What To Do When Your Smartphone Falls Into Water

Accidentally dropping a smartphone in water is almost an inevitable experience; it has happened to the best of us.

Often times, we frantically try anything and everything to recover it, all to no avail. But, these instant tips below can be helpful:

Take it out of Water Quickly

Take out the phone from the water as soon as the incident occurs. Some smartphones have a waterproof coating that can resist damage for a few seconds in water. If you have one of these phones, you might actually have no water damage at all if you fish out the phone in due time.

Switch off and Dismantle

Since chances are that your phone was powered on when you dropped it in water, it is advisable to switch it off immediately after taking it out. It will prevent any short circuits from damaging the internals of the phone. After switching off the phone, remove everything possible from the phone- battery, SIM cards, memory cards as well as any accessory.

Shake it off

Gently shake the phone to get rid of any water present in the headphone jack, charging port or under the physical buttons. After this, wipe the phone with a dry cloth thoroughly to remove any drops of water still present.

Bury it And Wait

Get an airtight container or a ziplock bag and fill it with uncooked rice or “garri” or oatmeal. Place your phone inside the rice, shut the ziplock bag/container tight and keep it in a dry place. Leave the phone in the rice for at least 24 to 48 hours. Ideally, do not even try to take the phone out to check if it has started working or not. If there wasn’t too much water damage, your phone should start working.