08 Ways to Fix Your Water Damaged Phone
Water damaged phone
To begin, attempting to rescue a water damaged phone is a bit of a gamble. Nothing can guarantee a successful outcome, but it’s always worth a shot. Our upcoming advice may increase your chances of success.
When you see your phone submerged in water, everything comes to a halt. You know nothing good will come out of the next few seconds, whether it’s in a pool, the sea, or a toilet. After all, that’s a high-tech device worth a lot of money that’s likely to be rendered useless. Not to mention that all of your important files could be lost! You might be interested in learning how to repair a water damaged phone.
Be proactive and protect your phone
To ensure it will withstand a dip, you might want to choose a phone that is waterproof and has a high IP rating. But not all of us will have the convenience of owning a water-resistant phone. Investing in something like a waterproof phone bag can be worthwhile if you know you’ll be putting your phone in risk at your upcoming beach getaway and your phone can’t handle liquids.
Additionally, whether from your carrier, the store where you purchased the phone, or a third party, it’s always a good idea to think about buying phone insurance. We’ve compiled a useful list of the top phone insurance plans available. You ensure that the insurance coverage covers water and accidental damage, just make sure to read the tiny print.
Turn it off ASAP!
I realize it’s challenging to respond quickly after such a terrible occurrence, but you need to get your act together! Your device’s odds of survival decrease the longer it is submerged. Dig deep and pull that phone out of the water as soon as possible. Indeed, even if it’s in the bathroom!
Make sure the phone is turned off and remains so once it has been removed from the water. Shutting it off is crucial even if everything seems fine. Just turn off the phone if it’s still on. Anyone still using a replaceable battery should remove it. When the gadget is turned off, water cannot enter and harm critical phone components while the electronics are in use. The likelihood of lasting damage increases when water reaches working components.
What not to do after you dropped a phone in water
The subsequent actions could spell the difference between a phone that is totaled and a survival narrative. You’d better use caution when acting. Before we start looking for a solution, let’s try to stop any catastrophic failures you might be able to cause.
- As we have indicated, refrain from using the phone. When running, electrical components don’t get along well with water.
- Also avoid plugging it in! the same justification.
- Press no keys at all. This may allow water to seep deeper inside the phone. Avoid fiddling with the phone as much as you can.
- Don’t jiggle the device or blow into it. Additionally, it can force water into the phone’s deeper crevices. Avoid blow dryers at all costs, not just for the blowing aspect but also for the reason that follows.
- Don’t heat up the phone in any way. Keep in mind that the phone might potentially be harmed by extreme heat.
- Avoid moving the phone around excessively. The water should not be moving around within the phone, same as before.
Disassemble the water damaged phone
This step is not the same as “take the blasted phone apart!” What we’re saying is that you should get rid of anything that can be done by the user. Remove your back cover if it is removable. In a same manner, attempt to remove the battery, SIM card, and SD card. Place everything on a paper towel. Nowadays, the majority of phones don’t have detachable backs, but try your best.
You can also disassemble the entire phone if you are a tech expert of sorts, are familiar with how phones work, and don’t mind nullifying your warranty. It might speed up the drying process for all of the pieces. Just take care, as this could backfire if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Try to dry the exterior
The exterior of your phone has a lot of extra water, which we must first attempt to remove. Dry everything as much as you can with a cloth or paper towel. Just be careful not to fiddle with the phone excessively. Dry everything out gently without moving anything around a lot. It’s not good news that all this water might find its way inside the phone.
You could try a vacuum cleaner
The paper towel can’t reach some places, of course. Although we advised against blowing anything into the phone, we did not advise against sucking the water out. In actuality, a vacuum cleaner may safely remove small amounts of water from the phone. Make sure the phone doesn’t move around a lot while being suctioned, though.
Time to dry out the water damaged phone
The present task is the most difficult because it requires leaving the phone alone for a while. Even though waiting is difficult, it is vital. Make sure the SIM card is totally dried out and insert it into the operational phone if you have another one or can borrow one. If everything else fails, use smoke signals, pay phones, and other antiquated methods.
How then do you dry off your phone? The phone might be left on the counter or in a drawer, but some people prefer to give it a little assistance. The goal is to place it in a setting that will speed up the drying process. It is ideal to sit next to a window because the sunlight and moving air (if the window is open) may provide some relief. They might benefit from being placed close to a fan or an air vent.
Another highly popular method is to place the phone in a Ziploc bag with rice inside and leave it there for two to three days. Why is rice? mostly because most homes have access to it easily. Because rice is dry, it is excellent at absorbing moisture from the air, which dries out the area around the phone and aids in drying out the device.
Having said that, there are better options if you can go to a store. Silica gel packs, those tiny packets you frequently discover in shoe or electronics boxes (and you can’t eat), are among the best alternatives. Not that we all have things lying around, but if you plan ahead, you might be able to find decent discounts on Amazon.
And while we’re talking about planning ahead, you might also purchase a water rescue kit. I enjoy Kensington’s EVAP kit, which comes with a unique bag and silica gel packets. It’s difficult to determine how accurate Kensington’s claim that this is 700% more effective in drying moisture than rice is. However, the investment can be worthwhile.
The moment of truth
So you did everything possible, and now a few days have passed. It’s time to see if all of your hard work paid off. Take the phone from wherever you left it and reassemble it. Then plug in the phone and attempt to turn it on. You’ve succeeded if it works! However, keep an eye out for any unusual behavior for at least a few days. Additionally, test all of the components. Make a call to test the microphone and earphones, as well as the speaker.
If the phone no longer works, it’s time to admit defeat and take it to a professional to see if it can be repaired. You can also make a claim if you have insurance. To avoid sounding like a doctor, we have done everything we possibly could. You have to let go of the phone every now and then.
Frequently asked questions
Can I dry my phone with a hair dryer?
Do not use a blow dryer; the heat can cause damage to the phone. If you have a phone or a gadget with a removable cover, remove it and remove the battery, SIM card, and anything else that can be easily removed. Everything should be dried.
Is it too late to put my phone in rice?
Give it all you’ve got. Ideally, you should give it 48 hours or more, but if possible, leave it overnight. While some phones will never be revived, the longer they sit in rice, the better. Before reassembling the phone, make sure no grains of rice remain inside.
What are signs of water damage on a phone?
- Phone calls and music, for example, will sound distorted.
- When you connect headphones, you will hear static.
- Unable to charge.
- A dark display screen or a distorted image.
