Our mobile phones are an expensive electronic gadget that is an essential part of our lives. Not only does it contain precious memories in the form of photos, videos, and texts but also important work-related documents that you cannot afford to lose. As a result, we try to keep our phones safe at all times. However, even after being careful and cautious, accidents do happen. Everyone must have dropped their precious phones at least once in their lifetime. Then there are instances when your mobile gets stolen, or you accidentally misplace it. In case of an accident, the only thing that we hope for is that the damage is minimum and the device can be restored or retrieved (in case of theft or loss). Most of the time, timing is of the essence; the faster you act, the less are the chances of permanent damage.
How to save your phone from water damage
In this article, we are going to discuss one such common accident that claims the lives of many smartphones every year, and that is water damage. People often drop their phones in water. Sometimes in an outdoor pool and sometimes in the toilet. The summer months usually witness a rise in cases of water damaged phones. People flock towards pools and outdoor parties, and someone or the other ends up dropping their phone in the water. In this article, we will discuss various ways via which you can save your phone from water damage.
How to save your phone from water damage Why is dropping the phone in the water so dangerous? What kind of Precautions can one take to Avoid Water Damage? What not to do in the case of Water Damage? What should you do when your phone drops in the water? 1. Take Things Apart 2. Start Drying your mobile 3. Bring out the Vacuum Cleaner 4. Leave the Phone in a Bag of Rice 5. Check if the phone is working properly or not 6. Worst case scenario
Why is dropping the phone in the water so dangerous?
Smartphones are complex electronic devices that have a lot of circuits and microchips inside it, and even though water is great for us, it is exactly the opposite of electronic circuits and components. When you drop your phone in the water, it quickly finds its way inside through the many ports and openings on your device. Although some premium high-end smartphones are waterproof or water-resistant, others are not. Water can easily reach the interior and cause short-circuits that would fry the system. Due to this reason, unless you have a waterproof handset, you would want to keep your device far from water.
What kind of Precautions can one take to Avoid Water Damage?
Well, the best thing to do would be to keep your phone away from places where you can expect water damage. Keep your phone away while using the toilet and read a magazine like old times and stash your phones in a safe, dry place before jumping into the pool. The next thing that you can do is invest in waterproof pouches or waterproof silicon cases for your mobile. This way, your device will stay dry even if it falls in the water. As mentioned earlier, there are a number of expensive smartphones that are completely waterproof, and slowly and gradually, it will become the new normal. With time, even economical smartphones will also become waterproof. Until then, you need to make sure that your device does not come in contact with water. However, if you can afford it, then go for a waterproof device and never worry about water damage again.
What not to do in the case of Water Damage?
Timing is of the essence in case of water damage, so when you drop your phone in water do not sit back and ponder about what just happened. Act fast and pull your phone out of the water as fast as possible. The longer it stays inside the water, the greater the chances of permanent damage. So even if your phone drops in the toilet do not hesitate to put your hand in there and retrieve it, if you want to use that phone in the future. Apart from that here is a list of things that you must avoid doing.
What should you do when your phone drops in the water?
Well, the first thing that you need to do is take the phone out of the water as soon as possible and try not to shake it or move too much. If the device hasn’t already turned off, then switch it off immediately. Now let’s gradually follow the steps given below to remove the water that has seeped into your device.
1. Take Things Apart
Once the phone is out of the water and switched off, start taking things apart. Open the back cover and remove the battery if possible. Now remove the SIM card/s and the memory card from your device. However, most of the modern smartphones have done away with detachable battery and does not allow you to remove the back cover. If you are using an old device, then you are in luck, and you will be able to take things apart easily. Otherwise, you need to take it down to a store and seek professional help to open up your device. There are a number of YouTube tutorials to help you with the same, but we would advise you to refrain from taking things into your own hands unless you have some prior experience.
2. Start Drying your mobile
Once the device is open, you need to start drying it with a paper towel, a tissue, or a small piece of cloth. While using the paper towel, make sure just to use a dabbing motion to absorb visible water droplets on your device. Do not try to wipe or rub as that might cause the water to slide into some opening and damage the inner components. Try to absorb as much as possible from the surface without moving things too much.
Also Read: How to Boost Internet Speed on Your Android Phone
3. Bring out the Vacuum Cleaner
The paper towel can only do so much. To get that deep cleaning, you need something more powerful; you need a vacuum cleaner. The suction power of a vacuum cleaner can effectively draw out the water from the interior sections and prevent further damage. Although it is completely safe to use a vacuum cleaner, make sure that you do not shake your phone too much and of course, use an appropriately sized vacuum cleaner that suits the task at hand.
4. Leave the Phone in a Bag of Rice
You have probably seen this in a number of life hack videos where people leave water-damaged electronic stuff in a bag of rice to dry it out. All you need to do get a zip lock bag and fill it with uncooked rice and toss your phone in the bag. After that, you need to leave the phone undisturbed in the bag of rice for two to three days and allow the rice to do its magic. The logic behind this is that rice is great at absorbing liquids and atmospheric humidity. Also, it is a common household item that you can find easily at your home. You can also purchase special drying bags or use silica gel packs, but since time is of the essence, go ahead and toss your phone in that rice bag.
Since you won’t be able to use your phone for a few days now, you can transfer your SIM card and memory card to an alternate mobile phone if it is available. Ask your friends or relatives if they can lend you a spare phone so that you are not tempted to use your own phone. Also Read: How to Find or Track your Stolen Android Phone
5. Check if the phone is working properly or not
After a few days, you need to take your phone out of the rice bag and see if it works properly or not. Try to switch on your mobile and if it doesn’t start the plug it in the charger and try again. If your phone starts and begins to function normally, then congratulations, your efforts, and patience have paid off.
However, your phone is still not in the clear. It would help if you kept observing closely for any signs of odd behavior. Problems like dead pixels, unresponsive areas on the screen, muffled or no sound from the speakers due to water damage, slow charging, etc. can occur over the next couple of days or a week. Anytime your phone shows signs of malfunction, you need to seek professional assistance, and for that, you need to take it down to a store or service center. Also, make sure to test all components. You can play a video and call someone, plug in a headphone, click a picture, etc.
6. Worst case scenario
The worst-case scenario is one where your phone does not switch on even after trying everything mentioned in this article. You can try to take it down to a store or service center, but there is a very slim chance of getting your phone to start working again. Instead, what you can hope for is that the damage is restricted to replaceable components like the battery. Then, you can get your phone fixed by paying a comparatively small amount to replace certain components.
However, if the water has damaged the main circuit, then the cost of replacing that is nearly equal to the price of the phone itself, and thus it is not feasible. Unfortunately, it is time to say goodbye to your mobile phone and get a new one. You can ask the people at the service center if they can try and salvage the data that was stored in the internal memory so that you can transfer it to your new phone. Recommended: How to use Android phone as a PC gamepad We hope that you find this information helpful and were able to save your phone from water damage. We want to end by saying that prevention is better than cure and you must always try to keep your phone snug and dry. As mentioned earlier, waterproof pouches or cases can be a smart investment if you are planning to be near water. Also, always keep your data backed up so that precious memories and important documents don’t get lost in case of permanent damage.
