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What to Do Immediately When Your Phone Gets Wet

October 15, 2026 · Marion Phone Repair

Your phone just fell in water, got splashed, or was caught in heavy rain, and now you need to act fast. What you do in the first few minutes after liquid contact matters more than anything you do later. Some common advice — like putting your phone in rice — is a myth that wastes critical time. Here is what actually works, in the order you should do it.

The first 60 seconds

1. Get it out of the water immediately. Every second submerged allows more liquid to penetrate deeper into the phone through speaker grilles, charging ports, SIM trays, and button gaps
2. Power it off. If the screen is still on, hold the power button and shut it down. Do not try to check if it still works, do not open apps, do not plug it in. Water and electricity together cause short circuits that destroy components. The phone being off is the single most important thing you can do
3. Do not charge it. Do not plug in a charging cable for at least 24 to 48 hours. Applying power to wet circuits causes corrosion and shorts that are often worse than the initial water exposure
4. Do not press buttons repeatedly. Pressing the power button, volume buttons, or home button can push water deeper into the phone through the gaps around those buttons

Remove what you can

1. Remove the case. Water gets trapped between the phone and the case. Take it off immediately
2. Remove the SIM card tray. Use the SIM ejector tool (or a paperclip) to pop out the SIM tray. This opens a hole that helps water escape and allows air to reach the interior. If your phone has a removable battery (rare on modern phones, but common on older models), remove it
3. Remove any screen protector if it is peeling up at the edges, as water can pool underneath it

Dry the exterior

1. Shake the phone gently with the charging port facing down. Gravity helps water drain out of the port, speaker grilles, and SIM slot
2. Use a lint-free cloth or paper towel to absorb all visible water from the surface, ports, and openings. Twist a corner of the cloth and carefully wick water out of the charging port and headphone jack
3. If you have compressed air (the canned kind used for cleaning electronics), use short bursts directed at the charging port and speaker grilles to push water out. Hold the can upright and keep it at least 6 inches away — too close and the pressure or cold propellant can cause additional damage

Why rice does not work

The internet has been telling people to put wet phones in rice for over a decade, but multiple studies and repair professionals have shown that rice does not help and can actually make things worse:

• Rice absorbs moisture from the air extremely slowly — too slowly to draw water out of the sealed interior of a modern phone before corrosion sets in
• Rice dust and starch particles can get into the charging port, speaker grilles, and SIM slot, creating additional problems
• The phone sitting in rice for 24 to 48 hours gives people a false sense that they are fixing the problem, when in reality the water is sitting on circuit boards the entire time causing corrosion
• A study by Apple and independent repair shops found that phones left in open air dried at the same rate or faster than phones placed in rice

What actually helps dry the phone

Silica gel packets

If you have silica gel packets (the Do Not Eat packets that come in shoe boxes, electronics packaging, and vitamin bottles), these are significantly more effective than rice at absorbing moisture. Place the phone in a sealed container or zip-lock bag surrounded by as many silica gel packets as you have. Silica gel is a commercial desiccant designed specifically to absorb moisture from air.

Moving air

Place the phone in front of a fan or in a well-ventilated area with the charging port facing down. Moving air accelerates evaporation. Do not use a hair dryer — even on the cool setting, hair dryers push air with enough force to drive water deeper into the phone, and the warm air from a heated setting can damage the battery, screen adhesive, and waterproof seals.

Time

After removing surface water and positioning the phone to drain, the most important factor is time. Wait at least 24 hours before attempting to power on the phone. For submersion longer than a few seconds or exposure to non-clean water (salt water, pool water, soda, coffee), wait 48 to 72 hours.

Types of liquid matter

Not all liquids cause the same damage:

• Fresh water (tap water, rain): Least damaging. Causes corrosion over time but does not leave conductive residue. Drying thoroughly is often enough
• Salt water (ocean, salt pool): Highly corrosive. Salt crystals form as the water dries and continue corroding metal contacts even after the phone appears dry. Salt water exposure needs professional cleaning where the phone is opened and the board is cleaned with isopropyl alcohol
• Sugary liquids (soda, juice, coffee with sugar): Leaves a sticky residue as it dries. The sugar attracts moisture and continues causing damage long after the liquid appears to have dried. Like salt water, this usually requires professional board cleaning
• Chlorinated pool water: Moderately corrosive. The chlorine accelerates oxidation of metal contacts. Similar severity to salt water for internal components

What about water-resistant phones

Modern phones rated IP67 or IP68 are water resistant, not waterproof. The resistance degrades over time:

• The seals (adhesive gaskets around the screen, port flaps, button gaskets) wear down with normal use, heat exposure, drops, and age
• A phone rated IP68 when new may have significantly reduced water resistance after 12 to 18 months of daily use
• Apple and Samsung explicitly state that water damage is not covered under warranty, even on their water-resistant models. The water resistance rating is for accidental exposure, not intentional submersion
• If your water-resistant phone gets wet and shows no symptoms, it is probably fine. But if you see any signs of moisture inside the camera lens, screen condensation, speaker muffling, or erratic touch behavior, treat it as water damage and follow the steps above

Signs of water damage

After drying the phone and powering it back on, check for these common signs that water has affected internal components:

• Muffled or distorted speakers: Water in the speaker enclosure. Often resolves on its own as the speaker dries, but can take several days
• Microphone not working during calls: Water in the microphone port. Same as speakers — may resolve with further drying
• Screen has spots or discoloration: Water between the display layers. This may dry out over several days, or it may be permanent if the liquid has stained or corroded the display
• Charging not working or showing moisture warning: Water in the charging port. iPhones and Samsung phones detect moisture in the port and display a warning. Wait for this warning to clear before charging. Use wireless charging in the meantime if available
• Camera foggy from inside: Condensation between the lens and sensor. May clear on its own with time and dry air exposure, or may need professional cleaning
• Phone boots but restarts randomly: Corrosion on the logic board causing intermittent short circuits. This typically worsens over time and needs professional repair

Liquid damage repair in Marion

If your phone has been exposed to liquid and shows any signs of water damage, Marion Phone Repair can open the device, clean the logic board with professional ultrasonic cleaning to remove corrosion, replace damaged components, and give you an honest assessment of whether the phone can be saved or whether the damage is too extensive.