Water-Damaged Phone: What to Do (and What Not To)

Dropped your phone down the loo, in the sink or in the rain? What you do in the next few minutes really matters. Here's exactly what to do – and the common mistakes that make water damage worse.

Do this straight away

• Get it out of the water and turn it off – don't check if it still works. Power running through wet circuits is what causes the real damage (short circuits).
• Dry the outside and gently shake out water from the ports and speakers.
• Take off the case and, if you can, the SIM tray.
• Leave it switched off and get it to a repair shop as soon as you can.

What NOT to do

• Don't turn it on or charge it. This is the number-one mistake – powering a wet phone shorts components and corrodes the board.
• Don't put it in rice. It's a myth – rice barely absorbs internal moisture and leaves starchy dust in the ports.
• Don't use a hairdryer or radiator. Heat damages components and pushes water further in.

Why professional repair matters

Water (especially anything other than clean water) leaves corrosion on the circuit board within hours. The proper fix is to open the phone, ultrasonically clean the board, and replace anything corroded – before the damage spreads. The sooner it's done, the better the chance of saving your phone and your data. Bring it into our Sheffield store or post it in from anywhere in the UK and we'll assess it – no fix, no fee.

FAQs

What should I do if I drop my phone in water?
Get it out, switch it off immediately, dry the outside, remove the case and SIM, and leave it off. Don't turn it on or charge it – get it to a repair shop as soon as possible.

Does putting a wet phone in rice work?
No. Rice barely absorbs internal moisture and leaves dust in the ports. Professional cleaning is far more effective.

Can a water-damaged phone be saved?
Often yes, especially if it's switched off quickly and cleaned soon after. The longer it's left (or worse, turned on), the more corrosion spreads.

Why shouldn't I charge a phone that got wet?
Charging pushes power through wet circuits, causing short circuits and accelerating corrosion – it's the fastest way to kill a recoverable phone.

Phone got wet? Get it assessed fast – walk-in or UK-wide mail-in. The sooner we clean it, the better the chance of saving it.

If it won't switch back on, our phone data recovery service can often still recover your photos and contacts straight from the memory chip.