Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our lives, and we want them to remain functional and reliable at all times. However, your phone can fall into the water simply by an accident. At that moment you should know both what to do instantly, and what not to do, even if you’ve heard or read that it can help.
What you shouldn’t do
In the age of the Internet, you can find a lot of ways to dry and repair your smartphone yourself. However, most of these tips will not only not help your device, they can even cause more harm. So here are some persistent myths about how to save your phone after contact with water.
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A good old rice bath can help get all the water out of the device.
Numerous articles and videos suggest putting your phone in a rice bath or using silica gel. Rice absorbs moisture from accessible areas, but the water inside the device will remain there even after a whole day of such a drying procedure. In addition, it can cause the development of corrosion or a short circuit.
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If you put the phone in the fridge, all the water will freeze and the phone will be saved.
This example began to spread among users at some point, and very quickly. So, in case you wouldn’t guess yourself, freezing the phone will not work. Firstly, after freezing the ice will start to melt and form condensation, so the liquid won’t go anywhere. Secondly, when frozen, the water expands and deforms the smartphone case. In general, a sharp change in temperature has a negative effect on the operation of both smartphones and laptops, so the most sensible advice is the one against cooling your gadgets.
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You can dry your phone with a hair dryer.
This method is a perfect example of a big don’t. There is no way a hair dryer can help dry your smartphone. Even if you turn on cold air or choose the lightest mode. A hair dryer will not dry the liquid inside the device at all, and the flow of warm air will cause the internal elements to overheat.
- Simply shaking the phone or pressing its buttons can help squeeze all the liquid out.
If you type ‘phone fell in water and won’t turn on’ into a search, one of the most popular tips is to shake your smartphone, blow air through it, and start pressing the buttons to push the water out of the device. After such actions, in fact, the water that got in can spread to all the elements inside the device and further damage it.
Also, do not keep trying to test the power within 24 hours after retrieving from the water.
What you should do
- First of all, if your phone indeed fell into the water, pull it out as quickly as possible, as the liquid gets inside the case in about 20 seconds, so the faster it is in your hands again, the more chances you have to put it to work again.
- The next tip is not to turn the phone on too soon, because water can get on any of the phone contacts, which when turned on can simply short out. Which sounds exactly as scary as it is – the phone can burn out.
- To prevent this from happening, you will need to take out the battery. You should also pull out your SIM card and dry it in the sun.
- After you remove the battery from your phone, you need to make sure that all the connectors on it are open, as they can collect moisture.
- Then proceed to drying your device, which can be done with paper towels or a soft towel.
- Leave the gadget alone for 48 hours, or better yet, up to three days. During this time, the liquid will evaporate naturally, and everything will be OK.
Note: trying to repair it yourself without any expertise is really not recommended.
Conclusion
Now you know for sure what you shouldn’t do if your phone is wet. You even have some basic tips on what to do if your phone falls into the water to minimize the damage. Naturally, you may start wondering what you should do if none of the above fairly popular methods can be called effective, yet the simple things you can do also happen to be of no help.
If these steps do not actually help in your case, take the device to the repair professionals for processing. That is the best solution. Experts, such as the team of Smart Addiction, will diagnose the device, find any damage and quickly get your smartphone back to work. You can check Smart addiction website here: www.smartaddiction.com. Putting soaked phones back on their feet, by the way, is one of their specialties.