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6 Things You Should Do If You Drop Your Phone in Water

Did your smartphone went swimming? Or you just accidentally dropped it right into the harm’s way? Or enjoyed the rain with your priced possession in your pocket?
To be honest this is situation is faced by many smartphone owners once in a while. The smartphone takes a deadly plunge right into water which is followed by freaking out and trying almost anything and everything to bring it back to life.

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Here are 7 things you should do in case your smartphones becomes thirsty next time.

Remove Battery or Turn It Off Immediately

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If your smartphones comes with a removable battery then remove the back panel and take out the battery as soon as you can after taking it out of water. Leaving it switched on can cause it to short circuit.
If your smartphone comes with a non-removable battery then shut it down immediately by pressing the power button for 5 seconds to prevent further damage.

Remember in either case do not try to turn it on in any case as short circuit can occur and chances are fair that your phone will not be able to see another light of day. Shutting it down prevents it from short circuiting.


Remove All Accessories

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Remove the back panel, battery and accessories like SIM card, SIM tray and memory card. Remove all the protective cases, covers and bumpers. Make way for air drying it and remove every obstruction in between. Gently shake it off to allow water to come out from ports and holes.

Dry It Out

Remember keep it in screen up direction all times whether drying or not. Gravity is a fascinating thing and it will prevent water from reaching your display.
Open you phone up using necessary tools and gently use a dry cloth or paper towel to absorb the water by dabbing on the affected areas. Do not wipe hurriedly as you may spread water and it may do more harm than good. Moisture corrodes the circuit inside your phone so try to take out as much moisture as you can.
You can use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the water from all the ports and openings as well as from the circuit board. Vacuum cleaner is the best hep you can get immediately when water is logged in your phone.

Do Not Use Hair Dryer at Any Cost

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Though it is common for people using hair dryers to remove water. Irrespective of the fact that whether you have put the hair dryer on hot mode or Cold mode you are just pushing the water further inside instead of taking it out. Water or moisture may reach deep inside to other electrical components of your phone leading to corrosion and further damage.

Do not use any air blower, air heater or any other thing that might push the water deeper inside. Vacuum cleaner is the safest bet you have got.

Bury It Deep in Rice

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Rice is a great water absorbent and it dries the water out more speedily. Keep your phone and other components like battery in rice. It is recommended that you put your phone and battery in a rice filled airtight container as it would prevent the phone from atmospheric moisture.
Leave it in the rice container for at least three days to dry out. Keep your urge to power it on under control. Keeping it in rice increases the chances of your phone’s revival. It is advisable that you dissemble your phone so that it is dried out from each and every corner and no trace of moisture is left.

Time for Testing

After you have dried the phone out now assemble it up and put the battery and power it own. if it turns on then Viola! Your phone has come back to life and is ready for another long run till the time it takes another deadly leap into water.
If it doesn’t power on then try charging it for few minutes or swapping the battery. If that also do not power it on then you are just out of luck and your phone has Bid Adieu and you need to buy a new phone. Some things are not bound to happen at all.

Conclusion

We have tried our best to bring the most useful tips to save and revive your phone, but water damage is serious and tricky. If you know about any other useful tip then do share with us and leave us your valuable feedback.

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Abhishek Bhatnagar

Abhishek Bhatnagar, a known technology blogger & YouTuber from India. A Software Engineer by qualification, now he works as the editor-In-Chief, Webmaster, & Managing Director at Gadgets To Use. He runs a number of other technology websites as well.