Flooded Smartphone. 4 Biggest Mistake We Make Trying to Rescue It. Think Twice before You Actually Do More Harm Than Good
If your phone falls into water, practically that’s the end of the story (unless it’s a waterproof model). You need to have it serviced and remember that the rice trick is a typical internet myth.
So rice doesn’t work?
According to this legend, rice absorbs the water from the flooded phone and miraculously saves it. Unfortunately, it’s yet another fairy tale and, like it or not, there is no happy ending. Not only doesn’t rice absorb sufficient amount of water, but it might do more damage itself as its tiniest pieces can get to some inaccessible spots inside the phone case. You’d better use the rice to cook something than waste it trying to save your flooded device.
What should we do then?
What you must not do is use a hairdryer. As the case has no holes through which water could evaporate, all you would do would be heating the phone resulting in further damage.
Never use cotton swabs trying to reach the deepest corners of your smartphone. Nor can you use any paper to give it a wipe. There is a risk that instead of getting rid of water you will only push it deeper inside. Again, all you can do is call the service hoping that they will manage to fix it.
Do not switch the phone on. You might cause a lot of damage if there is a short circuit.
First of all switch it off and take the battery out (if your model allows it). Then put the phone on a cotton towel and swipe it with paper ones or any other water-absorbing materials.
It might be the case that your phone will never be the same again.
The thing is that electronic gadgets and water have been at war since the invention of the former. The phone you will have serviced will not last as long as the same phone that has never been immersed. Unless you are one of the few lucky guys whose devices are somehow resistant to dust, sand, heat exposure or any other extreme conditions, making them comparable to the good old Nokia 3310.
IS there a way to protect your phone during a summer trip or winter hiking? Yes, there is. Use a string bag – it’s cheap and it does keep your phone safe from water.
Your smartphone is really worth taking care of. Get a good-quality plastic cover and keep the device away from water at all times. This method always works.
