Our smartphones are essential parts of our daily lives. We use them to communicate on Slack channels at work or store photos of our families. Because these devices do so much for us, it’s often terrifying when they become damaged. One of the most common forms of damage comes through water. A water-damaged phone is the worst nightmare of many people.
It happens in all sorts of ways, ranging from poolside accidents to falling in a toilet. When it happens, people often have only vague ideas of what to do. In this article, we’ll help you change that! We’ll break down how to tell if your phone has water damage and what to do when it happens.
Water Damaged Phone Repair: Preventative Measures
It may help to know that most smartphones now are water-resistant, if not waterproof. Some phones can withstand complete submersion in water for up to a half-hour without damage.
Additionally, even if your phone isn’t waterproof, many phone cases are. So, it’s possible that getting your phone a little wet isn’t the terror it would have been in 2005.
However, it’s always possible for things to go wrong. If your phone gets wet, follow these instructions.
Cut The Power
First, immediately remove your phone from the water. Regardless of how deeply submerged it is, it’s imperative to get it away from the water.
Second, power down your phone. Don’t start hitting buttons to see if it still works. Doing so could cause water to permeate the circuitry, and you don’t want that to happen.
Once the phone is shut down, remove the battery if possible. Many of the recent smartphones don’t have removable batteries, but older models still have this option.
If your battery isn’t removable, then move on to the SIM card. In many phones, once you remove the SIM card you can see a little strip that indicates whether cell phone water damage has hit your phone.
If your phone is water-damaged, the strip will turn either red or pink in most models. If your phone has a removable battery, you’ll find this strip near the battery.
Dry The Phone
Once you’ve cut the power, your next goal is to dry the phone. Many people will tell you that if your phone gets wet, you should put it in a bag of dry rice.
The rationale behind this suggestion is that rice is an absorbent grain and will draw the moisture out of your phone. This is true; however, once the rice draws out that moisture, it becomes moist and messy itself.
As a result, leaving your phone in a bag of rice could mean you’re leaving it in a moist environment. This environment could then prevent your phone from drying properly.
Instead, get some desiccants and put your phone in a bag with them. An example of a desiccant is silica gel, which you can find in a pack of beef jerky.
Silica gel is an excellent choice for drawing moisture from your phone. By using silica gel beads, companies draw harmful water out of food packages. Unlike rice, it doesn’t get messy or alter its texture when it absorbs water.
If you don’t have any silica gel, you can use a clean towel to dry the phone as best as possible. Whatever you do, don’t microwave the phone or place it in the oven! Heat could damage the phone’s internal wiring.
Don’t use a hairdryer to fix it, either. Hairdryers run the risk of pushing water through the circuitry and making things worse.
Common Signs of a Water-Damaged Phone
We’ve given you several measures to protect your phone from water damage and even mentioned a way of identifying phone damage. However, there are other common symptoms of cell phone water damage we haven’t covered. In this section, we’ll touch on a few of these.
One of the most common signs of water damage in a smartphone is when a water-damaged phone turns on, but the screen is black. If this ever happens to you, there’s a straightforward reason for it.
A black or drastically dimmed screen on your phone shows that water has slipped into your display. Usually, airing out your phone through methods named in the previous section can solve this.
Other examples may not have such easy repairs. One common sign of water damage is for sound to come through your speakers in a garbled way. Your speakers are one of the vulnerable gateways water uses to get in your phone.
If water damages your speakers, drying your phone may not be enough. The same is true if you notice static in your sound when you connect your headphones to your phone (shout out to people who still have headphone jacks).
Another telltale sign of damage to your phone is if it won’t charge. Your charger port is probably the biggest opening for water to enter your phone. If you find it won’t register any chargers, this is likely due to water damage.
What To Do If You Can’t Fix Your Phone
In some situations, there may not be any water-damaged phone solutions. If that’s the case for you, here are some considerations. First, virtually no smartphone warranties cover liquid damage. You can’t expect the provider to cover replacement or repair costs.
This lack of coverage is crucial because water damage isn’t cheap to repair. Some stores offer those services, but you can expect to pay at least $70 in most cases.
However, if you can’t fix your phone, you can always sell it. Even a damaged phone can earn you money for its parts and components. You can take that money and put it towards an upgrade.
Trust Us To Repair Your Phone
There are a lot of things you can do on your own to repair your water-damaged phone. However, while these steps increase your chances, none of them are guaranteed to mend your phone.
Instead, turn to professionals to repair your phone. Our team has all the experience and expertise you need to fix your phone. Find a location near you today!