Dropped your iPhone in water? Here are some great tips that show how to dry out a wet iPhone and fix any damage.
So, your iPhone got wet. You panic. What do I do if I drop my iPhone in water? You were trying to get some cool snaps in the pool, weren’t you? Here’s how to dry it out, fix the water damage, and recover data on your iPhone.
Things To Do/Not To Do Right Away
- Firstly, take the iPhone out of the water.
- Do NOT plug it in to charge at all.
- Do NOT try to turn it on.
- Take your iPhone out of the case (if any).
- Remove the SIM & Tray.
- Removing the battery helps. But, if you are not skilled enough to do this, DON’T.
- DO NOT use a hairdryer to dry your wet iPhone.
Dry The External Parts
Once, you complete the above, wipe away any and all visible liquid on your iPhone. Then, turn your iPhone upside down. Give it a gentle shake to get rid of water you did not or cannot see.
Turn Off Your iPhone
You must avoid activating the circuits inside your iPhone. If your iPhone is already off, then good. Leave it that way. But, if it is on, here are your two options.
You can power off your iPhone (but in the process the screen and operating system to wake up briefly before switching off) or leave the device in sleep mode and hope that you do not get any notifications.
Which do you choose? More than likely, your best bet is turning it off quickly to avoid long term damage.
Dry Out Your Water Damaged iPhone With Dry Rice
By dry rice, we mean “uncooked rice”. Rice helps draw out water on the inside of your iPhone. Here’s what to do.
- Get a big bowl (with a cover).
- Pour some rice into the bowl.
- Put your wet iPhone into the bowl of rice.
- Add some more rice on top to completely submerge your iPhone so that the rice surrounds the iPhone, covering the screen.
- Cover the bowl.
- Leave the iPhone in the rice for 3 days.
- After three days, plug the iPhone in to charge.
- Switch on the iPhone to see if it works.
- If nothing happens, put it back in the container of rice for 3 more days.
Dry Out Your Wet iPhone With Silica Gel
Silica gel packets are a really good desiccant. They are 10 times better at absorbing water than dry rice. Normally, you get them in small packets.
Buy them on Amazon or in craft shops. But, you need to buy enough to cover your iPhone.
- To begin, place your water damaged iPhone in a container.
- Then, put the silica gel packets on top of, beneath and around your iPhone.
- Cover the container.
- Leave your iPhone covered in the silica gel packets for about 2 days.
- Lastly, take out your iPhone, plug it in, and try to power it on.
Things To Do After You Fix Your Water Damaged iPhone
So, the rice or silica gel worked for you. Great!. The first thing to do is BACKUP YOUR DATA. But, wait, you still need to take your iPhone to repair shop to have the internal parts checked.
Why? Because, even if your iPhone works for now, in the long run, your iPhone can start getting hot. This indicates that there is some internal issue causing the iPhone to overheat.
For example, water could have damaged your iPhone’s battery when you dropped it in water. Also, be sure to backup all data on your iPhone. Best of luck!