Phone fell in water or got wet: what to do

Switch it off, do not charge it, dry the outside, and give it air and time. What you avoid doing matters as much as what you do.

What you seeThe phone got wet, fell into water, or shows "liquid detected"

The first five minutes

1. Take it out of the water at once.
2. Switch it off, and leave it off. If it is already off, do not turn it on "to check". Electricity and water together are what destroy circuits; a wet phone that is off often survives.
3. Unplug any cable or earphones. Never charge a wet phone.
4. Remove the case, the SIM tray and any memory card. Leave the tray out to let air in.
5. Dry the outside with a soft cloth or tissue. Dab; do not rub water into openings.
6. Drain the openings. Hold the phone with the charging port facing down and tap it gently against your palm. Do the same for the speaker grille.

Then: air and time

Stand the phone upright, port down, in a dry, airy place at room temperature, in front of a fan if you can, for at least 24 hours; 48 is better after a full dunking. Packets of silica gel (the small sachets from shoe boxes and bottles) in a closed box with the phone help draw moisture out.

What not to do

• No hair dryer, oven, heater or sunshine. Heat warps seals, damages the screen and battery, and drives water deeper.
• No rice. It dries no better than open air, and its dust and grains lodge in ports. Phone makers advise against it.
• Do not shake hard or blow into the ports. That spreads water inside.
• Do not push cotton buds, tissue or pins into the port or grilles.
• Do not press buttons more than needed.
• Do not put it in a fridge or freezer.

If it was not clean water

Sea water, soapy water, tea, soft drinks and toilet or drain water leave salts and sugars that corrode and stick even after drying.

• With the phone off, wipe the outside with a cloth dampened with clean water, then dry it.
• Take it to a service centre the same day for cleaning inside. Say exactly what it fell into. Waiting until it "stops working" is usually too late.

Switching it on again

After a day or two of drying:

1. Check the ports look dry. Insert the SIM tray.
2. Switch on without the charger.
3. If it starts, back up at once. See back up your phone. Corrosion can stop a phone days or weeks after it seemed to recover.
4. Charge only when you are sure the port is dry. If the phone says "moisture detected", wait longer. See phone not charging.
5. Test the speaker, microphone, cameras and every button. A muffled speaker often clears as the last water evaporates; playing sound at moderate volume helps push droplets out.

If it does not start, do not keep trying. Take it for repair and tell them it was in liquid.

"My phone is water resistant"

Many phones carry a rating such as IP67 or IP68. Understand what that covers.

• The rating is tested in still, fresh water, for a limited depth and time, on a new phone.
• It does not cover sea water, pool water, soap, steam, hot showers or water under pressure from a tap or a jet.
• Seals wear out: with age, heat, drops, bending, and after any repair that opens the phone.
• Makers' warranties generally exclude liquid damage, even on rated phones. Read your warranty terms.

So treat the rating as protection against accidents, not as permission to take the phone swimming. Even a rated phone should be dried, and not charged until its port is dry.

Signs of damage that show up later

• Fog or droplets under the camera lens or screen.
• Dark patches, lines or a flickering screen.
• A speaker that crackles or stays muffled; a microphone callers cannot hear.
• The phone getting hot, or the battery draining or swelling.
• Charging that stops and starts, or green deposits in the port.
• Buttons, fingerprint reader or SIM reader failing.

Any of these means water reached the inside. Back up and have it serviced.

How a centre knows

Phones contain small liquid contact indicators, stickers that change colour permanently when wet, usually visible inside the SIM tray slot. If yours has turned red or pink, a warranty claim for an unrelated fault may be refused. Be honest with the service centre; it helps them fix the right thing.

Prevention

A zip pouch at the beach and in the rain, no phones on the edge of sinks and buckets, and no charging in bathrooms. And keep automatic backup on, because the photos are worth more than the phone.

For Android phones and iPhones. Written in November 2026 for Android 13 to 15 and iOS 17 and 18. Phone makers rename menus; use the search box in Settings if a name differs. Back up before any reset. This is an independent guide, not connected with Google, Apple, Samsung or any phone maker or operator.