Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Save Your Phone from Death by Water

Your phone wasn't meant to join you in the bath or to get washed alongside the dishes, but no matter how careful we try to be, dropping your phone into a body of water is something that could easily happen to all of us.  If you want to keep your precious phone from being a drowning victim, here are some steps to take:

1) Shut It Off - Electricity and water do not mix.  Once you've fished your phone out of the water, shut it off immediately.  If it is already off, don't try to turn it on and see if it works; the water will most likely short out a circuit or chip and damage the phone for good.  If your phone has a removable battery, take it out as soon as possible.

2) Take It Apart, Maybe - Take your phone apart as much as you feel comfortable.  For some phones, this may mean exposing the circuit board; for others, it may mean doing nothing.  However, if your phone is under warranty, do not remove any part that was not designed to be removed.  This will void the warranty.

3) Time for an Air Dry - Use compressed air or a hair dryer (without any heat) to try to blow water out of your phone.  The more you took your phone apart in step 2, the more effective this step will be.  If you were unable to open the phone, focus on blowing air through all the open ports, especially the charging port.

4) Submerge It Again - Instead of submerging it in water, this time you want to submerge it in rice.  Put about a pound of rice into an airtight container, and stick your phone in the middle of it.  Burp the container to get any excess air out of it, and then let it sit for 72 hours.  Removing air from the container will draw water out of the phone, where the rice will absorb it.

5) Try It - After 3 days of waiting, it is time to try out your device.  Nothing can guarantee your phone will work after it has been submerged in water, but following these steps will give you the best chance at avoiding a trip to your cell phone provider for a new phone.

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