How to Save a Waterproof iPhone

If you drop your iPhone in a tub or pool, you’ll probably feel very scared at that moment. Saving a wet phone can be successful or unsuccessful, but a few tips can be very helpful. With just a little luck, you can dry it out and get your phone back to working condition.

Table of Contents

Things to do now

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Take the phone out of the water. While this is an obvious step, you might panic as soon as you drop your phone in water. Stay calm and quickly get your phone out of the water. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Disconnect from the power source. If the phone is connected to a power source, you should unplug it immediately. Take care when doing this so as not to receive an electric shock. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Remember not to place your fingers near the power source. One hand holds the phone, the other hand pulls the remote charging cord to remove the plug. Normally, you don’t want to disconnect the power by pulling the charging cord remotely as this can cause problems, but in this case you need to do so to avoid electric shock.

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Turn off the phone. Of course, you need to remove the battery first. However, since you can’t do this step with an iPhone, the best thing to do is to turn off the phone as soon as possible. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Remove sim. You need a paper clip or sim remover to do this. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Find the sim tray on the iPhone. This is usually on the right side of the phone with a small hole on the outside ^{[5] X Research Source}
Insert a paper clip or a special tool into the hole and the sim tray pops out immediately. You need to take the sim tray out. ^{[6] X Research Source}

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Use a cleaning cloth to clean the device. Use a cloth to wipe the device to dry the outside water as quickly as possible. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can also use a towel to dry the water in the connection ports.

Intensive processing

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Dry the water in the connection ports. Try shaking the phone to get the water out. ^{[8] X Research Source} You can also push the water out with compressed air, but be careful not to push the water back in. ^{[9] X Research Source}

To use compressed air, you will hold the can of compressed air so that the air flows across the connections instead of straight in. When you spray air, water will come out from the other side

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Choose a hygroscopic material. Some people use rice to absorb water on the device, but this is not really effective. Putting the phone right in the rice can partially solve the problem, but this can cause the rice to get stuck in the ports. ^{[10] X Research Source} The better option is to use desiccant (silica gel). Desiccant is a material that comes in a small package that often comes with electrical equipment. This material absorbs water better than rice. You can collect the desiccant bags that come with household items or order them at the store. You need a sufficient amount of desiccant to place around the phone. ^{[11] X Research Source} The final option is to use a drying bag designed specifically for this purpose. You can buy this product online or at a phone accessories store. ^{[12] X Research Source}

If you can’t find enough desiccant packs, you can try crystalline cat litter that’s just as effective. ^{[13] X Research Source}
Some tests say it’s better to leave your phone in a well-ventilated place instead of in a moisture-wicking material. ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Place the phone in the hygroscopic material. If using rice, be sure to protect your phone by wrapping a tissue first. ^{[15] X Research Source} Next, you simply put your phone in a bowl of rice. With desiccant, you try to pack lots of this material around the phone. ^{[16] X Research Source} With the drying bag, simply put your phone in your pocket and close the mouth of the bag. ^{[17] X Research Source}

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Wait for the phone to dry. Let the phone dry for at least 2 days. ^{[18] X Research Source} You need to make sure that the internal parts of your phone are dry. Otherwise, the circuit will short when you start the phone.

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Connect sim. The next thing you need to do is insert the sim tray into the phone. Make sure the sim tray is inserted in the same position as when removed.

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Try starting the phone. After the phone is completely dry, you can try to turn it on. If you’re lucky enough to be able to start the phone, keep using it. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Advice

If it’s been submerged in water for more than 20 minutes, it’s almost impossible for your phone to work again.
If possible, you should buy a phone drying kit ready to use when needed.
Try using a waterproof case to protect your phone from such situations.

Warning

Do not use a dryer or other heat source to dry the phone. High temperatures can further damage your phone. ^{[20] X Research Sources}
Although the phone will be dried more efficiently when removing parts, this will void your warranty. Moreover, if you don’t know how to do it, you can cause more damage to your phone by disassembling it yourself. ^{[21] X Research Source} However, water damage is not covered by the warranty in most cases, so you don’t need to worry too much about this. ^{[22] X Research Source}
Even when the phone works again, water still damages some parts, especially the battery. Batteries may become dented or have an erratic temperature rise after several months. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

Steps

Things to do now

Intensive processing

Advice

Warning

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