What to Do When Your Phone Gets Water Damage

Published 2026-10-16 · Marion Phone Repair

Your phone just fell in water — a toilet, a pool, a sink, a puddle, or it got caught in heavy rain. What you do in the next few minutes matters more than anything else for the phone's survival. Water and electronics do not mix, but many water-damaged phones can be saved if you act quickly and correctly. The biggest mistake people make is turning the phone on too soon or trying to charge it while it is still wet inside.

Do this immediately (first 60 seconds)

1. Get it out of the water. Every second submerged increases the amount of water that enters the phone through speaker grills, charging port, SIM tray, and button gaps
2. Turn it off immediately. If the phone is still on, power it off right away. Do not try to check if it still works. Water causes short circuits when electricity flows through wet components — turning the phone off stops the current that causes circuit damage. On iPhone, hold the side button and volume button, then slide to power off. On Android, hold the power button and select Power Off
3. Do NOT plug it in or try to charge it. Charging a wet phone pushes electricity through water-damaged circuits, causing corrosion and shorts that destroy components. Do not connect any cable to the charging port
4. Do NOT press buttons repeatedly. Pressing buttons can push water deeper into the phone through the button gaps

Dry the outside

1. Remove the phone case immediately. Water gets trapped between the case and the phone
2. Remove the SIM card tray. Use the SIM eject tool or a paperclip to pop the tray out. This opens a hole that allows airflow into the phone and lets trapped water drain. On phones with a removable battery (rare on modern phones), remove the battery
3. Shake the phone gently with the charging port facing down to drain water from the port and speaker openings. Do several gentle shakes
4. Wipe the entire phone with a dry, lint-free cloth. Pat dry all openings — the charging port, headphone jack, speaker grills, and microphone holes. Roll a corner of tissue paper into a point and carefully wick moisture from the charging port and headphone jack

What NOT to do

Common advice that actually makes things worse:

• Do NOT put the phone in rice. Rice does not effectively absorb moisture from inside a phone. The starch dust from rice can get into the charging port and speaker openings, causing additional problems. Rice absorbs moisture from the air only slightly better than open air alone. It is a myth that has been tested and debunked by repair professionals and Apple themselves
• Do NOT use a hair dryer or heat gun. Heat can warp internal plastic components, melt adhesives holding the screen assembly together, and push moisture deeper into the phone through convection. The water needs to evaporate slowly, not be blown around the inside of the phone
• Do NOT put the phone in an oven or microwave. Even low oven temperatures can damage the battery (lithium batteries are heat-sensitive) and melt internal components. A microwave will destroy the phone instantly
• Do NOT shake the phone violently. Gentle shaking with the ports facing down is fine, but violent shaking can spread water to components that were dry

Dry the inside

After removing external moisture, the phone needs time for internal moisture to evaporate:

Best method: silica gel packets

1. Place the phone in a sealed container or zip-lock bag with a handful of silica gel packets (the small packets that come in shoe boxes, electronics packaging, and food packaging). Silica gel is a much more effective desiccant than rice
2. If you do not have silica gel packets, you can buy silica gel cat litter (unscented, crystal type) at any pet store. Fill a bag or container with the crystals and bury the phone in them
3. Leave the phone in the silica gel for at least 48 hours. Do not open the bag to check — opening it lets humid air in and slows the drying

Alternative: open air in a dry room

1. If you do not have silica gel, place the phone in a dry room with good air circulation. Position it with the charging port facing down (propped at an angle) so gravity helps water drain from openings
2. A room with a dehumidifier or air conditioning is ideal. The drier the air, the faster moisture evaporates from inside the phone
3. A gentle fan blowing across (not into) the phone helps evaporation. Do not blow air directly into the ports
4. Wait at least 48 hours. For phones that were fully submerged for more than a few seconds, wait 72 hours

After drying (48+ hours)

1. Before turning the phone on, inspect the charging port with a flashlight. If you see any moisture, white residue (mineral deposits from the water), or green corrosion, the phone needs more drying time or professional cleaning
2. Check the water damage indicator. Most phones have a small indicator inside the SIM tray slot that turns red or pink when exposed to water. iPhone: look inside the SIM tray slot with a flashlight — a white or silver indicator means no water contact, red or pink means water was detected. Android: similar indicator in the SIM tray area or under the battery cover on older phones
3. Power on the phone. If it turns on normally, test everything: touchscreen response, both speakers (earpiece and loudspeaker), microphone (make a call), camera, charging (only now is it safe to plug in), all buttons, cellular signal, and Wi-Fi
4. If the phone does not turn on: try charging it for 30 minutes (the battery may have drained during the drying period). If it still does not turn on, internal damage may require professional repair

What water damages

Understanding what water actually damages helps set expectations for recovery:

• Corrosion: The biggest long-term threat. Water (especially non-pure water like pool water, salt water, or toilet water) leaves mineral deposits and causes corrosion on circuit board traces and component connections. Corrosion gets worse over time even after the phone appears to work. A phone that works fine after drying may develop problems days or weeks later as corrosion spreads
• Short circuits: Water bridges electrical connections that should not be connected. If the phone was on when submerged, these short circuits can burn out components instantly. This is why turning off the phone immediately is so important
• Speaker and microphone damage: The speakers and microphones have membranes that can be damaged by water. Sound may be muffled, distorted, or absent after water exposure. Speakers sometimes recover as they dry; sometimes they need replacement
• Charging port corrosion: The charging port pins are exposed metal and corrode quickly. A water-damaged phone may show slow charging, intermittent charging, or no charging after exposure

Salt water and chlorinated water

Salt water (ocean) and pool water are significantly more damaging than fresh water:

• Salt water is highly conductive and corrosive. It causes rapid corrosion on all metal components. If the phone was in salt water, it needs professional ultrasonic cleaning as soon as possible — air drying alone will not prevent salt corrosion
• Pool water contains chlorine and other chemicals that accelerate corrosion. Similar to salt water, professional cleaning is recommended
• If professional cleaning is not immediately available, rinse the phone briefly with distilled water (not tap water) before drying. This sounds counterintuitive, but distilled water has no minerals or salt, so rinsing with it removes the corrosive salt and chlorine deposits before they dry on the circuit board. Then proceed with the drying steps above

Water resistance ratings

Many modern phones have IP67 or IP68 water resistance ratings, but this does not mean they are waterproof:

• IP67 means the phone survived testing in 1 meter of fresh water for 30 minutes in a controlled lab environment. IP68 typically means 1.5 to 6 meters depending on the manufacturer
• Water resistance degrades over time. The seals and adhesives that keep water out weaken from normal use, drops, temperature changes, and age. A 2-year-old IP68 phone is less water resistant than when it was new
• Water resistance does not cover salt water, pool water, soapy water, or any liquid other than fresh water. These liquids have different surface tensions and can penetrate seals that block fresh water
• Water damage is not covered by warranty even on water-resistant phones. The manufacturer considers water exposure user damage

Water damage repair in Marion

If your phone got wet and is not working correctly after drying — speaker sounds muffled, touchscreen has dead zones, camera shows fogging, charging port does not work, or the phone will not turn on at all — Marion Phone Repair can perform ultrasonic cleaning to remove corrosion, replace damaged components (speakers, charging ports, batteries), and recover a water-damaged phone that home drying could not fully fix.