Phone fell in water — what NOT to do
The first minutes decide. Rice, a hair dryer and trying to switch it on are the three things that make it worse.
Water rarely kills a phone immediately. Corrosion over the following days kills it — along with what we do in the first hour.
Straight away
Switch the phone off and do NOT switch it on to see whether it works. Current through a wet board is what makes the damage irreversible.
Remove the case and the SIM tray. Dry the outside. If the phone has a removable back and battery, take the battery out too.
What NOT to do
Rice. It does not work — rice absorbs moisture from the air, not from inside the phone, and leaves dust in the ports. It is a popular myth.
A hair dryer or a radiator. Heat pushes water deeper in and softens the adhesives.
Charging. Current plus moisture in the port means corrosion and sometimes a burnt controller.
What does help
Room temperature, the phone upright with the port facing down, for at least 48 hours. If you have a silica gel sachet, put it alongside.
Afterwards
Even if the phone starts normally, water stays inside. Signs of corrosion appear days or weeks later: a quiet microphone, a foggy camera, a battery that drains fast.
With salt or chlorinated water do not wait — corrosion there is fast, and professional board cleaning in the first days is the only thing that helps.
A note on water resistance: the ratings apply to new devices. On a phone that has been opened or dropped, the seals are no longer the same.
Have a question about a specific device?
Call us or drop by the showroom — we check the device together.