Dropped Phone in Water

So, you thought it would be a good idea to let your mobile phone go for a swim. Surely it won’t die. If it can handle a call from mother-in-law, water should be a breeze!

Oops! You thought wrong, and now it looks like you’re going to get a new phone.

Not so fast! Perhaps we can help. Perhaps this article can shed some light on the subject, and show you how to salvage your phone. After all, the next call from mother-in-law is just waiting to happen.

 

 

Don’t just stand there! Do something! Get it out of the water now. That’s the best time to remove a mobile phone from the water.

Even though the plastic covers on your mobile may be quite tight, it won’t be long before water enters the casing.

 

Switching the phone on could cause it to short circuit. Leave it off for now.

 

If the phone is not dead upon retrieval, get it dry. Use your tie, your shirt, your trousers; use anything and start drying it off immediately.

If it did die in the swim, remove the battery while it is still under water. This should help dissipate heat from shortages, which could damage the phone. However, this move could cause the phone’s life to go either way. The battery, being underwater, could likely short out. Whatever you do, be careful. At the very least, it’ll serve as a good reminder to never take it for a swim again.

 

It is likely that your phone may not be as badly damaged as you think. That is, if you removed it from the water immediately. The longer it swims, the less likely your phone is to survive. However, there’s no harm in trying to get her back to life.

 

This is a very important step. Don’t think about it. don’t read up on it. don’t phone a friend. Remove the battery. Cut the power to your phone.

Your phone’s circuits may survive the ordeal if there is no wet power source.

A quick indicator of whether the phone’s taken water damage is to look at the corner near where the battery is housed. You should see a white circle or square, with or without red lines. If this area is red or pink, your phone took water damage.

If you’re not sure about how to remove the phone, scan the phone’s manual.

 

If you make use of a SIM card, remove it. The SIM card is often the source of valuable information, like phone numbers and what not. This is often more important than the phone itself!

Generally, SIM cards survive water well. Dry it off and place it aside until later.

 

Remove anything and everything that can be removed from the phone without damaging it. Remove covers, memory cards, plugs and anything else. The idea is to create as many openings in the phone as possible.

 

One drop of water inside the phone could spell disaster. Remove as much of the water as soon as possible.

 

Wipe the phone of gently, and make sure you don’t drop it. do not shake the phone or move it excessively. This should stop the water from running all over the place inside the phone.

Use a paper towel or towel to wipe it with. Do not squeeze the paper into the grooves and gaps of the phone. You need to gently dab and wipe the phone where necessary.

If the battery was removed timely, the use of cleaning alcohol or contact spray may help in remedying the problem.

Use a cloth or mitten to dry off excess moisture from the phone.

 

Try and suck as much of the liquid from the phone, without sucking the life out of it. this could possibly be the fastest method to get your phone working again.

Do not use a hair dryer to try and get the phone dry. This will only push water further into the device, and make it harder to clean.

 

Place the phone inside a bag or bowl of uncooked rice. The rice should absorb remaining moisture. If you use desiccant, place the phone inside a sealable plastic bag, or airtight plastic container. Add the desiccant packets in the container with the phone. These desiccant packets can be found inside shoe boxes or other such items where moisture needs to be kept to a minimum.

 

Turn the phone every hour until it’s time to go to bed. This should assist water in running down and finding a possible escape.

 

Once you’ve removed the phone from the rice or desiccant, place the phone on any one of the abovementioned items. You’re trying to get the moisture to escape from the phone. Leave the phone here for a few hours, checking up on it every four to six hours. If there are signs of moisture, repeat the vacuuming and desiccant steps.

 

After waiting at least 24 hours, check that everything on the phone looks dry. Attach the battery and try to turn it on.

If it doesn’t work, plug the phone into the charger, without the battery. If this works, it means you’ll have to get a new battery.

If that doesn’t work, take the phone to an authorised dealer. Tell them the whole truth about what happened to the phone so that they can make an accurate assessment of the situation.

 

If you fancy yourself a bit of a techy, take the phone apart yourself. Make sure you know where each part goes as you continue your journey into the heart of the phone. Upon putting it back together, make sure every part goes into the place it should. While disassembling it, gently dab each part with a small towel. Use the vacuum cleaner to try and remove water and moisture.

If you feel uncomfortable with this step, then take the phone to the experts. They may be better able to help you out of your situation.