Steps to Follow If You Dropped Your Smartphone in Water

Sometimes, smartphones accidentally fall into a toilet, sink, puddle, or some other area of water. Needless to say that dropping electronics into any water is never good, but let's examine what to do if this happens to you.

First, we should mention that many smartphone manufacturers are now creating devices that are at least water resistant. These devices are given an IP score. IP stands for International Protection as drawn up by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which is a classification given to a device that rates the type of protection a consumer should expect. If your device is classified as IP67, it is resistant to dust and can be submerged in water no more than one meter deep for up to a half an hour. The only difference between IP67 and IP68 is that devices that are classified as IP68 guarantees protection in water up to one and a half meters deep for a half hour.

No matter how your smartphone is classified, it is not a good idea to expose it to water for very long. If it does happen, following these steps will give you the best chance of saving the device.

1. Turn off your device.
If it is off, do not turn it on. Leave it off.

There are actually several things you will NOT want to do. Don’t plug it in. Don't blow in it. Don’t shake it. Don’t try and use a blow dryer to save it. If this happens to you, don’t do anything to the device except the outlined suggestions in this list.

2. Take out your SIM and any expandable storage you have inside your device.

3. If your phone has a battery that can be removed, remove it
If you don’t have a phone where you can easily access the battery, don’t just pry it open. Take it to a professional to do so, or check out the many YouTube tutorials available to properly take your phone apart and remove the battery.

4. Use an absorbent rag to dab your phone dry.
Do not wipe it around; it could spread the liquid to more, harder to reach parts of your phone.

5. Bury the phone in a ziplock bag filled with uncooked rice.
The rice will absorb the liquid.

6. Let your phone dry for a day or two before trying to turn it on.

7. After that time, try turning it on.
If it doesn’t turn on, try charging it. If it doesn’t charge, your battery was probably damaged. At this point you’ll want to take it to a professional if you haven’t done so already.

8. If it seems to work properly, makes sure it does.
If all seems well, you’ll want to test the display for responsiveness, test your speakers and your microphone to makes sure they work properly.

If you follow these tips, you may just have a chance to save your smartphone from the eWaste pile at your local landfill. If you like this tip, return to our blog weekly for more tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your technology or call Macro Systems at 703-359-9211.