Dropped Your Phone in Water? Do This Immediately

Dropping a phone in water — a sink, a toilet, a puddle, a pool — is one of those moments where what you do in the first sixty seconds can genuinely decide whether the phone survives. Panic leads people toward some well-known “fixes” that actually make things worse. Here’s what to do instead.

Get It Out and Power It Off Immediately

The instant you retrieve the phone, if it’s still on, turn it off. Don’t test it, don’t check if the screen still works, don’t try to see if it’s “fine.” Water causes damage primarily through electrical short-circuiting while the device is powered, so the single most important action is cutting the power before that can happen.

Don’t Charge It

This is the most common mistake people make. Plugging in a wet phone to check if it charges, or to “see if it’s dead,” is one of the fastest ways to cause permanent damage, since it actively runs current through components that may still be wet internally. Leave it unplugged until you’re confident it’s fully dry, which is typically at least 24 to 48 hours.

Dry the Outside Thoroughly

Use a soft, absorbent cloth to gently dry every visible surface, including the charging port, speaker grilles, and SIM tray. Don’t shake the phone vigorously, as this can push water further into the device rather than out of it. Don’t blow into the ports either — this can also drive moisture deeper inside.

Skip the Rice

The rice trick is widely repeated advice, but it’s not actually very effective and can leave dust or starch particles inside the ports. If you have proper silica gel packets, those are genuinely useful for absorbing ambient moisture around the phone while it dries, but rice does far less than its reputation suggests.

Remove the SIM Card and Any Case

Take the SIM card out (this also gives you a look at the SIM tray’s water-damage indicator on many phones, which changes color when it’s been wet) and remove any case, since trapped moisture between a case and the phone body can extend drying time significantly.

Leave It Somewhere Dry and Wait

Place the phone somewhere warm and dry with good airflow — not directly on a radiator or in an oven, both of which can damage the internal battery and components with excess heat. A full 24 to 48 hours of patience before attempting to switch it back on gives internal moisture the best chance to fully evaporate.

When to Bring It In

If the phone doesn’t power on after drying, or it powers on but behaves erratically — a flickering screen, muffled speaker, unresponsive buttons — don’t keep repeatedly trying to charge or restart it, as repeated power cycling on a partially wet device can compound corrosion damage. Bring it to us as soon as possible. We can open the device, inspect for corrosion on the logic board, and clean or replace affected components before the damage spreads any further. The sooner a water-damaged phone is professionally assessed, the better its chances of a full recovery.