Everyone has had that terrifying experience when their phone falls into the water out of the blue. A wet phone can feel like a disaster, whether from a mistake in the bathroom, by the pool, or in the rain. Don’t worry! Water damage can often be fixed if you follow the proper steps and keep calm.
This guide will show you the most important things you should and shouldn’t do to save your wet phone and keep a tech emergency from turning into a costly replacement.
How to tell if your phone has water damage
Screen that doesn’t respond: If your phone’s screen doesn’t respond to touch or looks skewed, it could mean that water damage has affected the display.
Messed-up sounds: When water damage occurs, the sound from speakers or phone calls is often messed up or blocked.
Failure to turn on: If your device doesn’t turn on after being wet, it indicates that internal parts may be damaged.
Why it’s essential to deal with the problem right away
Taking care of water damage immediately is vital to keep your device from being permanently damaged. The longer a wet phone sits without being fixed, the more likely it will get damaged beyond repair.
Taking care of water damage immediately is essential to keep your device from being damaged beyond repair. This is why it’s necessary to deal with the problem right away:
1. Preventing corrosion
Water can damage electronics, especially when it comes in contact with them. The longer corrosion stays inside your phone, the more likely it is to damage essential electronics. When rust starts to happen, it can make things not work right or even cause the whole thing to break.
2. Avoid short circuits
Water in your phone can break the links between electrical parts, leading to short circuits. When the water disappears, it leaves behind a conductive residue that can damage the circuit immediately or in the long term.
3. Damage to the inside
Every minute counts when it comes to limiting the damage that water contact does to the inside. Water damage can happen to parts like the battery, screen, camera modules, and CPU. Taking quick action can help keep these parts from being hacked.
4. Preserving data
For many phone users, the info they store on their phones is just as valuable as the phone itself. This info, including photos, contacts, messages, and more, could be lost if it gets wet. If you fix the problem quickly, you may be able to save both the gadget and its data.
5. Cutting down on repair costs
Taking care of water damage quickly can save you money in the long run. Professional fixes can be pricey, but they’re often much less expensive than buying a new device because the old one is broken beyond repair. If you move quickly, you might be able to lessen the damage and keep the cost of fixing it low.
The rice myth: Setting the record straight
The rice method is an old story that goes back to smartphones. Many people have tried this home remedy when they were desperate, thinking that hiding their wet device in a bag of rice would help. It makes sense; after all, rice is absorbing, right? But there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
Many people use the rice method, but it has been criticized for not being able to dry gadgets completely. Some moisture on the top may be absorbed, but it often fails to reach the deeper parts of a wet device. Burying electronics in rice isn’t enough to ensure they dry completely because they are complicated systems with many parts.
There are scientific reasons why rice doesn’t work very well at drying out gadgets. To begin with, rice absorbs water slowly, so it can’t effectively remove moisture from electronics in an acceptable amount of time. Additionally, ricealonef can’t make a setting with low humidity, which is necessary for drying to work.
Solutions that work
If you think water has damaged your phone, here are some signs. If there is water damage, the screen might not work, the sound might be garbled, or the device might not turn on. Quickly recognizing these signs is vital for taking the proper steps.
If your phone gets wet, here are some things you should and shouldn’t do. Remove the battery and dry the phone with a soft cloth if you can. Also, don’t use heat sources like hair dryers. Don’t Try to turn the device on or clean it with harsh agents.
Safeguarding your device for the long haul
A waterproof phone case will protect your device even more from water damage. If you choose a water-resistant or waterproof smartphone, you are less likely to damage it in everyday situations.
Getting gadget insurance covering water damage can protect your finances if something goes wrong.
Smartphone users must stop believing the rice myth and find better ways to dry their devices if they want to keep them in good shape for a long time. Contrary to what most people think, using rice alone to dry out wet phones is insufficient and may even worsen the problem.
Instead, people should use tried-and-true methods like letting things dry naturally in a room with good airflow, silica gel desiccants, and or drying bags made just for that purpose. These ways improve wetness and help stop corrosion and damage inside. Buying phone cases or pouches resistant to water can also add a layer of security against spills or immersion.
