Just a moment of not paying attention, a careless movement and it happened: the smartphone is in the water! In such a case, a quick reaction is important to minimize the water damage.
Water damage is one of the most common smartphone killers. A little carelessness is often enough for the glass or coffee cup to be knocked over and the sensitive technology exposed to the liquid that is harmful to it. The smartphone also ends up in the toilet bowl surprisingly often. More than ten percent of Germans have already had to say goodbye to their mobile phones because they fell in the toilet is. Common consequences of such water damage are a flickering screen or stripes on the display. If the smartphone doesn’t even fail completely.
If the proverbial child has fallen into the well, good advice is expensive. Water damage repairs are often expensive and not covered under warranty. iPhone owners in particular can certainly say a thing or two about this, as the Apple repair service is not known for its low prices. You can read more on this topic below. However, you can keep the damage and the resulting costs for repairs, spare parts or a completely new device low or avoid them altogether by reacting quickly! Here is our step-by-step guide to help you provide first aid in an emergency.
4 things that help with water-damaged smartphones
If the mobile phone or smartphone has fallen into the water, the first step is of course to take it out of the water immediately. But before you shake it wildly to remove the moisture or rub it down with cloths, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Step 1: Disconnect power
If the smartphone is still connected to the mains via a charger when it comes into contact with water, interrupt the connection immediately. Be careful not to come into contact with the water or any electrical discharge points on the cable. Disconnecting from the mains primarily protects the battery from short-circuit damage. If you notice smoke, heat distortion, or other changes in your smartphone after unplugging it, do not touch it.
Step 2: Turn off your phone
If the smartphone is no longer in contact with the liquid, you should switch it off. Some smartphones – especially those of the younger generations – have an implemented protection circuit. These devices shut off automatically if water enters the case. In this case, do not switch your mobile phone on again, otherwise the battery could be damaged. If the smartphone is in a case, you should also remove it carefully so that the water can drain out as best as possible.
Step 3: Dry the smartphone carefully
Never shake a water-damaged smartphone. In this case, the moisture can get further into the interior of the housing due to the violent movement. Instead, be gentle with drying. Disassemble the device carefully and as far as possible. The latter should work well to a certain extent on older smartphones with removable batteries, but it is difficult on newer models.
Dry the individual parts with a soft cloth. Thick kitchen paper can also be used. However, you should avoid thin toilet paper when drying. Otherwise, the wet material may stick to the phone. Gently turn the case back and forth so that the water can drain out of the cracks where you can’t get the cloth.
Attention: This explicitly does not apply to iPhones or comparable smartphones! Please see below for more information.
Step 4: Try desiccants like rice
Once you have removed the surface moisture from the smartphone, place it in desiccant for several hours, which can absorb the remaining water. A proven household remedy is rice, for example, but it must have been stored airtight. However, silica gel/silica gel made of silicon dioxide is also well suited. Proceed as follows: Fill an airtight plastic bag with the desiccant and then sink your smartphone into the bag so that it is surrounded by the desiccant on all sides. Seal the bag and let the device dry in this way for several days.
Also interesting: How to protect your smartphone from heat
Total water damage vs splashing water
When treating water damage, a general distinction is made according to the duration and intensity with which the smartphone came into contact with water. The above method should be used primarily when your device is completely submerged. If the smartphone comes into contact only briefly and only with splashing water, no or only minor reactions are usually necessary. It is often sufficient to switch off the device for a few hours and place it upright on an absorbent pad so that the liquid can drain out as best as possible and the inside can dry. You should switch it off in this case too, just to be on the safe side.
Also read: What does IP67 and IP68 mean for waterproof smartphones?
Actions to avoid
Of course, there are some things that you should definitely leave alone, no matter how long your smartphone has been in contact with water.
- Do not connect the device to a power supply until you are sure that no liquid has remained in the case. Otherwise there is a risk of a short circuit.
- Avoid heat! Although the aim of the measures is to remove liquid as quickly as possible, heat does more damage to the electronics than it does when drying the device. That’s why the motto is: hands off hair dryers, ovens, heaters and microwaves when it comes to water damage to your smartphone.
- Also keep vacuum cleaners that are on away from your device. In any case, these cannot sufficiently remove liquid from the housing and, in case of doubt, damage the electronics rather than being helpful.
Also interesting: The best outdoor smartphones
Special case – iPhone with water damage
If you have an iPhone, you can ignore most of this article – most of the rescue measures above won’t apply to you. Newer iPhones starting with the iPhone 7 are partially waterproof. However, an iPhone usually cannot withstand a longer dive in the sea or pool.
You should also remove your iPhone from the liquid and turn it off as soon as possible. However, you should refrain from opening the housing and drying the parts individually. Damage caused by moisture is not covered by many manufacturers. Apple points to its home page even expressly point out that water damage is excluded from the guarantee – even supplementary insurance usually does not help.
However, as soon as you open the case on your own, any further warranty for the device also expires. Incidentally, like most Android smartphones, the devices from Apple also have a liquid sensor. Starting with the iPhone 5, this is located inside the housing and indicates when it comes into contact with liquid. This allows you to check whether moisture has penetrated the interior of your iPhone during the dive. If this is the case, unfortunately the only option left is to go to the repair service.
Smartphone warranty does not apply to water damage
It’s not just Apple that refuses the guarantee if it comes into contact with liquid. At Samsung, for example, it says: “Samsung does not provide any warranty services in the following cases: (…) The product was exposed to liquids/chemicals of any kind and/or extreme temperatures, moisture or moisture.” The warranty conditions of Huawei, LG, Sony and Co. So why are manufacturers still able to label their devices with the IP67 and IP68 label, which is supposed to protect against the ingress of water? For the simple reason that these certifications only apply to absolutely clear fresh water, but not to salted sea water and chlorinated pool water.
Avoid water damage on the smartphone
The easiest thing of all is, of course, to avoid water damage in advance – if possible. This saves switching off, drying measures and the possibly unavoidable trip to the repair service. Many newer models from all manufacturers can now withstand a lot. Rain or water splashes at the summer pool are usually no longer a problem. But even the latest high-tech devices survive a run through the washing machine or an involuntary dive in the toilet only to a limited extent unscathed. What helps in any case is a waterproof case.
Waterproof mobile phone cases protect your smartphone from water, dust and dirt thanks to special material and various locking mechanisms.
Also interesting: The 7 best waterproof cell phone cases
Defects are also possible months later
Smartphones often continue to work for months without any problems despite water damage, so that the owner feels safe again. However, water corrodes contacts inside the housing, which can lead to defects even after a long period of time. It is therefore particularly important that smartphones with water damage are treated immediately according to the steps described above.