What to Do If Your Phone Gets Wet (and the Rice Myth)

Act fast, act right

Dropping your phone in water, a sink, toilet, pool, or getting it caught in rain, triggers instant panic, and unfortunately, a lot of well-meaning but wrong advice. What you do in the first minutes and hours genuinely affects whether your phone survives. Modern phones often have some water resistance, which helps, but water damage is still a real risk, especially for older phones, salt water, or full submersion. This guide covers what to actually do, the critical don'ts, and why the famous rice trick isn't the savior everyone thinks. Staying calm and doing the right things maximizes your phone's chances.

The immediate steps

First, get the phone out of the water quickly and power it off, do not turn it on or use it, since running electronics while wet risks short-circuiting and permanent damage. Dry the outside thoroughly with a soft cloth. If your phone has a removable battery (rare now) or SIM/memory cards, remove them. Gently shake or tap out water from ports and openings, holding the phone with ports facing down to let water drain rather than pool inside. The goal is to stop electricity flowing through wet components and to get as much water out and off as possible, right away.

The crucial don'ts

What you avoid matters as much as what you do. Don't turn the phone on or press buttons while it's wet (risks short circuits). Don't charge it, plugging in a wet phone is dangerous and can cause serious damage, wait until you're certain it's fully dry. Don't use heat to dry it (no hair dryers, ovens, or microwaves), heat can damage the phone's delicate components and battery. Don't shake it violently (can spread water deeper inside). And don't assume water resistance makes it invincible, especially against salt water, soap, or full submersion. Avoiding these mistakes prevents turning a survivable soaking into permanent damage.

The rice myth

Now, the famous advice: burying your phone in a bag of rice to dry it out. The truth is that rice is largely a myth, it's not very effective at drawing moisture from inside a phone, works slowly, and can introduce dust and starch particles into ports. It became popular because phones sometimes survived after the rice treatment, but they likely would have anyway simply from air-drying over time. Rice isn't dangerous, but it's not the magic fix folklore claims. If you want a drying agent, silica gel packets (the little desiccant packs) are more effective than rice, but simply drying properly is what matters most.

How to actually dry it

The best approach is patient, thorough drying. After the immediate steps, leave the phone off in a dry, well-ventilated place for an extended time, ideally a couple of days, before attempting to turn it on. Resist the urge to test it early; powering on a phone that's still damp inside can cause the very damage you're trying to avoid. If you have silica gel packets, placing the phone with them in a sealed container can help draw out moisture. Time and patience, giving internal moisture ample opportunity to fully evaporate before reintroducing power, are your best tools. The hardest part is waiting.

After drying, and prevention

Once you're confident it's completely dry (after a couple of days), try turning it on. If it works, great, but watch for lingering issues (screen problems, audio, charging, battery) over the following days, as water damage can surface later. If it won't turn on or misbehaves, professional repair may help, and note that water damage often isn't covered by warranty. Going forward: consider a water-resistant phone and a case, be careful near water, and, most importantly, keep your phone backed up, so even if water wins, your photos and data are safe. Prevention and backups beat any drying trick.

Related on Skillo

See also: IP ratings explained: what water resistance means, iPhone battery health explained: what it means.

Sources

• Water damage - Wikipedia

Published date reflects the original event date (2025-08-26). This article is original Skillo editorial written from the sources above; facts were verified in September 2026.