When a Phone Falls in Water, What Happens?
When water gets into the ports, jacks, and speakers of a phone, it becomes its kryptonite. It flows into the circuits once within. What’s the end result? Water works as a conductor, carrying a current that overloads the phone, frying the circuit board.
Allowing the phone to dry on its own, for example, exacerbates the problem. Minerals in the water cause corrosion of the phone’s circuits, coils, and resistors if water is allowed to dwell in it.
This one also confuses people because the harm isn’t often immediately obvious. Water may take a bit longer to reach sensitive components in some cases. As a result, dropping a phone in water has no visible consequences. However, those unfortunate folks would be unable to use their phones the next day.
The source of water is another something to consider. Dropping your phone in a puddle or the toilet is bad enough, but dump it in the ocean and you can say goodbye to that phone. Salt water is extremely corrosive, and it will degrade a phone’s components far faster than freshwater. So, when snapping selfies on your boat, be cautious.
How can you know if your phone has been damaged by water?
There are a few apparent symptoms that your equipment has been damaged by water:
Water or evaporation (or dry area marks) can be seen behind the screen.
At ports, corrosion marks can be seen.
Liquid Damage Indicator with Discoloration (LDI). In most cases, the LDI is found in the headphone jack, battery compartment, or SIM tray slot.
The LDI will appear red or maroon if your phone has been damaged by water.
Is it possible to air dry a water-damaged phone?
It’s not a good idea to blow dry your phone after it’s been wet. While it may help to remove some surface moisture, it will not help to eliminate moisture from within your device. Not to mention the possibility of irreversible harm to your phone’s internal components due to the heat.
Taking Quick Action to Save a Water Damaged Phone
Now, explanations are important, but solutions are far more important. Water is quick to circulate through your phone, and the harm it does is never far away. So, if your phone has been submerged in water, you must act quickly.
The phase of phone fix
- Take it out right away (you already knew that) and turn it off.
- Use a sanitiser and a microfiber cloth to clean it (using gloves if required).
- Ensure that the phone is as dry as possible.
- Remove the battery, SIM card, and headphones/cords (if applicable).
- If you can’t get the battery out, prop the phone up.
- At this point, you may dry and disinfect your smartphone with our Screen Shine and a microfiber cloth.
- This must not be done!
- Microwave your phone to dry it – This is extremely unsafe and can cause a fire.
- Do not place your phone in the freezer; after the ice melts, you’ll be back to square one.
- When drying a water-damaged phone with a hair drier, be careful not to overheat the circuits that have already blown out.
- Place your phone near a radiator – as mentioned previously.
- Put it in a bag of rice (since it doesn’t help much) – Rice therapy hasn’t shown to be very effective in studies and trials. They can remove some water, but not nearly fast enough to prevent corrosion caused by water damage.
Take Your Wet Phone to a Reputable Repair Shop
The fact is that letting your phone to totally dry out on its own isn’t a smart idea. Remember that water does harm beneath the surface, out of reach of your hands. If you’re mechanically inclined and can fix your own equipment, great; if you can’t, let the professionals do it.
Check to determine whether the phone is still under warranty if it is entirely fried (it won’t switch on). If you do, that’s fantastic. If not, you may have to bite the bullet and get the item repaired by the manufacturer. Usually, there is a charge for this.
You can take the phone to a large electronics retailer or a small repair shop if it still works, faults and all. Hi-tech phone Repair services for phones are available at our phone shop in Bolton.
Practical Advice on How to Avoid Water Damage in the Future
It happens to the best of us when we drop our phone in water. That being said, other folks appear to have it all together and don’t seem to have these mishaps. A few easy tricks can put you in their league while still keeping your phone dry.