Phone Fell in Water? Do These 7 Things First

A phone in water feels like a disaster, but the first 10 minutes decide most of the damage. Do these things in order — and skip the famous rice trick for now (it is slower than you think, and there is a better first step).

The 7 steps

1. Take the phone out of the water at once. Every extra second matters.
2. Turn it OFF if it is still on. Do not press buttons to 'check' it.
3. Take off the case and take out the SIM tray — trapped water hides there.
4. Wipe the outside dry with a soft cloth. Shake the phone gently, speaker side down.
5. Run the Water Eject tool below — its pulses push water out of the speaker grille while you hold the phone face-down.
6. Leave the phone in moving air (near a fan is perfect) for at least 5–6 hours. Do not charge it while it is wet — never.
7. Turn it on and test the speaker with music. Sound still fuzzy? Run Water Eject once or twice more.

What NOT to do

Do not use a hair dryer — hot air pushes water deeper and can damage seals. Do not press the phone into rice as your only plan: rice absorbs slowly, and dust from rice can enter the ports. And never plug in a charger to 'test' a wet phone — that is how wet phones die.

When to see a repair shop

If the screen flickers, the phone will not turn on after drying, or the camera lenses fog from the inside, water has reached deep parts. Sound tools clean the speaker opening only — a repair shop should open the phone. Be quick: corrosion starts within a day.

Keep reading

• How Does a Speaker Cleaner Work? The Simple Science
• Phone Speaker Muffled? Here's How to Fix It