It’s a moment of pure panic that happens to millions of people every year. You hear a splash, look down, and see your phone submerged in water—the sink, the pool, the bathtub, or even the toilet. Your digital life flashes before your eyes. After you snatch it out of the water, you might notice the first, most common sign of trouble: the sound is a complete mess. It’s quiet, muffled, crackling, or sounds like everyone is talking from the bottom of a swimming pool.
Don’t panic. Take a deep breath. In the majority of cases, this is a completely fixable problem, and you can often do it yourself without paying for a costly repair.
This is your complete, definitive guide. We will walk you through exactly what to do in the first few seconds, what popular “fixes” you must avoid at all costs, and the correct way to safely dry your phone and clear your speaker.
Part 1: The First 60 Seconds – Your Emergency Action Plan
What you do in the very first minute after your phone gets wet is more critical than anything else. Acting quickly and correctly can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a permanently broken phone.
1. Get It Out of the Water Immediately This is obvious, but every single second counts. The less time your phone spends submerged, the less water has a chance to seep deep inside past the protective seals.
2. Power It Off Right Now! This is the single most important step. If the phone is still on, turn it completely off. Do not wake the screen to check your notifications. Do not try to open an app to see if it works. Press and hold the power button and use the on-screen slider to power it down.
- Why is this so crucial? Think of it like this: electricity and water are mortal enemies. When water gets inside your phone, it creates new pathways for electricity to travel where it shouldn’t. This can cause a “short circuit,” which is like a tiny lightning strike on the phone’s “brain” (the logic board). A short circuit can instantly fry sensitive components, leading to permanent damage. By cutting the power, you stop the flow of electricity and dramatically reduce the risk of a fatal short circuit.
3. Unplug Everything and Open All Ports Your phone needs to be able to breathe so the water can evaporate.
- Unplug any cables: If it was charging or had headphones plugged in, remove them immediately.
- Take off the case: A phone case, especially a tight-fitting one, is brilliant at trapping water against the phone’s body. Remove it completely.
- Pop out the SIM card tray: Find the small hole on the side of your phone. Use the SIM ejector tool that came with your phone (or a small paperclip) to pop the tray out. This does two things: it protects your SIM card from water damage and, more importantly, it opens up another small vent for air to get in and moisture to get out.
- Remove the battery (if possible): On older Android phones, you might be able to remove the back cover and take the battery out. If you can, do it. This completely cuts power to the device and is the safest possible state for a wet phone. For all modern iPhones and most new Androids, this is not possible, so just powering it off is the best you can do.
4. Gently Pat It Dry Grab a soft, absorbent, lint-free cloth. A microfiber cleaning cloth is perfect, but a clean t-shirt or a soft towel works great too.
- Gently pat the entire outside of the phone dry. The screen, the back, the sides—get all visible water off.
- Pay special attention to the ports and openings. You can carefully dab at the charging port, speaker holes, and microphone holes to wick away any water sitting there.
- Important: Do not rub aggressively. And absolutely do not shake the phone violently. Shaking it seems like a good idea, but it can cause the water droplets inside to spread further, reaching areas that might have been safe before.
Part 2: The Myths – What NOT to Do Under Any Circumstances
The internet is full of bad advice. When you’re in a panic, it’s easy to try the first thing you read. Please, for the sake of your phone, avoid these common myths. They do more harm than good.
Myth #1: The Bag of Rice Trick This is the most famous—and most damaging—myth. The idea is that the dry, uncooked rice will pull moisture out of the phone.
- Why it fails: Rice is a terrible desiccant (a substance that absorbs moisture). It works incredibly slowly. Water causes corrosion (like rust) on the internal metal parts within hours. The rice trick takes days to have even a tiny effect, by which point the damage is already done. Furthermore, it has no power to pull water from deep inside the sealed-off parts of your phone.
- Why it’s dangerous: Uncooked rice is covered in a fine, starchy powder. This dust gets into your phone’s ports and speaker grilles, creating a sticky, gunky mess once it mixes with water. This can clog your charging port and muffle your speaker permanently. You might solve the water problem only to create a dust problem that requires professional cleaning. Never use rice.
Myth #2: Using a Hairdryer or Heat It seems logical—heat makes water evaporate. But applying direct heat to a modern smartphone is a recipe for disaster.
- Why it’s dangerous: A hairdryer can generate enough heat to melt the delicate, waterproof adhesive seals around your screen and body. Once these seals are compromised, your phone will be even more vulnerable to water in the future. Extreme heat can also damage the battery, warp the logic board, and harm the camera sensors.
Myth #3: Using Compressed Air Blowing compressed air into the ports seems like a quick way to force water out.
- Why it’s dangerous: Instead of blowing water out, the high pressure is more likely to force the water droplets deeper into the phone, past protective membranes and onto the most sensitive electronics.
Part 3: The Right Way – The Airflow & Sound Method
So, if you can’t use rice or heat, what should you do? The correct method combines two simple principles: evaporationand vibration.
1. Let It Air Dry (The Patient Part) The safest way to dry the internals of your phone is to let it happen naturally.
- Place your phone on a dry towel or paper towel on a flat surface in a well-ventilated room.
- If you have a fan, you can place it a few feet away to create gentle airflow over the phone. This will significantly speed up the evaporation process.
- Leave it there for at least 24 to 48 hours. Be patient. Don’t try to turn it on to check if it’s working yet.
2. Fix the Speaker (The Active Part) After 24 hours, you can try turning your phone on. In many cases, it will work perfectly, with one annoying exception: the speaker. The speaker grille is a fine mesh that traps water very effectively due to surface tension. Air drying often isn’t enough to clear it completely.
This is where you need to physically push the water out.
- Go to DryPhoneSpeaker.com: Our tool is designed for this one specific job.
- Turn the Volume to Maximum: To get the strongest vibrations, the volume needs to be all the way up.
- Place the Phone Speaker-Side Down: Lay the phone on a hard, flat surface. This allows gravity to help pull out any water that gets dislodged.
- Press START: Tap the button on our homepage. The tool will play a specific, low-frequency sound wave. This sound creates powerful vibrations that shake the speaker’s internal parts, breaking the surface tension of the trapped water droplets and forcing them out of the grille.
- Let It Play: Let the sound run for at least one full minute. You might even see tiny beads of water appear on the table under the speaker.
- Test and Repeat: Stop the tool and play some music. If it’s clear, you’re done! If it’s still a bit muffled, run the tool for another minute. It’s safe to do this 3-4 times.
Part 4: When to Call a Professional
Our tool is a fantastic first-aid solution for a wet speaker. But if water has caused more serious, widespread damage, you need an expert. If you experience any of the following issues, power your phone off and take it to a reputable repair shop.
- Screen Problems: You see lines, flickering, dark spots, or the touch function is not working correctly.
- Charging Issues or Overheating: The phone won’t charge, or it gets dangerously hot when you plug it in.
- Boot Loops: The phone is stuck on the startup logo and keeps restarting.
- Multiple Failures: The cameras, microphone, or buttons are not working correctly.
These are signs that water has reached the logic board and caused permanent damage that only a trained technician with special tools can fix.