to allow at least 5 hours before you charge with a cable. Water in the charge port might degrade speaker or microphone performance until it completely evaporates.

Google says to let a Pixel finish drying at room temperature. No maker gives one time for every phone.

Sources: 1 2 3

Silica gel packets

Xiaomi says silica gel packets near the phone can speed up drying. iFixit says rice and similar drying agents do not help. The sources do not agree on drying agents, so airflow and time stay the safe method.

General advice: keep any packets next to the phone. Do not push them into an opening.

Sources: 6 7

Smartphone water damage and corrosion

Apple says that charging with a wet connector can corrode the pins and cause permanent damage. iFixit says to disconnect any power source as soon as it is safe. Corrosion times vary, and we found no tested figure, so we give none.

Sources: 1 7

Samsung or Android phone in water will not turn on

Google says to lift the phone out of the water, turn it off, and dry it with a soft cloth. Samsung says to dry the device and avoid heat. Keep the phone unplugged.

General advice: do not press the power button again and again to test the phone.

Sources: 3 4 5 7

Water-resistant is not waterproof

Apple's page covers splash, water and dust resistance of iPhone 7 and later. Resistance is not the same as waterproof. If your phone fell in a pool or was dropped in water, it can still take water damage after that water exposure.

General advice: look up the IP rating of your phone, for example IP68, in the maker's specifications. A water-resistant phone is not safe from all water. Do not treat the rating as a promise. A crack, a drop or age can change how well a phone keeps water out. A water-resistant phone can still need the first steps above.

Sources: 2

Air dry, step by step

Step 1. Power the phone off.

Step 2. Wipe the outside with a soft, dry cloth.

Step 3. Hold the phone with the connector facing down and tap it gently on your hand.

Step 4. Put the phone in a dry place with some airflow and let it dry.

Step 5. Leave the phone alone until it is completely dry. Then wait at least 5 hours before you charge with a cable.

Apple says an iPhone can take up to a day in airflow. Samsung says cool air can speed up drying and to avoid heat. General advice: do not turn the phone on again and again to test it. Residual moisture can stay inside after the outside looks dry.

Sources: 1 2 4 5

Phone case and SIM tray

Take off the phone case and any protective case at once. General advice: a case can hold water against the phone and slow the drying. Wipe the case and the phone separately.

General advice: you can eject the SIM tray with the tool from the box. Dry the tray and the SIM card with a soft cloth. Some phones keep a memory card in the same tray. Dry it too. Put the tray back only when it is dry. Do not open the phone. Most phones do not have a removable battery.

If the touch screen acts strangely

General advice: water on the glass can make the touch screen react to touches that you did not make. It can also miss your touches. Power the phone off. Wipe the screen with a soft, dry cloth. Do not press hard. Let the phone dry in airflow, then try the touch screen again.

If the touch screen still acts strangely after the phone is dry, ask the maker or a repair shop.

Sources: 4 5

When to go to phone repair

Go to phone repair if you dropped it in water and it was fully submerged, if the phone does not turn on, or if the problem stays after it dries. Submersion lets water reach internal components that you cannot dry from the outside.

iFixit describes how to take a device apart to drain the remaining liquid. A repair shop does this work. Do not try it yourself. Apple and Google say liquid damage is not covered by warranty. Ask the maker before you pay.

Sources: 2 3 7

If your phone fell in water: first steps

If your phone fell in a sink, a pool or the sea, take it out at once. Water can enter through the charge port, the speaker and the SIM tray. Then follow the steps above: power off, no cable, wipe, tap, and air dry.

Apple says the pins can corrode if you charge a wet connector. For salt water, Samsung says to rinse it off with fresh water and dry the phone well. General advice: pool water can leave residue after it dries. A phone that dropped in water and works fine now can still have water inside, so wait before you charge.