For most people, a smartphone is their main device, containing all their photos, contacts and other important data. Therefore, its failure is an undesirable event. Most often, phones suffer from two types of actions - shock and exposure to liquid. Many people who have dropped their smartphone into water already consider it to be out of order, but in the case of modern and not only models, their operation can be restored quickly.
Rules for drying your phone
The most important thing in this matter is time. The faster you get the device out of the water, the higher the chance of it working. Even models with a high level of moisture protection guarantee operation of the device only for up to 30 minutes under water. If a cable was connected to the smartphone, then first disconnect it from the power source, and only then reach for the smartphone.
The second important condition is to turn off the device. You should not leave it on, even if it seems to be working fine. Also, you should not turn it on after a few minutes to check if it works. Moisture in a working smartphone can lead to a short circuit, which will definitely damage it. Remove the battery if possible, SIM card, memory card, case.
How to quickly dry your phone
There is simply no universal drying method. It all depends on how badly the gadget was damaged and what elements were flooded. In any case, haste will only make the situation worse. Therefore, you need to dry your smartphone for a long time and carefully.
To speed up the effect, you can choose methods with rice/silica gel and change them as often as possible, every 5-6 hours. This will help reduce drying time.
How to dry your phone at home
There are many options for saving your gadget. Let's look at various ways to dry your phone after it gets into water.
Using a hair dryer or vacuum cleaner
In such situations, many people recommend using a hairdryer as a usual means of drying. However, in the case of electronic devices like a smartphone, it is better not to use a hair dryer. Firstly, air currents can cause liquid to enter other parts where it has not yet been, and secondly, at a close distance, the hot air of a hair dryer can damage some internal components of the smartphone.
It is possible to dry the device with a vacuum cleaner, but this will only work if there is little water ingress; in addition, it will take a very long time to dry.
Is it possible to dry a phone on a battery?
The smartphone can be placed near a heater or radiator to reduce drying time. It is important not to place the device close to the battery, because here the effect on the components will be even stronger than from a hair dryer and you can damage your smartphone. In this case, you still need to wait more than a day for complete drying.
Using the app
After drying out the phone, many users experience muffled sound from the speaker. The Apple Watch has a feature that releases water from the speaker by playing a specific tone. A similar effect can be achieved on a smartphone using the Fix My Speakers website.
Important!
Do this only after it is completely dry.
Drying in rice
The most common remedy used to speed up the drying of the phone is regular rice. It will take at least two days to dry your smartphone this way. Disassemble the smartphone as much as possible and place it in a container with rice. Every 12 hours you need to turn your phone over.
Cat litter
It will take about two days to dry the device using silica gel cat litter, or you can use balls for new shoes. If a large volume of water gets into your smartphone, you need to change the rice/silica gel every 6 hours.
Is it possible to dry with alcohol?
Isopropyl and ethyl alcohol can be used to dry your smartphone. The reason the device fails after water gets in is either a short circuit or corrosion. Alcohol just prevents its appearance. Place the disassembled smartphone in a container with alcohol for 30-60 minutes, then do not turn it on for 8-12 hours. It is very important to use the purest alcohol.
Application of air compressor
A can of compressed air is recommended to speed up drying. Such cylinders for cleaning the insides of a computer from dust will be able to expel moisture from various ports, a microphone, and a speaker, but if the smartphone has received a lot of water, then you should not use compressed air. It will speed up the drying process only when there is practically no water inside the device.
Self-medication
When figuring out what to do if your phone falls into water, in the case of a non-removable battery and having confidence and accuracy, you can try to fix the problem yourself by disassembling and some manipulations with the case:
- After completing the primary manipulations, you can start YouTube hosting and indicate your smartphone model in the search bar with the word “disassembly”. If you couldn’t find a suitable video in Russian, then enter the same information in English. This refers to a specific phone, and not the brand name or iPhone;
- Watch the video instructions and repeat as you may need to quickly disconnect the non-removable battery from the motherboard. If the immersion was extremely significant, then it is necessary to immediately open the back cover, which can be broken if necessary, since the cost of such components is relatively low. The cost of damage is insignificant when compared with the possible repair of a mobile device;
- After opening the case, you need to find the battery cable and try to disconnect it using a standard screwdriver. If you don’t have tools, you can also cut the flexible wire yourself;
After removing the built-in battery, it is necessary to remove all moisture from the case using various methods.
After all the instructions given, you probably understood what to do if the phone falls into water; the battery is non-removable, since such situations with modern devices need to be prevented as much as possible. Most devices use monolithic cases, the disassembly of which may require skill or extreme measures, but other measures are quite accessible. The main task of the user is to help remove moisture from the structure.
Features of drying various phone parts
After general drying, moisture may still remain in some elements of the phone. Depending on how and for how long the device fell into water, the likelihood of damage to certain elements changes: display, camera, speaker, etc.
How to dry your phone screen
When the screen gets wet, just wipe it with a dry cloth or a special rag that does not leave streaks.
Between glass and screen
After disassembling and drying the smartphone, problems such as moisture getting under the display and deterioration in the quality of the speaker and microphone may become apparent.
In the first case, you most likely cannot do anything; it would be better to contact a service center, where, through proper heating, the liquid under the screen will disappear. By the way, after drying the smartphone with alcohol, its drops can penetrate under the display in the same way. They will soon dry out on their own.
Important.
You need to use pure, preferably isopropyl alcohol, which will leave no streaks.
How to dry your phone battery
It is very important to remove the battery after liquid gets into your smartphone. This is the first element that needs to be dried and set aside.
How to dry the speakers on your phone
If, after exposure to moisture, the microphone begins to work worse, then most likely you will have to replace it. A microphone that does not work well after more than 2-3 days of completely drying the smartphone cannot be restored. In the case of a speaker, a general long-term drying of the smartphone is often enough; if water gets only on the speaker, then wipe this area of the case with an absorbent cloth for several minutes, you can try the mentioned Fix My Speakers service.
With non-removable battery
It is especially dangerous when a smartphone with a non-removable battery gets into water. Today, even the cheapest models are like this. More often than not, a non-separable case speaks of moisture protection, but not in the case of budget smartphones, where such a design will only aggravate the situation. As with any other device, the most important thing here is to quickly turn off your smartphone. Some smartphones are forced to turn off simply by holding down the corresponding button; sometimes you also need to press the volume up button.
For iPhone – power button and volume down, for older models – hold down “Home”, then the power button. Now all that remains is to quickly take the device to the service center, if at the moment this is not possible, then place the smartphone in rice, silica gel, or at least wipe it and wrap it with an absorbent cloth, but then immediately contact the service center.
Cautions and Recommendations
How to dry your phone from water correctly and quickly is now more or less clear. The algorithm of actions is not so complicated. But it happens that when a problem arises, people act incorrectly, as a result of which the device breaks down.
What is prohibited to do
How to dry your phone from water safely for the device - there are additional warnings for this:
It is often advised to put all parts of the device in rice, since cereal absorbs moisture well. But small particles from grains and dust can damage the mobile parts. It’s better to just leave the disassembled gadget in a dry place at room temperature, and it will dry naturally, even if it takes longer.- When drying with a hairdryer, it is better to keep the heated stream of air at a distance from the device so that some fusible parts do not “float”.
- Under no circumstances should you dry it in the oven! Even at the lowest temperature there is a danger of damaging the electronics.
- Do not dry it in the microwave! All microcircuits will burn out immediately.
- Be wary of the advice to wipe your phone with alcohol. This is a dubious method.
- When drying a cell phone, do not heat the battery. It is better to put it separately and dry it at room temperature.
Contacting service
It is possible that if the smartphone was slightly discharged when it fell into liquid, the battery is discharged and you need to charge the phone. If the smartphone still does not turn on, then the internal components are most likely damaged. It would be best to contact a service center.
If you find moisture trapped under the screen or camera glass, then also contact the service center; you should not try to get to these parts of the smartphone by disassembling it or heating it with a battery, hair dryer, etc. Rice and silica gel will also not be able to help here, if in general the device is working normally.
How to check a smartphone
Even if the smartphone works fine after drying itself, this does not mean that it will work for a long time. It is possible that some elements have already corroded or there is some water left inside.
Even after successful drying, it is advisable to take the smartphone to a specialist for inspection. Device diagnostics will not be too expensive, and in some service centers it is free.
Alcohol
Another popular method is to fill a drowned gadget with alcohol. The operating principle of this method is similar to the previous one: alcohol also draws out water, while being absolutely safe for contacts and microcircuits.
And there is one “but” here. The alcohol must be alcohol - not vodka or other strong alcoholic drink. Any impurities will only bring the end of the already damaged smartphone closer.
