Phone Dropped in Water? Here’s How to Fix It in 7 Steps
Dropping your phone in water can cause serious — sometimes irreversible — damage. Whether it slipped into the toilet, fell into the sink, or got caught in the rain, the next 60 seconds matter more than anything else.
The good news? If you act quickly and follow the right steps, there’s a solid chance your phone will survive. We’ve tested several drying methods — including rice, silica gel, and vacuum drying — and the results consistently point to silica gel as the winner. Below, you’ll find clear, step-by-step instructions for exactly what to do.
📋 Quick Answer — Phone Fell in Water?
Do this right now: Remove it → Power it off → Pat it dry → Remove SIM and case → Seal in a bag with silica gel for 48 hours.
Do NOT charge it, shake it, use a hairdryer, or put it in rice. Speed is everything — act within the first 60 seconds for the best chance of recovery.
What to Do Immediately After Your Phone Gets Wet (7 Steps)
Nothing beats the gut-drop feeling of watching your phone hit the water. But panic is the enemy here — calm, fast action is what saves phones. Follow these steps in order. Skipping or rushing any of them reduces your chances of recovery.
Step 1: Get Your Phone Out of the Water — Fast
A phone submerged for two seconds has a far better chance of survival than one sitting underwater for thirty seconds or more. Whatever the situation — a toilet, a puddle, a sink full of soapy water — get the phone out immediately.
Every extra second allows water to seep deeper into the device’s internals through speaker grills, the charging port, the SIM tray slot, and any microscopic gaps in the casing.
Some newer smartphones carry an IP67 or IP68 water-resistance rating, which gives them a degree of protection against brief submersion in clean, still water. But water resistance is not the same as waterproof — and even rated phones can suffer damage if submerged long enough or exposed to pool water, seawater, or other liquids.
Related: How to Get Liquid Out of Your Phone Charging Port
Step 2: Power Off the Phone Immediately — Even If It Looks Fine
As soon as you’ve rescued your phone, power it off — even if the screen is still on and everything appears to be working normally.
Here’s why this matters at a technical level: when water enters a phone, it doesn’t destroy the components on its own. Electricity does. The moment current flows through wet circuits, it accelerates electrolytic corrosion and can permanently damage the motherboard’s capacitors and resistors within seconds. Turning off the phone cuts that current flow and gives your device a fighting chance.
Do not press buttons to test things. Do not plug in a charger. Do not try to use the camera or any app. Power it off and move straight to Step 3.
If your phone is already off — for example, it shut off on its own after water contact — leave it off and do not attempt to turn it back on.
Step 3: Gently Pat the Phone Dry (Don’t Shake or Blow)
Use a clean, soft cloth — a microfiber cloth is ideal, though a paper towel works in a pinch — to gently dab the exterior of the phone dry. Pay extra attention to the charging port, speaker grills, headphone jack, and SIM tray slot, where water tends to pool.
A few things NOT to do at this stage:
- Don’t blow into the ports. This forces water deeper into the device, pushing it into areas that were previously dry.
- Don’t shake the phone vigorously. Same problem — water spreads inside rather than draining out.
- Don’t use compressed air. The pressure drives moisture further in rather than drawing it out.
Instead, tilt the phone gently from side to side so gravity can help water drain toward the openings. If you have access to a small wet/dry vacuum, hold it near (not inside) the port openings on its lowest setting to gently draw out any pooled moisture.
⚠️ Important: Do not use a hairdryer, microwave, or oven to dry the phone. Heat melts internal adhesives, warps the battery, and can destroy the waterproof seals that were protecting your device. Don’t put it in the freezer either — condensation forms when you remove it, making the situation worse.
Step 4: Remove the Battery, SIM Card, and Memory Card
With the phone powered off, remove everything you can access:
- SIM card tray — this is almost always removable and is one of the most common water entry points. Use your SIM eject tool (or a paperclip) to open it and let the slot air out.
- MicroSD card — if your phone has one, remove it and dry it gently with a soft cloth.
- Battery — if your phone has a removable back panel and battery (less common on modern phones), remove the battery and let it dry separately. If moisture is visible on the battery, dry it carefully with a cloth without pressing too hard on the cells.
- Phone case — remove it completely, as cases can trap water against the body of the phone.
If you have an iPhone or a modern Android with a sealed body, you won’t be able to remove the battery — skip that part and focus on the SIM tray and case.
Don’t worry about the SIM card or SD card themselves. They are generally quite water-resistant and will survive brief exposure to water without data loss. Dry them off and set them aside.
Related: 9 Bad Cell Phone Battery Symptoms to Address Immediately
Step 5: Dry the Phone with Silica Gel — Not Rice
This is where most people go wrong.
Rice has been the go-to folk remedy for wet phones for years, but repair professionals and device manufacturers are clear: rice is one of the least effective drying methods available, and it can create new problems. We’ll cover why in more detail in the dedicated section below — but for now, here’s what you should actually use:
Best option — Silica Gel Desiccant Packets:
Those small packets labeled “DO NOT EAT” that come inside shoe boxes, electronics packaging, and vitamin bottles are exactly what you need. Silica gel absorbs moisture several times faster than rice and leaves no particles or residue behind.
Place your phone inside a sealed zip-lock bag with several silica gel desiccant packets and leave it for at least 48 hours — 72 hours if the phone was fully submerged or exposed for more than a few seconds. Keep the bag sealed the entire time and resist the urge to check on it.
No silica gel? Air-dry it:
If you don’t have silica gel on hand, place the phone in a warm, well-ventilated room with the ports facing downward. Don’t put it in direct sunlight or near a heat source. Plain air-drying is still better than rice.
Last resort — Rice:
If silica gel isn’t available and you have no warm, ventilated area, rice is better than nothing — but use it correctly. Place the phone in a sealed lidded container surrounded by uncooked rice (not directly touching raw rice). This method is slow and leaves starch dust near the ports, so transition to silica gel or air-drying as soon as possible.
Tip: Silica gel packets are inexpensive and widely available on Amazon. Keeping a small bag of silica gel desiccant packets on hand is one of the cheapest disaster-prep moves you can make for your devices.
Step 6: Leave It Completely Untouched for at Least 48 Hours
Once the phone is in its drying environment, leave it alone. This is harder than it sounds, especially when you’re cut off from your contacts and apps — but patience here is what separates a saved phone from a destroyed one.
Forty-eight hours is the minimum. If the phone was fully submerged or you suspect water reached deep into the internals, give it 72 hours. Water in tight, internal spaces evaporates slowly, and hidden moisture is what causes the delayed failures that catch people off guard days after the incident.
Do not:
- Open the bag to check progress
- Turn the phone on “just to see.”
- Plug anything in
- Press any buttons
If you still believe significant water is inside after the full drying period, consider taking it to a professional repair shop rather than powering it on — they have the tools to open the device safely and assess internal moisture without risking a short circuit.
Step 7: Power It On and Check These Things First
After your 48–72-hour drying period, reassemble the phone (reinsert the SIM card, SD card, and battery if removable) and attempt to power it on.
If it powers on successfully, run through this checklist before assuming everything is fine:
- ☐ Touchscreen responds correctly across the entire display
- ☐ Speakers produce clear audio (no muffling or distortion)
- ☐ Microphone works (make a test call or record a voice memo)
- ☐ Camera lenses are clear — no fog or water droplets behind the glass
- ☐ Charging port accepts a charge (use wireless charging first if possible)
- ☐ Headphone jack works (if applicable)
- ☐ All buttons (volume, power, mute) respond normally
- ☐ Face ID or fingerprint sensor works correctly
- ☐ Wi-Fi and cellular signal behave normally
- ☐ Battery charges and holds charge properly over the next 24 hours
Tip: For your first charge, use a wireless charger which is available on Amazon (if your phone supports) rather than plugging into the charging port directly. This gives any residual moisture in the port extra time to evaporate before you send current through it.
If any of the above checks fail, take the phone to a repair shop promptly. Don’t wait — corrosion progresses quickly and makes repairs progressively more expensive.
Signs your phone has water damage to watch for over the following week:
- Water droplets or fogging visible behind the screen
- Visible corrosion (green or white residue) around port openings
- The Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI) has turned red or pink — this small sticker is located inside the SIM tray slot, battery compartment, or near the headphone jack, and permanently changes color when water enters the device.
If the phone won’t turn on after the drying period, take it to a reputable repair shop. Do not attempt to force it on repeatedly, as this increases the risk of further internal damage.
What NOT to Do When Your Phone Gets Wet
Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing the steps above. These common mistakes are responsible for turning recoverable water damage into total phone loss:
| ❌ Don’t Do This | Why It Makes Things Worse |
|---|---|
| Charge the phone immediately | Sends electricity through wet circuits, causing short circuits and permanent damage |
| Turn it on to check if it works | Same risk as charging — current flow through wet components accelerates corrosion instantly |
| Use a hairdryer or heat gun | Heat melts internal adhesives, warps the battery, and destroys waterproof seals |
| Put it in a microwave | Metal components can arc and cause fires or explosions |
| Shake or blow into the phone | Forces water deeper into the device, spreading it to previously dry components |
| Rely on rice as your primary drying method | Rice absorbs slowly and leaves starch particles in your ports — use silica gel instead |
| Put it in the freezer | Condensation forms when you remove it, worsening the water damage |
| Plug in headphones or accessories | Can push water further into ports or cause electrical shorts |
Does Putting Your Phone in Rice Actually Work?
The short answer: not really — and it can actively make things worse.
Rice has been passed around as the go-to wet phone remedy for decades. But modern repair experts, and even Apple’s own official documentation, are clear: rice is among the least effective drying agents you can use. Here’s why:
It absorbs moisture slowly. Rice typically absorbs moisture at roughly 25% of the rate of silica gel desiccant packets. While your phone sits in rice for 24 hours, it could have been dramatically drier in the same time with silica gel.
It leaves debris. Rice produces fine starch dust and small particles that can lodge in your speaker grills, charging port, and headphone jack — creating a new problem while trying to fix the original one.
Apple officially says no. Apple’s support documentation explicitly warns against placing a wet iPhone in a bag of rice, citing the risk of small particles damaging the device.
What to use instead: Silica gel desiccant packets. They’re cheap, widely available, and safe for electronics. Keep a small pack in your home — they’re useful for cameras, laptops, and any electronics that might get wet. If silica gel isn’t available, plain air-drying in a warm, ventilated room is your next best option. That’s still significantly better than rice.
Myth vs. Fact: Common Water Damage Misconceptions
Myth: If my phone turned on after getting wet, it’s fine. Fact: This is one of the most dangerous misconceptions about water damage. Corrosion builds up over days or even weeks after the initial exposure. A phone that appears fully functional immediately after contact with water can still fail within 7–14 days as oxidation spreads through internal components. Always complete the full drying process even if your phone seems to be working.
Myth: A hairdryer will dry my phone quickly and safely. Fact: The heat from a hairdryer routinely exceeds the safe temperature threshold for phone batteries and screen adhesives. It can delaminate the display, warp the battery, and — critically — destroy the very waterproof gaskets that were protecting your phone in the first place.
Myth: My phone is waterproof, so this isn’t a problem. Fact: No consumer smartphone is truly waterproof. IP67 and IP68 ratings are measured in controlled lab conditions using still, clean fresh water at room temperature. Pool water, seawater, high-pressure water, and any liquid other than plain fresh water can all defeat the seals of an IP68-rated phone. Water resistance also degrades as the phone ages — a two-year-old “waterproof” phone offers considerably less protection than when it was new.
Myth: Saltwater damage is the same as freshwater damage. Fact: Saltwater is significantly more corrosive. The minerals in seawater accelerate oxidation rapidly and can destroy components in hours that would have survived for days in fresh water. If your phone was exposed to saltwater, gently rinse the exterior with a small amount of clean fresh water to remove salt residue before starting the drying process — and take it to a professional repair shop as a priority.
How Bad Is the Damage? Assessing Water Damage Severity
Not all water damage is equal. Understanding the likely severity helps you decide whether to continue with the DIY approach or head straight to a professional.
| Severity Level | What Happened | Likely Symptoms | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Minor | Brief splash, light rain, spill on the surface | Screen stays on; no visible water inside | Pat dry, remove SIM, silica gel for 24 hrs |
| 🟡 Moderate | Dropped in shallow water, submerged under 30 seconds | Screen flickering; muffled speakers; camera fog | Full 7-step process; 48–72 hrs drying time |
| 🔴 Severe | Extended submersion, saltwater, or washing machine | Phone won’t turn on; visible corrosion; burning smell | Take to a professional repair shop immediately; do not attempt to power on |
When to Take Your Phone to a Repair Shop
DIY drying works well for minor to moderate water damage, but it has limits. Take your phone to a professional if:
- The phone won’t turn on after 48–72 hours of proper drying
- The screen is cracked, black, or showing unusual colors or lines
- You notice a burning smell — a sign of an electrical short
- The back of the phone feels swollen or raised (possible battery damage — this is a safety risk)
- The phone was submerged in saltwater, pool water, or any liquid other than plain fresh water
- The phone was submerged for longer than a minute, or in a washing machine
When choosing a repair shop, look for one that offers a written repair warranty of at least 30–90 days. This protects you if the issue recurs after the repair. Well-known options in the US and UK include uBreakiFix (now Asurion Tech Repair), Apple Authorized Service Providers and the Genius Bar for iPhones, Samsung Experience Stores, and Best Buy Geek Squad.
A note on data recovery: If your phone is completely dead and won’t respond to any drying attempts, a professional data recovery service may be able to retrieve data directly from the storage chip. This is an expensive process ($100–$500+) and not always successful — which is why regular cloud backups (iCloud for iPhone, Google One or Google Photos for Android) are your best insurance policy. If you had backups enabled, restoring your data to a new phone takes less than an hour.
How to Protect Your Phone from Water Damage (Prevention Guide)
Now that you’ve been through the stress of a wet phone — or you’re reading this before it happens — here’s how to keep it from happening again.
Understanding IP Ratings — What IP67 and IP68 Actually Mean
When shopping for a water-resistant phone, you’ll often see IP67 or IP68 in the specs. Here’s what those numbers mean in practice:
- IP67 — protected against submersion in up to 1 meter of still, clean fresh water for 30 minutes
- IP68 — protected against submersion in 1.5 meters or more for up to 30 minutes (exact depth varies by manufacturer)
These tests are conducted in controlled lab conditions. Pool water, seawater, and high-pressure water can all break through an IP68 seal. Water resistance also degrades over time as seals wear and age — so treat your phone as water-resistant, not waterproof.
Everyday Prevention Tips
Get a waterproof phone case. A quality waterproof phone case like those from Sportlink (view on Amazon) rated to IP68 standards will protect your phone during rain, splashes, and brief submersions without sacrificing usability. For iPhones, Catalyst (view on Amazon) and Lifeproof make well-regarded options. For Android, Ghostek’s Nautical series covers a wide range of models.
Use a waterproof pouch near water. If you’re heading to the beach, pool, or on a hike near rivers, slipping your phone into a waterproof phone pouch takes two seconds and eliminates the risk. It’s one of the cheapest insurance policies you can buy for an expensive device.
Back up your data regularly. Even with every precaution, accidents happen. Regular backups mean that even if your phone is destroyed, your photos, contacts, and files are safe. Enable iCloud Backup on iPhone or Google One Backup on Android so your data is always current.
Develop good habits. Don’t use your phone in the bathroom unless you’re confident in its water resistance. Keep it away from sinks and bathtubs. Don’t pocket it near a pool edge. Most water damage incidents happen in the bathroom — awareness alone prevents a significant number of accidents.
Conclusion
When your phone takes an unexpected swim, the outcome depends almost entirely on how fast and how correctly you respond. Get it out of the water immediately, power it off, and give it 48–72 hours in a sealed bag with silica gel. Resist every temptation to charge it, shake it, or try a hairdryer.
For most minor to moderate water damage incidents, these steps are enough to bring your phone back to full working order. For severe cases — especially saltwater exposure or extended submersion — don’t hesitate to take it to a professional. A quick repair visit is far cheaper than a new phone.
And once you’ve made it through the experience, take a few minutes to set up your cloud backups and order a waterproof case. Your future self will thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my water-damaged phone be fixed?
In many cases, yes — especially if you act quickly and the exposure was brief. Following the 7-step drying process at home successfully revives a significant number of water-damaged phones. However, extended submersion, saltwater damage, or a delayed response makes recovery more difficult, and professional repair may be necessary.
Why is it important to turn off the water-damaged phone immediately?
When the phone is on, electrical current flows through the circuitry. Water plus electricity creates short circuits and accelerates electrolytic corrosion, which can permanently destroy the motherboard and other components in seconds. Turning the phone off stops that current flow before it can do further damage.
What should I do if the water damage is from saltwater?
Act even faster than usual. Saltwater is more corrosive than fresh water because the minerals accelerate oxidation. Before following the standard steps, gently rinse the exterior of the phone with a small amount of clean fresh water to remove salt residue. Then proceed with powering off and drying — and take it to a professional repair shop as a priority.
How can I prevent water damage in the future?
The most effective prevention measures are: using a waterproof phone case for everyday use; carrying a waterproof pouch when near water; backing up your data regularly to the cloud; and being mindful of bathroom and kitchen use. If you want built-in water resistance, look for phones with IP67 or IP68 ratings — but remember these are not guarantees.
How long should I wait before turning on my water-damaged phone?
Wait at least 48 hours after completing the drying process. For phones that were fully submerged or exposed for more than a few seconds, 72 hours is the safer choice. Rushing this step is one of the most common reasons DIY recovery fails.
Does rice actually work for drying a water-damaged phone?
Not well — and it can make things worse. Rice absorbs moisture very slowly compared to silica gel, and its starch particles can clog speaker grills and ports. Apple’s official guidance warns against using rice. Use silica gel desiccant packets if you have them; if not, air-dry in a warm, ventilated room.
Will my warranty cover water damage?
Most standard manufacturer warranties do not cover water damage. The Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI) sticker inside the phone turns red when water is detected and is checked during warranty claims. However, extended coverage like AppleCare+ or Samsung Care+ typically covers accidental water damage for a service fee. Many carrier insurance plans also cover it.
What is the Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI)?
The LDI is a small sticker inside your phone that permanently turns red or pink when it contacts water. You can usually find it inside the SIM card tray slot, the battery compartment, or near the headphone jack. If yours has turned red, it confirms water reached the inside of your device — and it will typically void your standard manufacturer warranty.
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