Whether it’s a lake, pool, bathtub, toilet, or shallow puddle, nothing good ever comes from dropping your iPhone in water. Every smartphone owner has had at least a close scare — if not a phone-breaking encounter — with some sort of liquid. It’s evidently a widely shared experience, as iPhone water damage is the leading cause of phone failure, making up 40% of accidents.
And when an iPhone hits the water, drinks, or any other type of liquid, permanent damage can set in quickly. If you find yourself in this kind of situation, it may be second nature to panic. It’s no secret most phone owners cherish their devices and would rather not spend a day without them. Luckily for you, if you keep calm and follow the right steps, you may be able to save your iPhone.
Dropped iPhone in water: First Steps You Should Take
- Turn the iPhone off immediately. This removes the chance that the phone will short circuit, and need to be repaired.
- Remove your case if you have one on, or anything that might be trapping water in the phone.
- Remove your iPhone sim card tray, this could also be trapping water.
- Give your iPhone a wipe down with an absorbent cloth. Wrap a small piece of absorbent cloth around a toothpick or pin, use this to soak up any water from the charging port, headphone jack, and sim card tray.
- Leave your phone in a dry place, and let it air for as long as possible without turning it on. Wait for as long as possible. This is the most important step.
- If none of the above solutions work, you have 2 options — Either, dismantle your iPhone and leave it to dry its interiors (this voids your warranty). Leave it to dry for at least 48 hours.
Things You Should Not Do When Your iPhone In Water
If you find yourself with a waterlogged iPhone, do not try any of the following.
- Turn it on: Liquids, especially those with added electrolytes, are excellent conductors. Most people’s first instinct after they pull their phone out of immediate danger is to check and see if it’s still working, but this is a big no-no. If there’s enough water in your iPhone, turning it on too quickly could fry it completely. The risk of this is much higher if you happen to get saltwater in it, as the electrolytes multiply water’s conductive properties. Powering your device off as soon as you pick it up helps prevent additional damage.
- Use excessive heat: When most people think of drying something, their first instinct may be to use heat. In many cases, that’s a viable course of action, but it could ruin a phone. While hairdryers, laundry dryers and ovens are great for heating things and removing water content, you should under no circumstances use them for a wet electronic device. It might sound silly to some people, but you may come across them as recommended options in a search for answers. The only heat you can use is natural sunlight, and even then, you shouldn’t leave your device directly in the midday sun. Your iPhone could still get hot enough to do damage to its delicate parts.
- Blow into openings: This one could be debatable, but the bottom line is, do not blow into your phone with your mouth or any other direct form of air. Doing so could push water further into your device, causing more damage. Vacuums that suck the water away from the inner workings of your iPhone are a much better bet. If you have a steady hand and are skilled with electronic cleaning techniques, you could use compressed air to blow the water away from the areas around buttons and camera lenses — hence the debatability — however, you shouldn’t directly use it on ports. You can also put a small fan near it to help with air circulation.
- Shake it: Surprisingly, a lot of sources recommend shaking your phone to get out excess liquid. Holding it still with the openings facing down is a far better alternative. Fast motions in any direction can cause the liquid inside the device to shift and affect other areas. Tilting it upside down so the majority of the openings are at the top may do more damage as well, from gravity alone. Keep this in mind throughout the process of fishing for your phone and drying it.
What Are The Categories Of Water Damage?
1. My iPhone won’t turn on
If your iPhone won’t turn on after coming into contact with water, it can be one of two things; either the iPhone has short-circuited, or the water has damaged or corroded some internal components and compromised the circuitry. Both can be irreversible if the phone isn’t looked at by a technician.
There are a couple of tests you can do to check if your iPhone won’t charge, or if there is another issue.
2. My iPhone won’t charge
If your iPhone won’t charge after dropping it in water, there is probably a problem with your charging port, especially if that was the main place that water entered the phone. The charging port is one of the few places that has exposed electrical components, so there is a lot of potential for corrosion. If you’ve eliminated water damage as a problem there may be an issue with your iPhone battery.
The first thing you should do to make sure you don’t damage your iPhone charging port further is to make sure the charging port is completely dry before you plug your phone in. Plugging your phone in when there is water in the charging port will definitely lead to corrosion or a short circuit.
3. My iPhone screen is water damaged
You can tell if your screen has been damaged by water if there are lines or dark spots under the glass. It is difficult to say whether this damage is going to be permanent or if it will lead to other complications, so the best thing to do is turn it off and leave it to dry for as long as possible.
However, there is no guarantee that circuitry under the water damaged or broken iPhone screen isn’t going to corrode over time, and the screen will stop working. The only way to guarantee this is to have a certified iSmash technician look beneath the screen and repair any damaged parts.
4. My iPhone’s speaker doesn’t work
Your iPhone speakers not working? It is difficult to determine whether your iPhone’s speaker has been compromised by water because there are often bigger issues that will stop you from noticing. As with every water-related issue, leave your iPhone to dry for as long as possible. If you manage to turn your phone back on again, backup your phone data before you try to test the speaker.
If there is water in your iPhone speaker, using it could cause the phone to short. If you’ve turned your iPhone back on after letting it dry for as long as you can, try and play a ringtone or some music through your speaker. This will allow you to identify if there is an issue, however, it should be one of the last things to check in order to avoid your phone shorting and causing more damage.
