Panic. It’s that sharp, cold spike in your chest the moment your phone hits the sink or, worse, the toilet. You reach in, grab it, and suddenly you're staring at a screen that might never light up again. Most people immediately start Googling how to get water out of your iphone while frantically shaking the device like a Polaroid picture. Stop. Seriously, just stop moving it for a second.
The biggest mistake isn't the water itself; it's what you do in the sixty seconds after the splash. Modern iPhones—basically anything from the iPhone 7 onwards—carry an IP68 or IP67 rating, which means they are "water-resistant." But resistance isn't immunity. Over time, the rubber gaskets that keep the ocean out of your logic board degrade. If your phone is two years old and has been dropped a few times, that seal is probably compromised.
The Rice Myth is Killing Your Phone
Let's address the elephant in the room. Put the Uncle Ben's away.
For years, the internet has pushed the idea that burying a wet phone in a bowl of dry rice will "draw out the moisture." This is arguably the most persistent piece of tech misinformation on the planet. Apple even updated their official support documentation to explicitly warn against this. Why? Because rice doesn't actually pull water out of the sealed internals of a smartphone. Instead, tiny particles of rice dust and starch enter the charging port and the speaker grilles. When that dust meets moisture, it turns into a gummy paste that hardens inside your phone.
Honestly, rice acts as a physical barrier that prevents airflow. You want the water to evaporate, and burying it in a bowl of grain is like putting a wet towel in a cardboard box and expecting it to dry. It just gets musty.
If you want to use a desiccant, use silica gel packets. You know, those little "DO NOT EAT" bags you find in shoeboxes or beef jerky. They are actually designed to absorb moisture from the air. But even then, they aren't a magic wand for a submerged iPhone.
Step One: The Immediate Shutdown
If the screen is still on, turn it off. Right now.
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Electricity and water are a famously bad pairing. When water hits a powered-up circuit board, it creates a short circuit. This can permanently fry components in a millisecond. By cutting the power, you’re giving the internal components a fighting chance to dry out before any lasting electrical damage occurs.
Once it's off, remove any case or screen protector. These accessories are great for drops, but in a water emergency, they just trap liquid against the chassis. Use a lint-free cloth—like a microfiber lens cleaner—to pat the outside dry. Don't use paper towels if you can help it; they shed lint that gets stuck in the ports.
How to Get Water Out of Your iPhone Speakers Safely
The speakers are usually the first place you'll notice an issue. The sound gets muffled or "crunchy" because water is clinging to the mesh vibrating membrane.
You’ve probably seen those "Water Eject" shortcuts or YouTube videos that play a specific low-frequency tone. These actually work. They use sound waves to physically vibrate the air in the speaker cavity, pushing the water droplets out through the grille. It’s the same tech Apple uses on the Apple Watch.
The DIY Water Eject Method:
- Go to a site like FixMySpeakers or use a "Water Eject" Siri Shortcut.
- Crank the volume to max.
- Play the tone.
- You will literally see tiny beads of water dancing out of the speaker holes.
Don't use compressed air. I know it's tempting to blast that moisture out with a can of Air Duster, but the pressure is too high. You risk forcing the water deeper into the phone's "innards," past the internal seals and directly onto the battery or the screen's display connectors.
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The Liquid Detection Alert
If you try to plug in your phone and see a "Liquid Detected in Lightning/USB-C Connector" warning, do not hit "Emergency Override." Apple put that warning there for a reason.
Charging a wet port causes electrolysis. This is a chemical reaction that can corrode the gold-plated pins in your charging port almost instantly. If those pins corrode, your phone won't take a charge even after it's bone dry.
Wait. Just wait.
The best thing you can do for a wet charging port is to lean the iPhone upright with the port facing down. Place it in a room with some airflow—maybe near an open window or in front of a fan blowing cool air. Never, under any circumstances, use a hair dryer. The heat from a blow dryer can melt the adhesives that hold your screen in place and damage the sensitive organic material in your OLED display.
Dealing with Other Liquids (Soda, Saltwater, or Coffee)
Pure water is bad, but saltwater and sugary drinks are nightmares. Saltwater is incredibly corrosive and conductive. If you dropped your iPhone in the ocean, the salt will start eating the metal components the second it dries.
In this specific, terrifying scenario, some technicians actually recommend a "counter-intuitive" move: quickly rinsing the phone with fresh tap water or, better yet, 99% isopropyl alcohol. You’re trying to wash away the salt or sugar before it crystallizes.
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Isopropyl alcohol is a secret weapon for tech repair. It displaces water and evaporates almost instantly. However, it can also weaken the oleophobic coating on your screen, so use it sparingly and only if you’re dealing with a "sticky" or "salty" disaster.
Knowing When You're Beaten
Sometimes, you do everything right and the screen still shows those dreaded green lines, or the FaceID stops working. FaceID is particularly vulnerable because the "TrueDepth" camera system uses a laser and an infrared sensor that are incredibly sensitive to moisture.
Check your Liquid Contact Indicators (LCI). On most iPhones, this is a small sticker located inside the SIM card tray slot. You’ll need a paperclip to pop the tray. Look inside with a flashlight. If the sticker has turned bright red, the water has reached the logic board. If it’s white or silver, you might be in the clear.
If it’s red and the phone is glitching, it’s time for a professional. Third-party repair shops can do "ultrasonic cleaning," which involves taking the phone apart and using high-frequency sound waves in a chemical bath to scrub corrosion off the motherboard. It’s a specialized process, but it’s often cheaper than a full phone replacement.
Actionable Next Steps
If your iPhone just took a swim, follow this sequence immediately:
- Power down: Force a shutdown immediately to prevent short-circuiting.
- Strip it: Remove cases, SIM trays, and any attachments.
- Gravity is your friend: Lean the phone against a wall with the charging port facing down on a microfiber cloth.
- Airflow, not heat: Place the phone in front of a fan. Do not use a heater, hair dryer, or microwave (yes, people try that).
- Wait 24 hours: Do not attempt to charge the device for at least a full day, regardless of how dry it looks on the outside.
- Use Wireless Charging: If you absolutely must use the phone and the port is still wet, use a MagSafe or Qi wireless charger. This avoids using the physical pins in the port, though the phone should still be as dry as possible first.
- Check the LCI: Open the SIM tray and look for a red dot. If you see it, start backing up your data via iCloud the moment the phone is stable enough to turn on, as liquid damage can be a slow "rot" that kills the phone weeks later.