The vast majority of flagship mobile devices have some degree of water resistance. The iPhone 11 Pro Max, for example, can be in a 4-meter body of water for 30 minutes – a very reasonable amount of time to retrieve a retrievable water submerged device. Awesome for your future devices! But, what if you have an older device that doesn’t have the luxury of this defense?
It’s fair to assume that 100% of phone users would be alarmed to see their phone slip right between their fingers into water. If it’s happened to you already, you probably stood shocked as you watched your phone fall in slow motion and told yourself that it’s game over. Those photos of you and your family? Gone. All your important work contacts? Gone.
The good news is there’s still hope! To start, if you backed everything up (which you should regularly schedule to remind yourself), you should be okay. More importantly, your phone won’t die from immediate contact with water. Meaning you can save your phone, even if there is significant damage, as long as you act fast and take the right steps.
What happens to a phone when it falls in water
Water is like poison to our phones. It makes its way through the ports, jacks and speakers, into the circuits. The water acts as a conductor, carrying a current, which then overloads the phone with energy, and ultimately fries the circuit board.
It’s important to get the water out of the phone as quickly as possible because letting the water sit in the phone can lead to further damages. This damage is easy to dismiss because it isn’t always immediately apparent right away.
Do’s and Don’ts when Saving a Water Damaged Phone
It’s good to know how water can affect our phones, but the solution is what you came here for. Water moves quickly and so you need to act fast.
DO
- Take it out and turn it off. Turning it off will stop any immediate damage.
- Try your best to keep the phone upright and allow any water to drip out.
- At the same time, wipe it clean with a towel or microfiber cloth
- Remove the battery (if it’s removable), SIM card and any headphones or cords.
DON’T
There are methods of heating that you may use because they seem faster, but they can actually harm your device more:
- Don’t put your phone in the microwave. This can start a fire.
- Don’t use a hair dryer to dry the water. This can fry the circuits.
- Don’t put your phone near a radiator.
- Don’t use a bag of rice as your only solution. Studies have shown that the rice can help pull some water out, but it is not always fast enough to counteract the corrosion that comes with water damage.
Hopefully you’re not feeling the pressure of an older water damaged device, let us know if this helps! As always, feel free to reach out to info@rmcsolutions.ca if you have any mobile device questions 🙂
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