Step 2: Use A Real Desiccant To Dry Your iPhone (If You Have One)
After people realize how bad the rice idea is, they begin to wonder, “Isn’t there anything that can dry out the inside of my iPhone?”
Yes, there is! A substance that produce a state of dryness in nearby objects is called a desiccant. I believe the rice myth came about from the mistaken belief that rice itself is an effective desiccant. Rice might work in a salt shaker, but it certainly doesn’t work for an iPhone.
You’ve seen desiccants before and you’ve thrown them away. They come in the packages of all sorts of everyday things that need to stay dry: Vitamins, pill bottles, electronics, clothes, and a variety of other common items ship with tiny little packets (sometimes called “freshness packets”) containing desiccants. They don’t ship products with little bags of rice.
Keep Desiccants Handy! Your iPhone’s Life May Depend On It.
This may, perhaps, be the most important thing you gain from this article. From now on, every time you receive a product that contains a desiccant packet, place it inside a ziplock bag that you keep handy. This is the beginning of your iPhone emergency kit. Benjamin Franklin’s phrase rings true here: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
Step 3: Leave Your iPhone Alone.
I know it’s hard to do nothing, but in this case, it’s the best thing you can do. If you have a ziplock bag containing desiccants, leave your iPhone flat on the counter and let the desiccants do their job. Don’t turn it off – let the battery run out by itself.
But Shouldn’t I Turn It Off?
If your wet iPhone is in good enough shape that you could turn it off, leaving it alone is the best thing you can do. Tilting or pressing buttons on your iPhone can cause water inside your phone to move around, and that could mean the difference between rescuing and replacing your iPhone.
How Long Should I Leave My iPhone Alone?
Each situation is different, so it’s impossible to say exactly how long to allow your iPhone to sit before you attempt to turn it back on. As a general rule of thumb, leave your iPhone alone overnight and reassess the damage in the morning.
It’s true that a completely water-logged iPhone won’t dry out overnight, but if your iPhone is that wet it’s probably too far gone.
On the last page of this article, I’ll tell you the safest way to revive a wet iPhone and explain the next steps to take to assess the extent of the damage.
[…] desiccants. But please, whatever you do, don't put your water-resistant iPhone 8 in a bag of rice! Rice can get stuck in the ports of your iPhone 8, which could cause lots of damage to the internal components of your […]
My son’s iphone 6s was put in a bag of rice for several weeks after he jumped into a pool with it in his swim trunks pocket. Should we attempt to turn it on, or should we try using a dessicant? This happened a month ago. Thank you for your advice.
We have just realized that the touch screen has separated from the body of the phone. Can this be repaired?
Normally, I’d suggest going to an Apple Store with this — but definitely contact Apple support. If there’s no damage to the screen (like a crack), it may be covered under warranty.
My son’s iphone 6S was in his swim trunk’s pocket when he jumped in a pool a month ago. Unfortunately, the phone was put in a bag of rice for several weeks. What should we do now? Should we try to turn it on or does it make sense to try using dessicants at this point? Thank you for your advice.
Ok so can you please help me i have an iphone 6s and i had my noodles spilled all over the floor and my iphone was there and i cleaned the wet stuff in it and blew threw my phone charger place it doesnt want to charge tho anf its been in the charger all night its still on 1%
hi can you help me
my phone got moisture from the noodle agt the same time the top cover is wet aslong as the front camera thingy and beside the camera is wet too and i think it gets water inside
my phone starts to lag and having straight lines what should i do pls help its been 13 hrs since my phone got wet helpp me pls
Would gauze work too?
Step 3 is not clear to me, do I leave the cell phone on the counter with the dessicant on top of it or do I put the cell phone in the bag with the dessicant.
Alex Seto, Courtney Seto, Max Seto, Katie Seto
if I have to click forward again and again to read a story , I stop on the first page
There’s a little bit of water on the inside top corner of my screen. I don’t have a ziplock and stuff what do I do?
Where are parts 2 and 3 of this article?
I just dropped my I phone 5s in water yesterday. I actually put in in minute rice overnight and now I completely regret doing that. Everything works fine except I’m not able to use Touch ID anymore because it apparently has water damage. I regret not reading this first. Sadly the warranty just expired about five months ago so I don’t have the money to replace the phone. Probably just going to wait another few years and get another iPhone. I can’t pay around $250 for them just to replace my phone.
Hi! I dropped my iPhone in water yesterday evening, did the rice thing, and now, I’m regrettably reading your site. The phone is turning on just fine, I am able to get messages, and it makes sounds. Does this mean that ive nothing to worry about in terms of getting it fixed and paying money for that or a new phone?? It is an iPhone 6
I recently got an iPhone 6 and it was working fine but yesterday i couldn’t abort a call so I turned my phone off . After that I couldn’t turn it on. And also the phone showed no signs when I charged it. On holding the home button and wake button my phone finally turned on. But the phone couldn’t connect to any network and only if I connected it manually, the phone showed network for a few minutes and then no service again. And also my wifi was greyed out. I followed the steps you mentioned and it did… Read more »
Where is part 2 and 3 of the My Phone Got Wet article?
Hey Sue,
They’re in the works! Sorry they’re not done yet. Maybe there’s something I can help with in the meantime?
Thanks for reading,
David