How To Fix A Water Damaged Phone

February 4, 2022

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How To Fix A Water Damaged Phone

While most modern smartphones are now advertised as water-resistant, it sadly doesn't mean they are completely safe from liquid damage, which is an increasingly common problem. According to a recent study, as many as 25% of smartphone owners have accidentally damaged their device with water or another liquid.

Whether your phone has been soaked in the rain, you've dropped it in the toilet, or you've spilt a cup of tea on it, liquids can cause significant damage to your device. After drying your phone, you may start to notice poor audio, water trapped in your camera lens, rust, liquid under the screen, charging issues, or worse. So, the question is, can a water-damaged phone be saved? Or will you have to buy a brand new device?

In this article, we will be answering these questions, as well as what you can do at home to fix the problem and, if you can't fix it, how much water-damaged phone repairs cost. If you have recently fallen victim to water damage, keep reading to find out what you can do.

Can water-damaged phones be repaired?

The short answer is, yes, water damaged phone repairs are possible for the most part. As mentioned, water-damaged phones are an increasingly common problem for all smartphone users, and whilst devices have become more liquid-resistant, if you drop them in a deep puddle, you are likely to experience problems.

With it being such a common issue, manufacturers and repair centres are now able to carry out repairs on liquid-damaged devices. However, water damage is not included in any of Apple's limited one-year or Apple Care + warranties, and so they will charge a premium rate to fix your device.

Thankfully, in recent years, Apple has come to realise how common an accident it is, and if you have an iPhone model post-2006, you will be able to tell if liquid damage has occurred on your device. Your iPhone will come with a Liquid Contact Indicator that will show if your phone has been in contact with water. If you gently open up the SIM card tray, you will be able to see if the LCI has been activated. Normally, the indicator will appear white, but it will be red if your device has been water damaged.

How to get water out of your phone

Here's what to do if you drop your phone in liquid or get it wet:

Remove it from the liquid immediately. The longer it stays there, the more liquid will seep into various inlets.
Turn the phone off and leave it off.
Remove the protective case.
If possible, open the back and remove the battery, SIM card, and microSD card (if you have one). Not sure how to remove the SIM card? Check out our guide for iPhone and Android.
Use a cloth or paper towel to dab your phone dry. Do not rub the phone, as doing so could accidentally push liquid into the phone’s more sensitive parts. If the phone was completely submerged, you might try (very) gently vacuuming around the phone’s creases and openings to suck more water out.
Resist the urge to bake your phone in the sun. Keep it in a cool, dry place.
You’ve probably heard the suggestion to put your phone in rice if it gets wet, but we do not recommend this method. Instead, try silica gel packets, like the ones that often come with new products such as a pair of shoes, as they’ve proven to be much more effective. Fill a plastic zip-top bag with silica gel packets and bury the phone in the bag. Leave your phone in the bag for 24–48 hours.
After you’ve allowed your phone to fully dry, switch it on. If it doesn’t turn on right away, charge it fully and try again.

If your phone turns back on, great! Still, keep an eye on it over the next week or so, as sometimes certain features won’t work the way they used to.

If you've tried these steps and still need a little help, we're right around the corner.

Spilled water on your device?

We can help. Skip the bag of rice, and schedule a liquid damage repair for a free diagnostic.

How can you tell if your phone has water damage?

There are a few signs that can confirm liquid damage to your device:

Look for the visual presence of liquid or evaporation (or dried water markings) behind the screen.
Check for corrosion marks visible at ports.
Check the Discolored Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI). The LDI is typically located in the headphone jack, battery compartment, or SIM tray slot. If your phone has water damage, the LDI will appear red or maroon.

Does rice fix water-damaged phones?

According to Asurion Experts, putting your liquid-exposed device in rice may absorb some moisture. However, it may also cause other issues for your phone, such as an introduction of dust and dry starch (a rice byproduct) into your phone's cracks and crevices. Rice could also potentially become lodged in your phone's charging port or headphone jack, which can be extremely difficult to dislodge as the rice swells when exposed to liquid.

Can you blow-dry a water-damaged phone?

Blow-drying your phone when it's exposed to water is not recommended. While it might remove some of the surface moisture, it will do very little to remove the moisture from inside your device and the heat could do irreparable damage to your phone's internal components.

How do you remove water from a charging port?

Here are the steps to take to remove liquid from a phone's charging port:

Turn off the device.
If your phone is in a case, take it off.
Remove the battery (if you can).
Wipe down the device with a dry, absorbent towel.
Blow away the excess fluid carefully with compressed air or by carefully blowing on it.
Let it sit and dry out, with open ports facing down.

How do you get water out of your phone speakers?

Try these tips to get liquid out of your iPhone or Android phone speakers:

Take a cotton swab and gently swab the area around the speakers.
Turn the device off and place it in an upright position to dry out, with the speakers facing downward. Doing so will encourage excess liquid to come out.

How To Fix A Water Damaged Phone

How do I get my wet phone to work again?

For many people, their phones contain so much of their lives, and getting their device wet might feel like the end of the world. However, an accidental spin in the washing machine or trip into the bath doesn't spell the end. If you have quickly retrieved your phone from the liquid, there is still hope, and there are a few steps you can take to get your phone back in working order again.

To help you try to get your phone working again, we have compiled a list of what you shouldn't do to achieve the best outcome.

Firstly, if your phone has switched off from water exposure or was off before it was exposed to water, you should never try to switch it on. The best thing you can do is leave your device off, as switching it on while wet could short circuit your device and cause permanent damage.

Although it can be tempting, try not to shake or blow on your phone to rid it of water. You may notice water in your charging port, but blowing on it may only push the water further into your device and cause more problems.

Unless you are turning your device off, do not press any other buttons, as this may accidentally push water further into your phone.

Don't try to speed up the drying process by putting your phone on a radiator, in the oven, or by putting it under a hairdryer. This may seem like a way to quickly rid your phone of water, but extreme temperatures can cause internal and external damage or even cause the water to spread further inside.

Even if you hear the presence of water inside your phone, do not try to take it apart yourself. Not only do you risk damaging your phone, but it could invalidate any warranty or insurance policy you have in place. The less you try to do, the better the outcome.

How to fix a water-damaged phone

Now that it has been established what you shouldn't do with a wet phone, we will move on to the steps you can take to try to fix it yourself. While we always recommend putting your device in the hands of a professional, it is always worth trying to mitigate the damage by acting quickly. In some cases, these steps may be enough to remove excess liquid and spare the internal components from damage.

- Once your phone is switched off, you should remove any protective casing you have on your device, as well as the SIM card and, if possible, the battery. Separating what you can will help the internal components dry out quicker.
- Make sure you don't leave your phone visibly wet; use a soft, absorbent cloth to soak up any remaining liquid. Paper towels or other absorbent cloths are best to use as they won't risk pushing water further into the device.
- Many people think that placing your phone into a container of dry uncooked rice is a myth, but it can help remove excess liquid. If you can, placing your device and the rice into a plastic food bag and leaving it overnight to absorb the moisture can be highly effective.
- While blowing air onto the device is not recommended, using a vacuum to suck water out is more advisable. If you have noticed a considerable amount of liquid in the charging port or speakers, using a vacuum may help dry them out. That being said, you should always make sure there are no loose elements that could be damaged in the process.
- Many of us feel completely lost without access to our phones, but to achieve the best possible outcome after water damage, we always recommend leaving it for at least 48 hours before turning it back on.
- If you are able to turn your device back on, it is advisable to keep an eye on how it performs over the following days and weeks. You will have to test various features such as the camera, touchscreen, and speakers to see how they respond. While your phone may appear to be functioning as expected, if liquid has worked its way inside, corrosion may start to occur, and there will be a decline in functionality. In this instance, you should take the time to backup contacts, photos, and other important data in case your phone starts to falter.
If your phone still isn't turning on after 48 hours has elapsed, try charging it for a while.

If, after leaving it to charge for a sufficient amount of time, it doesn't turn on, you will likely need to employ the help of a professional phone repair service such as Imfixed.

Before considering splashing out on a new phone, we always recommend speaking to a specialist to see if your liquid-damaged device can be fixed. At Imfixed, our team is happy to offer a free diagnostic service to ascertain the health of your device and determine the extent of the liquid damage. In most cases, it will be a simple fix of specific components, which we will detail in our report to you.

If you believe your iPhone is water damaged, why not speak to our team at ImFixed today? Our friendly and knowledgeable in-store team will be more than happy to assist you and get your iPhone back in working order with a 12-month guarantee on all work.

What to do if you've just dropped your phone in water

It can happen to the best of us. Getting a smartphone wet can cause no end of stress, as we battle to ensure it keeps working and we don’t have to resort to buying a new device altogether.

So, what do you do if you’ve just dropped your phone in liquid? Read on and we’ll give you top tips on how to get liquid out of your phone and what to do if the worst happens. First, follow these key steps.

● Take your phone out of the water immediately if it’s been submerged

● Dry off any excess water as quickly as possible, but be sure to dab rather than rub

● Remove the SIM - most mobile phones’ SIM trays are on the side and can be opened using a safety pin

● Take out the battery if you can. Most phones have in built batteries, but if you can take yours out, do so immediately

● Turn it off if it’s still working. You don’t want to risk liquid working its way further into the device and damaging key internal components

● Don’t charge it. Water and electricity don’t mix!

Once you’ve completed these steps, it’s time to start working on drying out your water damaged phone.

How to dry out your phone completely

Follow these methods if you’ve got a liquid damaged phone and chances are you may be able to save it.

Method 1: Use rice to dry out your phone

This is perhaps the most well known method for getting water out of your phone, and for good reason.

Get a freezer bag, put the phone inside (make sure it’s turned off) and put as much rice around it as possible, ideally filling the bag.

Leave it for between 24 and 48 hours. Rice soaks up water, so this is a solid option for saving your device.

After two days, remove your phone and see if it works. Just be aware that rice can easily enter charging ports, so keep an eye out for any rogue grains.

Method 2: Emergency kits

There’s a growing market in emergency kits to help fix liquid damaged phones. These claim to remove the minerals in water which corrode phone components.

Simply place your powered down phone in the pouch of solution for around seven minutes, remove it and leave it for 24 hours in the provided tray to dry.

Kits cost around a tenner from the likes of Amazon, with some claiming to have a 90% success rate.

Method 3: Silica gel packs

These little gel packs can often be found in boxes of new products, from laptops to toys, and act in much the same way as rice.

You can buy packs of them online from as little as £3. Place your phone in an airtight jar, surround it with the gel packs for up to 48 hours and your phone should be liquid-free when you turn it on.

Method 4: Air it out

This is very much the last resort, but you can try airing out your water damaged phone if every other method has failed.

Do not use a hair dryer. Instead, get hold of a compressed air canister and trying blowing air into any ports where you fear water may have got in.

Frequently asked questions

My phone still works. Do I still need to worry?

Water can take time to work its way into a water damaged phone, so it’s a good idea to turn it off as soon as possible, even if it’s still working, and go through with the drying out methods outlined above.

How can I tell if my phone is water damaged?

Your phone’s screen may flicker or stop working if it’s water damaged. Ports may also become unusable, with your phone unable to charge or connect to wired headphones, while its speaker may stop working completely.

How do I get water out of my phone speaker?

Some apps and websites claim to be able to play a tone that can help blast water out of your damaged speakers. That’s a neat idea, but you’re better off using rice or silica gel to dry it out instead.

How do I get water out of the charging port?

As above, try and dab out any excess water before putting your phone in rice or silica gel, or using a rescue pack.

Does drying your phone with rice actually work?

It does. Rice soaks up water, so if you leave it for 48 hours there’s a good chance it’ll work when you power it up.

How much does liquid-damaged phone repair cost?

As mentioned, popular phone manufacturers such as Apple, along with Samsung, Google, and other big names, offer a range of phone repairs, including water damage. However, they are well known to charge a premium for carrying out such repairs as they are very rarely covered under the terms and conditions of their warranties.

Thankfully, our highly trained and experienced team at Imfixed can repair liquid damaged phones for a much better price.

The total cost of the repair will depend on not only the type of repair required but also the brand and model. Our website allows you to get a more accurate idea of what you will expect to pay for a liquid-damaged phone. Simply select your phone brand, the model, and the repair you require, and go to the checkout. This will provide you with a final price that includes the cost of service and delivery, with nothing else to pay.

As part of our commitment to ensuring we provide our customers with the best possible prices for repairs, we are proud to offer a price match promise on all mobile phone repairs, including liquid damage. If another UK-based business has provided you with a more competitive price, we will do everything we can to agree on a fair price for our quality service, backed by a 12-month warranty. Visit our Price Match Promise page, fill out the form, and our team will get in touch with you.

Get in touch!

Whether you've been caught in the rain, spilt a glass of water, or dropped your device in the sea, there are ways to revive your phone! If you suspect your phone is suffering from the effects of water damage, don't leave it any longer. Talk to our team today.

Our team at Imfixed are proud to offer every customer a fast, friendly, professional and reliable service every time. You can book in any device for water damage repair today using our website. Simply select the brand, model, and repair needed and add it to your basket-it's that simple!

You have the option to drop your phone off at our Bolton-based shop, arrange a call-out service, or post your device to us.

We are proud to offer nationwide services via post and offer a call-out, pick-up, and drop-off service within a 20-mile radius of Greater Manchester.

If you would like to know more about how we undertake the repairs of water damaged phones or any of our other phone repair services, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team today on 01204 520520, or you can email us at info@imfixed.co.uk.