It happens in slow motion: the phone slips from your hand, arcs through the air, and lands in the sink, the bath, or worse — the toilet. Your stomach drops. What you do in the next sixty seconds matters more than anything else, and most people do exactly the wrong thing. If your phone gets wet, here’s what to do — and what definitely not to do.
Phone gets wet? The first 60 seconds: act fast, stay calm
1. Get it out of the water immediately. Every second counts. Water creeps into ports, speaker grilles and SIM trays, and the longer it sits, the further it migrates.
2. Turn it off right now. If it’s still on, power it down immediately. Don’t test whether it works, don’t check your messages, don’t take a “it’s fine!” photo. Electricity plus water equals short circuits — a phone that’s off has a vastly better survival chance than one that’s on. Hold the power button and shut it down.
3. Remove the case, SIM tray and anything plugged in. Take the case off, pop out the SIM tray (that little hole on the side — use the ejector tool or a paperclip), and unplug any charger or headphones. This opens up the phone’s orifices so water can drain and air can circulate. Shake the phone gently — very gently — with the ports facing down to encourage water out.
4. Dry the outside thoroughly. Pat it down with a soft, absorbent cloth or towel. Get into the crevices around buttons and the charging port. Don’t use a hairdryer on hot — heat damages seals and components. Cool air from a distance is okay, but patting dry is safer.
What NOT to do (the myths that kill phones)
Don’t put it in rice. I know — everyone says rice. It’s one of tech’s most persistent myths, and Apple themselves now explicitly advise against it. Rice does absorb some moisture, but slowly and unevenly, and tiny rice dust and starch gets into your ports and causes its own damage. It’s barely better than doing nothing, and it gives you false confidence while corrosion quietly sets in.
Don’t charge it. This is the big one. Plugging in a wet phone can fry the charging circuitry instantly. Modern iPhones and many Android phones will warn you about “liquid detected” and refuse to charge — listen to the warning. Wait until you’re confident it’s fully dry, which means at least 24–48 hours.
Don’t use a hot hairdryer or put it on a radiator. Heat warps internal components and can melt the adhesive holding water-resistant seals. Room temperature air circulation is what you want.
Don’t press all the buttons. Every press can push water deeper into the phone. Leave it alone.
The proper drying method
After the initial rescue, stand the phone upright (ports down) in a well-ventilated spot at room temperature. A fan blowing gently across it helps enormously — moving air evaporates moisture far faster than still air. Silica gel packets (the little “do not eat” sachets from shoe boxes) are genuinely useful if you have them: seal the phone in a container with several packets and they absorb moisture far better than rice.
Then wait. I know it’s agonising, but give it at least 24 hours, ideally 48, before turning it on or charging. Water trapped inside takes far longer to evaporate than you’d think. Turning it on too early is how a phone that would have survived dies — impatience is the real killer.
Understanding water resistance (IP ratings)
Most modern phones claim water resistance — you’ll see “IP68” in the specs. Here’s what that actually means: IP68 typically means surviving 1.5 metres of fresh water for 30 minutes, in lab conditions, when new. The key words are “when new” — the seals degrade over time, drops and heat cycles wear them down, and manufacturers’ warranties do not cover water damage, even on IP68 phones. Treat water resistance as a safety net for accidents, not a feature to rely on. And note it says fresh water: salt water, chlorinated pools and soapy bath water are all more corrosive and more damaging.
If your phone went into the sea, rinse it gently with fresh water as soon as possible (yes, really — getting it wet again with clean water is better than letting salt crystallise inside), then dry as above. Salt is the enemy.
After it’s dry: check for damage
Once 48 hours have passed, try turning it on. Check methodically: touchscreen responsiveness across the whole display, both speakers (play music), microphones (record a voice note), cameras (front and back — look for fogging inside the lens), charging, and all the buttons. Water damage can be sneaky — corrosion develops over days or weeks, so a phone that seems fine on day two can develop faults on day ten. Back up your data immediately once it’s working (see our guide on backing up phone photos to the cloud for free) — don’t assume it’s out of the woods.
Look for the liquid contact indicators: most phones have tiny stickers inside the SIM tray slot that turn red or pink on water contact. If you’re taking it for repair, the technician will check these — they’ve already decided your warranty claim.
When to take it to a repair shop
If the phone won’t turn on after 48 hours of drying, or works but has dead spots on the screen, muffled audio or foggy cameras, take it to a reputable repair shop sooner rather than later. Corrosion is progressive — the longer it sits, the worse it gets. A professional can open the phone, clean the board with isopropyl alcohol in an ultrasonic bath, and often save devices that seem dead. Expect to pay £40–£80 for a proper water-damage clean in the UK. Be wary of shops that promise miracles; be honest with them about what happened (fresh vs salt water matters).
Check your insurance, too — many home contents policies cover accidental damage to phones, and some bank accounts (Nationwide FlexPlus, for example) include phone insurance. The excess might make small repairs uneconomical, but for a £800 phone it’s worth a call.
Preventing the next dunking
A little prevention beats any rescue: a decent case with port covers, keeping the phone out of the bathroom (toilets and baths are the top two phone-killers), and being honest about whether your “water-resistant” phone is three years old with a cracked corner — because that crack means the seals are compromised. If you’re accident-prone, a waterproof pouch (£8–£15) for beach days and festivals is the cheapest insurance going.
Once it’s working again, back up your photos to the cloud for free so the next accident isn’t a disaster — and Apple’s official iPhone liquid-damage guidance confirms the no-rice advice.
The bottom line: act fast, power off, dry patiently, and ignore the rice. Do that, and your phone has a genuinely good chance of surviving its swim.
