What to do if your cell phone falls in water

Since cell phone warranties do not cover accidental water damage, it is up to you to save you cell phone if it accidentally falls into water. Cell Phones are slick and can sometimes all too easily slip out of a persons hand. Smartphones do not come with water proof warranties either. So here is what you need to do if you cell phone or mobile phone falls into water. These steps will help you try to save your phone. 


1. Act fast - immediately  take it out of the water and remove the battery and SIM card. Do not attempt to switch on the phone to see if it still works, as this will only damage the circuits. Taking out the battery and SIM card gives you phone a better chance of survival and your SIM card a better chance of retaining all your saved data.


2. Dry Quickly - Compressed air or a wet/dry vacuum are ideal to quickly dry water. Avoide heat which means do not use a hair dryer, Ovens, Microwaves, heat Lamp or direct Sunlight. The reason being the heat could warp you phone and damage delicate electronic components and connectors. 


To dry your phone place your phone in a bag of rice. Rice acts as a desiccant and you can also use silica gel. These substances act as a desiccant having a high affinity for water and are usually used as drying agents. Leave overnight.


3. Test The Phone - You can now begin to test your phone. If you feel it is totally dry. Switch on the phone with the battery. If this does not work. Switch you phone on without the battery. If this works, your battery is gone get a new one and the phone should be fine. If this also does not work. Take your phone to an authorized dealer. 


If you are comfortable taking your phone apart, you can do so. Just remember where each part fits. Once you have dismantle your phone, try tapping each part against a soft towel. This is to dry to get any droplets of water that might still be hidden in there. Once you finish this you can once more try to switch on your phone after assembling all the parts back together. 


If it still does not work go to an authorized dealer and state the case. Do not hide the fact that ti fell into water. There are enough indicators to enable a technician to figure it out.

An original post by

Sociolatte