Splish splash: How to get water out of your phone

So you forgot to take your phone out of your pocket before tubing the rapids. Or maybe you thought it would be a good idea to watch TikToks in the bathtub and… whoopsie. Ideally, you’re reading this blog preemptively, to be prepared for the worst case scenario. But if that’s not the case and your phone already took a dip, moving fast is crucial to minimize any long-term damage. You need to know how to get water out of your phone, so let’s dive in (too soon?).

Here’s how to dry your phone

Like we said, you need to act quickly if your phone is wet. Here are the steps you should take right away:

• Remove the phone from the water
  • This should be obvious, but if your phone is still at the bottom of a hot tub as you’re reading this, please go retrieve it
• Power your phone off immediately
  • Your notifications can wait. If your phone is running while wet, it’s at risk of electrical shorts, so turn it off ASAP
• Remove any & all phone accessories
  • Your phone case, charge cable, SIM tray etc. can all retain water and keep it trapped against your phone. 
• Gently shake out any water drops and dry the ports by blowing air on them
  • You want to avoid using heat (so no hair dryers), but your own lungs or one of those fancy folding fans could do the job 
• Wrap it in a dry towel
  • Not too tight, we don’t want the towel to end up holding water up against the phone

After you’ve taken these steps, leave your phone off for several hours to ensure that it’s completely dried out before you turn it back on. Take this time to go outside, read a book or, if you’re like me, watch an entire movie at home without missing any important plot points because you won’t get distracted by your phone. 

What is the best way to dry your phone?

The first thing people tend to think of when they need to dry out a phone is rice, because it absorbs moisture from its surroundings. However, silica gel packets are designed to draw moisture specifically from electronics, so they work even better (and aren’t as likely to get stuck in your charge port). If you do any online shopping, you probably have a silica gel packet or two in a shoebox somewhere. If you just so happened to proactively have some on hand when your phone got wet, place several of them in an airtight container or plastic bag along with your phone while it’s off. Then leave it alone for at least 24-48 hours while the silica gels do their thing. You can also purchase silica gel packets in bulk online, before your next pool day. They’re handy for storing and shipping stuff too. 

How to dry phone speakers and charging ports

If you don’t have silica gel packets at the ready, there are still other things you can do to dry out the charge ports and speakers on your phone.

• Use gravity
  • Hold your phone upright and gently shake it so water can drain from the charge port
• Don’t stick anything in there though
  • Cotton swabs or tissues can push residual moisture deeper into the phone, causing more problems than they’ll solve 
• Use a small fan
  • Place a small desk fan a few feet away from your phone to assist with air circulation. But remember, no hair dryers—heat can cause even more damage to your phone than water
• Be patient
  • We know it’s hard not being able to post on social media right away about how you just got your phone wet, but you need to let your phone dry out for at least 24-48 hours

Signs of phone water damage

So you stripped it, shook it, and sealed it with silica gel over the weekend. Now it’s time to see if your phone has sustained any liquid damage. Signs of liquid damage include:

• Non-responsive or erratic touchscreen
• Phone shuts off or reboots on its own
• Distorted audio through speaker or earpiece
• Moisture under screen or on camera lens (visible patches of condensation)
  

If your phone is experiencing any of these things, chances are it has sustained permanent damage. Hopefully you have phone insurance, which can be a real lifesaver in these situations.

If you aren’t with Mint Mobile… water you waiting for?

If you anticipate water damage being a risk in the future, you may want to look into a waterproof phone case. Most modern smartphones do boast about being water resistant, but an IP68 rating does not mean a phone is waterproof. So if it does get wet, be sure to dry it off ASAP. And if your big wireless bill is running you dry each month, consider bringing that phone to Mint Mobile. We like saving you money even more than we like saving your phone. Click below to learn more about who we are, what we do and why Mint Mobile is known for making waves.