Do:
Don't:
Place the phone in a dry, ventilated area and let gravity help moisture escape.
Put the phone in an airtight container with silica gel packets for 48 to 72 hours if you have them.
Give the device at least 24 to 48 hours before trying to turn it back on. Longer is safer if it was heavily soaked.
Look for screen flickering, muffled audio, charging problems, camera fog, overheating, or a liquid-damage indicator turning red.
Even if your phone has an IP68 rating, water resistance degrades over time as seals wear down. Buy a dedicated waterproof pouch or a heavy-duty case with an IP68 rating for situations near pools, beaches, boats, or during heavy rain. These cases add a physical barrier that gives you real protection regardless of how old the phone's internal seals are.
The charging port is the most vulnerable entry point for liquid damage. Never charge a phone near a sink, bathtub, or drink, and always close port covers if your case has them. After exposure to moisture, wait until the port is completely dry before plugging in a cable, since water in the port can short-circuit the charging circuit and permanently damage the motherboard.
Most phones have a small white or silver sticker inside the SIM tray or headphone jack that turns red or pink when it contacts water. Check this indicator after any suspected moisture exposure and before buying a used phone. Knowing early that moisture got inside helps you take drying steps sooner and prevents corrosion that spreads over days or weeks after the initial event.
Remove it from water, power it off, take off the case, remove accessories and the SIM tray, then dry the outside gently.
Rice is not the best option. Silica gel packets or professional drying are more effective.
Wait at least 24 to 48 hours, and longer if possible, before trying to power it on.
No. Charging while wet can cause a short circuit and further damage.
If the phone still will not work after drying, or if there are display, audio, or charging issues, repair may be needed.
Try the same service on a different device or network. If it works elsewhere, the issue is local to your device or network. If it fails everywhere, the service itself may be down - check Downdetector or the service's official status page to confirm.
Yes. A full restart (not just closing the app) clears stale connections, frees memory, and resolves the majority of intermittent glitches. Try this before deeper troubleshooting steps.
Open the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android) and search for the app - if an Update button appears, tap it. On desktop apps, look for an About or Check for Updates option in the menu. Outdated apps often break after server-side updates.
If clearing the cache, updating, and restarting have all failed, reinstall the app as a last resort. A clean reinstall removes corrupted data, settings, and permissions that the standard fix steps cannot reach. Your account and saved data are stored in the cloud, so you won't lose anything by reinstalling.
Yes. Salt water is far more corrosive than fresh water because the salt leaves conductive residue that continues to corrode internal components even after the phone appears dry. If your phone falls into the ocean, rinse it gently with fresh water before drying, but avoid letting water enter the ports. Then follow the same drying steps. Salt water damage is almost always more severe, so professional cleaning within 24 hours gives the best chance of saving the device.
Never use a hair dryer, oven, microwave, or any heat source to speed up drying, because high heat can warp internal components and melt adhesive seals. Do not shake the phone vigorously, since that can push water deeper into the device. Avoid inserting cotton swabs, paper towels, or metal objects into the charging port, headphone jack, or speaker grills, as these can push debris further in or damage delicate connectors. Stick to gentle pat drying and passive air drying in a well-ventilated area with silica gel packets as your safest options.