How To Save A Drowned Phone

Helpful tricks to save your water damaged phone.

These days, mobile phones are like an extension of our hand, they go everywhere with us. Whether you’re taking the kids to the beach, going to the bathroom or visiting the gym, it’s pretty safe to say that your mobile is tagging along with you.

With the convenience of your phone being mobile, comes the increased risk of you dropping it in something that a mobile phone should never be dropped in water. Don’t panic though, we have the goods to help you if you ever find your mobile playing anchor. If you’ve drowned your phone, here are 9 steps back to dryness!

Step 1. Relax & Retrieve

With a deep breath, get your hand into whatever liquid your phone is submerged in and reef it out straight away.The longer you leave it immersed, the higher the risk of eternal damage.

Step 2. Don’t Fiddle

Putting pressure on any of the buttons can cause the liquid to shift so don’t play with the switches and buttons to see if it still works.

Step 3. Completely Power The Phone Down

Unless you have an iPhone or another model with a non-replaceable battery, unlock the battery and put it to the side immediately. This minimises power which you want to do to avoid the device short-circuiting. If you do own one of the former-mentioned handsets, you’re going to have to push a few buttons to check if it’s still on. If it is, swiftly, but very carefully, shut it down.

Step 4. Undress for Success

Not you, the phone. Remove any exteriors including attachments and case/skin. Carefully extract the SIM and any SD cards your device may carry. To aid ventilation, leave all covers or ports on your device open.

Step 5. Towel Dry

Grab a clean towel and get to drying off absolutely everything including the exterior of your device and all parts you have removed. Be careful to not drip or drain any excess water into the ports or covers that are open.

Step 6. Raid the Pantry

Now, this is a method that some people say works, but others say it doesn’t, especially on newer smartphones. If you have an older phone you can probably give it a go. Although you have towel dried there is likely to still be moisture within your handset which you need to be rid of before powering it back up.

So, head to the pantry and grab the most commonly used remedy for absorbing moisture in mobile phones rice. Don’t cook it, nice and raw is how your phone will love it.

Step 7. Seal ‘er up!

Pop your handset into an airtight container, covering it completely with your dry basmati (or jasmine, or brown) and leave it there for 24-48 hours. This will allow the rice to draw all of the moisture out of your device.

Step 8. Replace & Pray

After 48 hours, or when you feel confident that it’s dried out, replace the battery, cross your fingers, toes and bum and fire it up!

Step 9. If all else fails…

If you have tried all of the above and your phone won’t turn on, I’m sorry to say it, but your phone is stuffed and you’re going to need a replacement.

The Big No-Nos

• Don’t put it in the freezer, think about it yes, the water will freeze but what do you think happens when you take it out of the freezer?
• Don’t dismantle your phone completely, doing so will make your warranty void.
• Don’t try drying it out in the microwave. I’m sure this doesn’t need further explanation
• Don’t try drying your phone with a hairdryer. It gets the device way too hot and if it’s severely waterlogged, the phone won’t be able to air properly and the steam will condense elsewhere within the device
• Don’t try and get a new phone from your provider and say it ‘just broke’. There is a little piece of litmus paper within your device that will tell them straight away that you’ve taken it for a swim.

Have you ever ‘saved’ your mobile phone from near death?