Summer is the season when the possibility of dropping your mobile phone in water is most likely. If your phone is not drop resistant, water-proof or dust-proof and falls into the sea, bath, pool, toilet or something else and comes in contact with liquid, it will not get broken just because of the moisture, but because of you trying to turn it on. Let’s take a look at how to deal with your mobile phone coming in contact with water.
1. Shut the device down immediately
The first rule is not to panic in these situations. You should switch the phone off as soon as possible. The sooner you turn it off, the better are the chances that you will be able to “revive” your device.
2. Do not try to switch the mobile phone on
Do not turn on the device right after it fell into water. Even when you dry it with a dry cloth or hairdryer, avoid switching it back on because it might cause a short circuit. If that happens, you can forget about repairing your mobile device and say goodbye to it.
3. Remove the battery and SIM card
If possible, remove the SIM card and battery immediately. If you dropped your phone into the sea, turn it off and wash it under a stream of running fresh water from the pipe. Do not attempt to clean with alcohol.
4. Dry it quickly
First dry your device by cleaning it with a dry cloth. If you have a hairdryer with the option of blowing cold air, use it to dry your phone. If not, do not use a dryer with hot air.
5. Dry the device gradually
Place your mobile phone next to a table lamp, reflector, spotlight or other smaller heat source to allow the water to slowly evaporate. This process may last as long as six hours. Be sure to take your time and not to use a hairdryer with hot air or any other too strong heat source.
6. The trick with rice
Once you have followed the previous steps, leave the phone off for at least three more days before trying to turn it on again. This is important because, even though it may seem that the phone is completely dry, the smallest amount of moisture can react in contact with the battery and cause a short circuit. Some also suggest putting the mobile phone in a bowl full of dry grains of rice because rice attracts moisture. If you do try this procedure, make sure that the rice completely covers your mobile device.
7. And as for the manufacturer’s warranty?
Unless you have insurance for your mobile phone that covers the damage caused by immersion of the device into water, it probably makes little sense to send such a device to the manufacturer in the hopes that the guarantee will cover for the replacement costs. In other words, if you drop your phone in water, the warranty is most likely to be cancelled. The technical staff will be able to determine that the phone was overly exposed to moisture based on a simple examination. To be more specific, a label placed inside virtually every mobile phone, which is extremely sensitive to humidity, will clearly indicate what actually happened to the device.
So, good luck with trying to dry your phone using the suggestions we listed above and we hope that you’ll be able to save your mobile phone and that it will continue to work even after its close encounter with water.