Have you dropped your iPhone in water? It’s an unfortunate reality, but it happens to the best of us. Whether you dropped your device in seawater or toilet water, it’s never a good thing. Fortunately, it might — surprisingly — not be too late to avoid water damage to your iPhone.
The very first thing to do is carefully remove your iPhone from the water and turn it off.
Now leave it turned off!
Resist the temptation to check if your iPhone still works, and leave it powered off. The second you touch one of those buttons, you’re likely to cause more damage, so don’t do it.
With that out of the way, let’s get into what you should do next.
What to Do if You Drop Your iPhone in Water
We’ve received a lot of comments asking what to do in certain situations, such as if you were caught in a heavy downpour or dropped your iPhone in salt water. Some variations in things that you need to do could be necessary — for example, the salt in seawater could cause damage that might not have occurred in a freshwater lake.
But for the most part, the advice that you read here applies to every situation where you’ve dropped your iPhone. That goes for both devices that are and are not water-resistant.
1. Turn Off Your iPhone Immediately
We already said this, but it’s worth repeating. Turn your iPhone off as soon as you get it out of the water. Press and hold the Side button with the Volume Up button, then slide to power off.
And once it’s turned off, do not turn it back on.
2. Take Your iPhone Out of the Case
If your iPhone is in a case, water might have gotten trapped when you dropped it. Remove the case and any other accessories from your iPhone, including your screen protector.
Dry off your bare iPhone by wiping it with a lint-free cloth. You want to absorb the liquid on the outside of your device without leaving it covered in material fibers. If you don’t have a lint-free cloth to hand, a T-shirt usually does the trick.
3. Ease Liquid Out of Your iPhone
One of the trickiest things about dropping your iPhone in water is that it could result in liquid getting into your device. This often occurs via charging ports and similar points of entry.
Tilt your iPhone so the port faces down and gently tap it to encourage liquid to drip out. Do this for the speakers as well, and if you have a headphone jack, you should also follow the same steps. Once you’ve finished easing liquid out of your iPhone ports, your device should hopefully feel more dry.
4. Remove Your SIM Card
Your iPhone might appear dry, but there’s probably still liquid inside it. Use a SIM tool, a straightened paperclip, or a pin to eject the SIM tray on the side of your device.
Remove the SIM card and carefully dry it off. Now store it somewhere safe. Leave the SIM tray out of your iPhone to create a vent, which helps the liquid inside to evaporate.
If your iPhone only uses eSIM, you don’t need to worry about this step.
5. Wait for Your iPhone to Dry
You’ve probably seen the “put it in rice” internet meme… but from a practical standpoint, do not put your iPhone in rice. Rather than fixing the problem you’re currently facing, you can actually cause more damage — as we’ll discuss later.
Instead, you should find a flat, well-ventilated, dry, and open space to dry your iPhone. For example, you can place your device on a bookshelf.
One important thing to remember is that you should not place your device in direct sunlight. So, while the windowsill may be a good place to dry your iPhone, you should also consider where the sun comes into your house. Pick somewhere that’s covered by shade. Ideally, you should wait 24-48 hours before trying to turn on your device.
If you want, you can try to speed up the process by placing silica gel packs around your iPhone or putting it under a cool fan. DO NOT use a hairdryer or a radiator, as the heat can damage your device.
Wait as long as possible without using your iPhone. Do not turn your iPhone on during this time. If you use your device while the components are still wet, you could cause irreparable damage.
Only when you’re confident your iPhone is dry should you turn it on again. This will naturally depend on the situation, as dropping your device at the bottom of a lake might need a longer period to dry than if it fell into a sink.
How Do I Know When My iPhone Is Dry?
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know if the liquid inside has evaporated or not — unless you open your device, which would likely void your warranty if you haven’t already.
All you can do is wait as long as possible, then take a leap of faith and start using it again. You’ll need to use your judgement here, but it’s important to remember that you are still taking a risk regardless.
If it turns on, the first thing you should do is make a backup. You never know if a water-damaged iPhone is going to stop working two weeks down the line. For added certainty, you should look into getting a repair or a replacement.
Should I Use Rice to Dry My iPhone?
To put things bluntly: No, you should not use rice to dry your iPhone.
It’s not hard to understand the logic. Rice absorbs water, so it should draw out and absorb the water from your iPhone. But the reality is that rice is less effective at drying your device than just leaving it in an open, well-ventilated space. Not only that, but you run the risk of getting grains jammed in your iPhone ports. You should also remember that rice has various materials that could damage your iPhone, so it really is not worth it.
Chances are, whenever you hear a successful rice story, that person’s device would have been fine if they left it alone anyway. In fact, it would have dried out faster if they avoided the rice. Ignore the stories and keep your iPhone in the open.
What Happens When an iPhone Is Dropped in Water?
There are three major things you need to worry about if you drop your iPhone in water.
First, the battery could short circuit. This is potentially quite dangerous as it can cause the battery to heat up, swell, or burst. But even if nothing as dramatic (and unlikely) as that happens, your battery life is probably going to take a hit. So, even if you do repair your device afterward, you should be prepared for a potentially worse battery life.
The second thing to worry about with a wet iPhone is corrosion on your internal components. This actually comes from a variety of minerals and chemicals in most water sources reacting to the electrical current. The reactions reduce the use of your components until they stop working.
And finally, you should worry about what happens to those minerals when the water evaporates. This is why salt water is so bad your iPhone because the water leaves salt deposits on your internal components. That salt has extremely high conductance and short circuits the components. So, you should take particularly quick action if you drop your iPhone in the sea or a salt lake.
Is My iPhone Waterproof?
Pretty much every modern iPhone is water-resistant. But one mistake that many people make is to correlate that with waterproof. They are two very different things, and while modern iPhones are typically water-resistant, none of them are waterproof.
Since the iPhone 7, all new iPhones have had a water resistance rating of at least IP67. That means they should survive at a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max even have a rating of IP68, taking them down to two meters. In addition to being water-resistant, modern iPhones are also dust-resistant.
However, the water-resistant elements of your iPhone degrade over time. That means a three-year-old iPhone 7 isn’t as water-resistant as it used to be. Not only that, but the chemicals and minerals in water sources can damage or rust the outside of your iPhone.
You should always try to avoid getting liquid on your electronics. Water-resistance and waterproofing are there to mitigate potential damages if the worst occur, but that doesn’t mean you should be careless.
What’s the Difference Between Waterproof and Water-Resistant?
A waterproof device is designed to work underwater. It should be fully sealed to keep water out. A water-resistant device is designed to protect against accidental spills and splashes. You should still avoid liquid whenever possible.
How Do I Tell if My iPhone Is Water-Damaged?
Water damage can be an invisible killer of iPhones. Generally speaking, it can cause any number of erratic or unusual behaviors: Poor battery life, unresponsive touchscreen, or blurred photos to name just a few.
What’s more, this strange behavior might take weeks or even months to arise. Corrosion on the internal components of your iPhone continues to develop long after you dropped it in water. You might think your iPhone is fine, only for it to die a few months down the line. So, you’ll need to keep an eye out for potential mishaps after you’ve initially dried your iPhone.
How Does Apple Know if I Dropped My iPhone in Water?
If you take your iPhone to the Genius Bar for a repair, they can find out if it has been water-damaged. They do this by looking for a number of different signs.
A liquid contact indicator (LCI) in the SIM tray or headphone port on your device turns red when it gets wet. You can check this yourself, but there’s another one on the inside of your iPhone that you need to open the device to find.
Upon opening your device, there are usually other signs of liquid damage as well. This could range from mineral deposits to corrosion, to a puddle of water still being present on the inside.
There is no point in lying about what happened to your device as it will just create an awkward situation in the Apple Store. If your iPhone is water-damaged, the Apple Geniuses will find out about it.
How Do I Fix a Water-Damaged iPhone?
Drying your iPhone and hoping for the best isn’t the only course of action you can take after dropping it in water. You could also look into getting a repair or, in Apple’s case, a replacement device.
But first, if you dropped your iPhone in the toilet, please clean it and let someone know before you hand it over to them!
Take it to Apple
Apple doesn’t repair water-damaged iPhones. This is because they can’t guarantee that they can fix it without replacing every single component. So, they offer a replacement device instead.
Apple’s warranty doesn’t cover liquid damage, even for water-resistant iPhones. So, unless you have AppleCare+, you need to pay for an “Out of Warranty” replacement device.
This is usually quite expensive, but it doesn’t cost as much as a new iPhone off the shelf. If you’ve not upgraded your device for a few years, though, you may just want to get a completely new iPhone instead.
Take Your iPhone to a Third-Party Repair Shop
Alternatively, you could look for a third-party iPhone repair shop offering water damage repairs. There is still no guarantee they can fix your device, but many repair shops operate on a “No Fix, No Fee” principle.
Even if the repair shop can’t fix your iPhone, they may have an option to help you recover data.
Attempt a DIY Repair (Advanced Users Only)
If you’re feeling pretty handy, you might consider a DIY repair on your water-damaged iPhone. You should only consider this if you have no other option — since it isn’t easy and can easily do more damage to your device.
Dropped Your iPhone in Water? We’ve Got Our Fingers Crossed for You!
So, there you have it. Having read this guide, you should have a better understanding of what you should do if you dropped your iPhone in water. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to say what the extent of damage will be as every situation is unique. It’ll depend on how long your iPhone was submerged in water for, along with the type of water you dropped it in and how old your device is.
You can try numerous solutions if you’ve dropped your iPhone in water, such as drying out your device or taking it to an Apple Store. If your device still works after drying it, make sure that you keep an eye on your phone for a few months. Sometimes, issues can take longer to form.
Danny is a freelance writer who has been using Apple products for over a decade. He’s written for some of the largest technology publications on the web and previously worked as an in-house writer before carving his own route. Danny grew up in the UK, but now writes about tech from his Scandinavian base.
I bought a water proof bag / 2 ltr for my vacation in Cyprus in week 36 .. I would use it when I brought my Iphone SE (2nd Gen) to the sea.. However, the bag was made of PVC so when I had used it first time there was a lot of moist in it as every single drop of water could not escape.. I came up with the great idea to first put the Iphone in an Ikea zip bag .. and then in the PVC bag .. Went to the beach for the second time .. Took some nice shots with my girlfriend in the sea.. There was apx 1 m of water depth .. After we had finished the shooting she hold the zip bag .. and I carefully dropped the phone in the bag .. just to see it went right through the zip bag and.. into the water .. 🙁 Apparently the lining in the bag was damaged which I had not noticed.. I quickly grabbed the phone and took it up.. Turned it off .. found this article (on my Macbook) .. not much new .. I know from experience that electronic and water is a bad combination .. but I also knew that my Iphone somehow was water proof to a certain extend .. I googled it and it is IP67 .. so in principle it should survive a drop in the water .. I already turned it off .. removed the sim tray .. left it for 12 hours (I had not time to leave it for 24-48 hrs) .. Crossed my fingers .. and turned it on .. it started normally.. nothing to notice that it had been in the water 12 hours ago .. I charged it .. same story .. it acted completely normally .. now 9 days had gone and so far no issues with the phone .. I’ll cross my fingers that it has survived 🙂
i fell into a lake while fishing and of course my phone was in my pocket an iphone 7. The phone came out of my pocket so It was at the bottom of the lake for 6 hours a friend went in as i cannot swim and found it
amazingly it was still working without any problems at all so far so good not saying it will last but i still give it a thumbs up for lasting that long in water
I think the iphone XS (with a near dead battery) was at the bottom of the pool in 4 feet of water for about 20 minutes. After attempting to reset, turn on, turn off the phone, all with no luck, I wrapped it in a paper towel and then put it directly into rice for three days. Coming out of the rice, it showed the battery symbol when the screen was touched along with a vertical red stripe. It did that for about half a day and then went completely dead, dark, and unresponsive. So I took it to a third party repair shop. After selling me a crappy refurbished 11 Pro with too little memory, they took the XS in and said that often they can get them working but they don’t stay working. After three days of tinkering they gave me the phone back still dead, dark, and unresponsive. They suggested it needed motherboard work and they could have sent it away, but I did not want my data going to who knows where. Just for the heck of it, I plugged it into the USB port on my computer and left it. The next day it was miraculously working as if it had never got wet. But then then next day it was dead, dark, and unresponsive again. So I plugged it back in, and after a day of charging, its now working fine. I surmise that without a sim card, it expends battery capacity quicker than normal looking for the sim card. But I might have a bad battery. Haven’t figured that out yet. Now I’m dealing with two phones connected to the same itunes app and the associated confusion. That’s another story.
P.S. I read that one of the office supply places has a Tek Dry machine that can dry an iphone in 30 minutes.
I dropped my phone in the toilet at work and removed it right away dries off my phone and let it air dry got home and check my phone right away bo red light because I charged it to heat it up and it worked I saved my phone it works fine now
Yesterday I put what I thought was a closed thermal coffee cup in my purse.
Well, it wasn’t closed & I ended up w/boiling hot coffee in, on & around my iPhone8. It was showing a red “your phone is too hot” signal. I wiped it off & put it in my pocket. About an hour later, I discovered that there was no volume on the phone. I had to sing a solo acapella @ a funeral outside. Fortunately, my voice & sense of pitch are in better shape than my iPhone.
Anyhow, as time went on, I found that the camera had also been affected.
I found this site, have turned iPhone off, removed SIM card & have a small fan blowing over it towards the charging port. It’s lying face down.
Thing is, I need my phone for work. I’ll be calling the Apple store.
I was hosting a party last night, jumped in the pool and probably spent 2 minutes in there before I realised my iphone was in my pocket, then took it out of the water, chucked it on charge and forgot about it for 24 hrs, then used it until it went flat, and then it wouldn’t charge . Finally looked up what I should have done, I think it’s definitely stuffed. Miracles are possible right?
My phone fell in the toilet)-clean water) for maybe 1 second and I removed the case quickly and di put it in rice for 3-4 hours. That was yesterday.. It seem to be working fine but the charger prong won’t go in to recharge it. What should I do now? There aren’t any visible flashing lights. I appreciate your article but it doesn’t quite fit my problem. Thanks in advance for any help.
My iPhone 6 has falling in the sink I retrieved it in less than 2 seconds but now they is a flashing light in the simcard port, am finished pease help me
Does putting the iPhone in rice to dry it out really work? My daughter dropped her iPhone in the toilet. So far it still works but she has turned it off and taken the sim out. I just pray it turns back on.
I just dropped my iphone 12 in a clean toilet for maybe 2 seconds. If you actually read this article it tells you what to do. And what not to do like put your phone in rice, ever. I took out the SIM card and it was dry inside. YAY! As instrusted above I cleaned the phone with an alcohol wipe(because it went in a toilet) then put the SIM in a safe place and the phone, stripped of it’s case and screen protector, on a paper plate over by a fan. There it will stay for the next two days. It seemed like it was working fine before I turned it off. So I’ll hope for the best. Thank you for the great step-by-step instructions! I looked on Apple.com and couldn’t find anything like this. Apple should do something about that.
Mine is still drying too, but i wanted to “ditto” Sue’s comment that this article was so clear and well written that I feel like i’ve at least given my precious phone it’s best chance at a future. I just don’t know i’ll be able to wait a full 24 hours to leave it in peace as I can’t even open my email on my work COMPUTER without it (stupid microsoft authenticator app). The issue with some of these multi-factor authentication tools — particularly that don’t give you an option outside of your mobile phone authenticator app to complete a verification (an email to a second trusted account, for example) is that they FORCE you to turn on that drying phone. 🙂 Any suggestions on a workaround to my microsoft authenticator issue would be welcome, though i know it’s a long-shot and I’ll likely need to get my IT department AND the apple store on this job… 🙂 Meanshile, thanks for the article — good work!
IphoneSE went through the whole wash cycle, which was set on heavy duty and the tub had filled for the rinse cycle before it got discovered. Dried it off, threw it in rice overnight and turned it on this morning. So far no issues! It was not in any kind of case or otter box so I’m pretty amazed!
Thank you so much for writing this! My iPhone 7 dropped off a pier and spent maybe 30 seconds five feet deep. It did have an Otterbox on. Someone with me immediately googled dropped iPhone in water; this was the first good hit. We immediately turned the phone off, took the case off, removed the Sim card, and let the phone dry. Did not turn it on — for almost three days (!) – over 60 hours. It is pretty weird going entirely without one’s cell phone for days. But kind of freeing, when you realize how much sway it has over you. Anyway, enough philosophizing. Late on the third day, turned it on, charged it up, seems to work fine (phone, texts, apps, sound, etc). Fingers crossed for the next couple of weeks. But again, this article provides great advice — follow it and good luck!
My nephew dropped My iPhone in water for more than an hour, when I took it out the phone was off . I cleaned it and put it in rice and left it for the following day. I took it out and charged the phone and it came on but the issue was the SIM card area doesn’t work but the SIM card works and the screen shakes a bit . I just saw this article but its too late. What do I do ?
Hello,
I took a selfie today on a swimming pool with my iPhone xs max, (3/4 times I put it inside the water), after few minutes, it turned off automatically.
I tried several times to turn it on after it turned off and I let it dry on sunlight, still not turned on and I tried to charge it but not charged.
what should i do?
omg, I’m so dumb! I turned my phone on the minute I took it out, but the sim card is fine so is the thing you put it in. it flashed hopefully it’s ok 🙂 I dried it as well
Just dropped my phone in the shower, I took it out immediately started drying it up lines appeared so I turned it off I then removed the sim card and now put it down to dry up. I don’t know what to do right now I’m hoping it will turn on tomorrow because if it doesn’t I’m dead.
My daughter dropped her iPhone 12 in the bath and we got it out quick and took the case off, dried it and removed the sims card, which that area was completely dry.
Thoughts on it not seeing issues?
I dropped my iphone 6s in the bathtub and took it out less than a 5 seconds later. I dried the outside off but it won’t turn on. It doesn’t have the red dot and it’s vibrates when i click the home button, like the vibration when your finger print ID won’t work. What should I do?
Ok I dropped my phone in a bucket of water and took it out in less than a minute. I removed my casing, dried the exterior with a washcloth, and removed my sim card. (Sim card and the thing that holds the sim card seems dry)… It didn’t turn off, it didn’t have any weird lines or got any weird static thing….
I turned it off after i read your article but not before i quick posted an instagram story so people know to contact me elsewhere…. now i leaving my phone on top of my table top in my room since I have the AC on and hope that the AC removes the moistures from my phone as much as possible. I will be keeping the phone off and not be using it for at least 48hours which will be around 3am on thursday. Hope it works!!!
Just dropped my iPhone 6 in the bathtub and it was only in there for a few seconds. I dried it off and put it into rice. I then read this article and realised, so I took it out of the rice and turned it off. I left it for a little bit then tried to turn it on. It turned on fine but white glitchy lines came up on the screen and it was quite unresponsive. I tried playing music but no volume. It was almost dead so I tried charging it but it starting making unusual noises like crackling. I decided to turn it off, take the SIM card out and leave it on a windowsill to dry out. Hopefully works!! There were cracks in the screen so I believe water might have gone into them.
My iPhone 6 has a toilet swim back in February and died, took it to Apple store and saved SIM card with contacts then purchased new iPhone XR great phone. But I still have the dead one – what can I do with it. Makes a great paper weight. Do I just throw it or take it to repair shop to recycle if possible. Please Donna
Iphone 11 is one of the model for apple that offers or has a water resistant. now my phone is dead for weeks what happen is I was outside and it was raining so my phone was wet with rain water and after a mins my phone died. I attempted to on it but my brother stop me from doing it cuz maybe it will cost more damage to the phone and I’m from Philippines we went to one apple service store and informed us that they cannot accomodate the issue that we have because it’s not available here in the Philippines and can’t even replace a phone.
Issue of the phone is due to liquid damage and it says that Iphone 11 is water resistant. Why can’t they replace another phone if the water resistant phone was damaged due to liquid substance?
Dropped my 8plus in lake. Had a Diver retrieve it within 1 hour. $150 for that. He located phone in 5min. It came out on and working fine. I’ve powered it down, removed sim card, letting it just sit on shelf now. I’m gonna take 2 aspirin and try it in the morning…………….#willsee
I went swimming in our pool with the grand kids, forgetting about the 3-day old phone in my pocket (wrong). I took it out and tried using it (wrong). The screen flashed white. I put it in a bag of rice for an hour (wrong). I got out my heat gun (wrong). I finally read the instructions here (right, but not soon enough). I figured that with the “red dot of death”, I wasn’t going to get anywhere with any warranty, so I removed the battery and SIM card and carefully unscrewed the back and removed the back panel. There were obvious signs of water. I blew compressed air everywhere, until no more water came out from anywhere. Then blew more air for another ten minutes. I then put the back, SIM card, and battery back in the phone, plugged into the charger, and tried to turn it on (wrong). Nothing happened. Now I will wait a couple of days (right).
did it turn back on?mine was just in my pocket while i was in the pool by mistake , i tried turning it on but it did the fisrt showing apple logo , but now its dead shows the red dot and its been two days
Didn’t drop my phone in anything! A rain poncho which was supposed to waterproof wasn’t- at least not the front pouch with a zipper. Zipper pouch didn’t have a flap over it and the zipper was not waterproof. Water collected in the front pouch (it was a down pour). The phone was on its side in the pouch (e.g on its long edge) in an Otter case- now removed. Where it the SIM card and how do I remove it? Thank you ….
While setting up my new iPhone SE 2020, I bumped it off the table and it fell into the bowl of water out for my cat. I removed it immediately, and it was probably only in the water 1, maybe 2 seconds. I immediately dried it off with my shirt, and turned it off. I took out the SIM card, and it was completely dry, and I did not see any damage. I put the SIM card back in and after about 10 min, tried to turn it back on. It turned on and continued starting up with no issues. Should I be concerned about long term water damage? Thank you!!
Dropped my phone in water tonight, but did not switch off or remove SIM card till 3 hours later, as i didn’t know i was to do this; have done this now and am I too late as red light has come on and is there any way i can save data , as i really need it. Stupidly didn’t back up since April 🙁 .
well, i just drop it to a bucket which was full of water, i did take it out within 5 seconds, after that i remove the case and the sim card, dry it with hair dryer for 10 second and stop, and use the hair dryer again for 10 seconds, put it in charge, turn in on,everything works fine,
Ugh. Dropped my iPhoneX in a bucket and picked it out right away, took off the case and dried it off with a towel. My husband told me to put it in rice. After several minutes I tried to check if it was backed up and was seeing faint lines all over before the screen went black. Just saw your instructions so I took out the sim but is there anyway to power it off if I can’t see the screen. Really didn’t want to buy a new phone right now. 🙁 Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.
Hi, i’m currently in the same situation as everyone here and on the subject of your charger not holding the plug I believe there’s small pieces of rice in your charging port. I did the same and noticed a grain in my port. Hope it works out.
Hi! My phone has slipped in its place and went to my inflatable pool.
I think it was in the water for more likely around 5 minutes.
I was panicking and I turned it off, removed the case, and put it in our rice dispenser but then I was reading this article then I took out my iPhone from the rice dispenser.
I just removed the sim card and now I am using my fan to help it dry out.
I don’t have any silica at home.
How long would this take to dry off? My mother would kill me.
Like everyone else here I dropped my phone in the toilet for mere seconds. Dried it off, removed SIM card and have it sitting in the sun. I cannot turn it off and it is making a buzzing noise. Any thoughts?
First, cool down that iPhone. The buzzing could indicate a hardware issue impacted by the water or the heat from direct sunlight. But first, the most important thing is to cool down and dry that iPhone without using it.
Please place your iPhone in a well-ventilated area–but not in the sun! Direct sunlight can heat up your phone very quickly to over the recommended top temperature of 45º C / 113º F! iPhones can easily overheat in temperatures above this range–and direct sunlight can easily do this and cause the device to change performance and/or behavior. Placing your iPhone in direct sunlight for an extended period of time can damage internal components.
Normally, when in use and in direct sunlight your device warns you and shows this alert and automatically turn-offs its display: “Temperature: iPhone needs to cool down.”
If it’s on, turn it off. Try to move it to a cooler environment that well-ventilated (but not in direct sunlight) and allow it to cool down and dry out. YOu can even place it near a fan to speed the cooling and drying.
Hey, I recently dropped my phone in the toilet for a few seconds. I quickly dried the surface and it began working, later it just quickly turned off and the phone wouldn’t turn on only the Apple sign came on. Left it overnight plugged in, now it isn’t turning on at all and I have left it in rice . What should I do?
Keep your iPhone off and unplug it from the charger. Try placing it in a well-ventilated area, even in front of a fan. If you have silica packets, you could try using those. Remove the SIM card as well.
Let it sit there for at least 24-48 hours without disturbing and do not attempt to turn it on or connect it to power.
Once that time elapses, check the liquid indicator to see if it is red. If so, your warranty (if you had one) will not be honored at Apple for a repair.
Inspect the phone to ensure it is as dry as possible, then plug it in for charging and let it charge for several hours. Then and only then, try turning it on
We’re glad you switched it off and placed in a well ventilated place–hopefully, that will dry it all out and everything works.
Whether there is long term damage depends on if any hardware was damaged by the water and the fact that the iPhone was on and used and therefore sending electricity through it and likely contacting the water and your iPhone’s hardware.
We suggest you dry out your iPhone for longer than recommended in the article–and adding silica gel packets around it may also help.
Before you turn on the iPhone again, take a look at your iPhone’s liquid indicator and see if it turned red. Hopefully not but if it did, any warranty you had on the device is now void.
Taking out your SIM card is also a good idea so it can also dry
I dropped my phone in the toilet for about 2 seconds and immediately picked it up and dried it. Turned it off after 2 min then put it in a bag of rice since I couldn’t find silica packets. Is my phone damaged and should I lose all hope??
Wait a few days and see if your iPhone works–many people do recover their phones when dropped in water for a short time. The key is to not turn it on or use it when it’s wet–allow it time to dry out and use desiccants like silica to speed up the process. A fan is also good! And so is activated charcoal (as long as its contained and not in direct contact with the device!)
Since you used rice, make sure you cover the iPhone is cloth–it should not directly contact your iPhone as rice can get into ports and cause a host of other problems!
I accidentally put my iPhone in the washing machine (it accidentally got wrapped in the bedsheets).
I heard it banging around and immediately opened the lid and fished it out.
The water had just started filling up or at least was still filling.
It was in a life proof case.
I removed it and turned it off immediately.
Next, I removed the SIM card, which looks OK and set it aside.
I dried the iPhone with a towel and letting is sit at an angle ( so the bottom charge port and the side (now open) SIM port can drain any additional water.
The water indicator in the SIM slot is NOT RED! Hallelujah!
But, I’m planning to leave it off for 48 hours just to be safe, before attempting to turn it back on.
I am tempted to try to open it further to check the other water indicator– not sure if this is a wise idea or if I should just leave it alone for now.
I had the same case I heard it banging in the washing machine good thing I didn’t put any detergent yet but it has gurgling sound when I try playing videos on Tiktok then I turned it off dried it even put it in rice dispenser it’s been 24 hours now and I’ve got one more day to wait. So how is your phone doing now? Thank you.
Just accidentally dropped my phone into the toilet today, but I took it out right after. Turned it off, dried it with some toilet paper, removed the SIM card to check the LCI (it was not red, thank God), then left it to dry for a few hours. Tried turning it on to try using it for a while then started charging it. It’s still working just fine & I’m thinking this could be a miracle lol
Sharing for those who are anxious, hope this helps a little 🙂
Phone in water for seconds 48 hours ago. Miraculously been ok since but charger now stuttering/vibrating occasionally. In lockdown how can I change my phone before or in case it breaks down completely. Was thinking of upgrading anyway
You can still purchase iPhones via Apple’s website or with your current carrier. They can ship you the iPhone overnight or in a matter of days, depending on availability and shipping costs.
Hello. I was being stupid and jumped in the pool with my phone recording a slow-motion video.
I have an IPhone XR. when I hit the water I saw it was still recording but when I turned it off it won’t turn back on.
I while ago I noticed one of the screws is missing near the charging port and the other screw is loose. Also when I took out the SIM card it was wet when I took it out. could anyone help me with this?
I dropped my phone in the toilet. A very clean one!! I’ve removed the SIM card and I powered off a after the accident for several hours. Being shut in makes it impossible to leave it off. Can apple just send a replacement
Apple and its iPhone warranty Apple Care doesn’t normally cover water or liquid damage so it’s unlikely they would send a replacement device at no cost.
What you should do is try to dry out the iPhone as much as possible following the steps listed in the article. Once you believe it is dry, you can also check the device’s Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) to see if it shows red.
Hopefully, your device is now dry and working. If it isn’t, it never hurts to contact Apple Support and discover what options are available.
Hey, I recently got water splashed on my iPhone. After going through your blog I was able to fix my iPhone at home. Thank god I had my data backed up. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I was taking a bubble bath and like an idiot replied to a text and lost the grip and into the water, it went.
Immediately got it out like literally not even 1 second in the water. turned off my Bluetooth and tried playing the music through the phone speakers it sounded fine then I immediately googled what to do when dropping an iPhone 8 plus in water and as soon as I saw turn it off immediately that’s what I did.
Then I shook it a few thousand times and took my blowdryer to it on the coolest setting and tried to “air” dry all the ports and speakers and everything.
Then I probably took another 15 mins getting out of the tub running to my room getting on my Mac and came across this site.
I immediately took the screen protector off ( I was switching cases atm so it was completely unprotected….) and took the SIM card out.
I then wrapped it in a towel and put it in the driest room on top of an empty vase……and the SIM card/holder is sitting on my nightstand. I’m about to figure out where to store them until I figure out what my next move is……….
what if i turned it off then turned it back on and then it went out and wont cut back on??? is there any hope or should i get a new iphone or repair it?? is it too late??
IPHONE 6S PLUS
Once you wait the appropriate amount of time and believe your iPhone is as dry as it possibly can be, clean it thoroughly including all ports like the charging port and headphone jack. Then try turning it on or plugging it into the charger.
If it still won’t turn on, it’s likely it’s too damaged and at this point, it’s best to replace it than repair it.
Consider purchasing a refurbished iPhone from Apple to save some money on a new iPhone–all refurbished iPhones from Apple comes with a standard 1-year of Apple Care, which is the same one-year warranty as a brand new iPhone! Plus, if desired you can purchase additional Apple Care support so you get extended coverage.
I felt like this post was talking directly to me. My iPhone X fell into a pool and since then it has been misbehaving. I plan on taking it to repair Tomorrow though. I’ve been trying to put off the phone but I haven’t been able to. The phone is on but the light isn’t coming up. I hope it doesn’t get worse
Hi, going crazy, I got in the pool with my iPhone in my pocket. when i realized it the power was off. I dried it with a blower and put some rice , i also took the sim card out…nothing sos
After ruining my three-week old iPhone 6 by turning it on too soon, the next time my phone took a dunk, I left it off for 24 hours. I keep a jar of silica found in stores like Hobby Lobby. I bought a storage container that my phone fits into. I wrapped my phone in a paper towel to prevent any silica from getting into it. Worked great!
Jaybee says
Hi
I bought a water proof bag / 2 ltr for my vacation in Cyprus in week 36 .. I would use it when I brought my Iphone SE (2nd Gen) to the sea.. However, the bag was made of PVC so when I had used it first time there was a lot of moist in it as every single drop of water could not escape.. I came up with the great idea to first put the Iphone in an Ikea zip bag .. and then in the PVC bag .. Went to the beach for the second time .. Took some nice shots with my girlfriend in the sea.. There was apx 1 m of water depth .. After we had finished the shooting she hold the zip bag .. and I carefully dropped the phone in the bag .. just to see it went right through the zip bag and.. into the water .. 🙁 Apparently the lining in the bag was damaged which I had not noticed.. I quickly grabbed the phone and took it up.. Turned it off .. found this article (on my Macbook) .. not much new .. I know from experience that electronic and water is a bad combination .. but I also knew that my Iphone somehow was water proof to a certain extend .. I googled it and it is IP67 .. so in principle it should survive a drop in the water .. I already turned it off .. removed the sim tray .. left it for 12 hours (I had not time to leave it for 24-48 hrs) .. Crossed my fingers .. and turned it on .. it started normally.. nothing to notice that it had been in the water 12 hours ago .. I charged it .. same story .. it acted completely normally .. now 9 days had gone and so far no issues with the phone .. I’ll cross my fingers that it has survived 🙂
barry says
thank so much for a very well written guide. am following the process now
Steve Johns says
Hi
i fell into a lake while fishing and of course my phone was in my pocket an iphone 7. The phone came out of my pocket so It was at the bottom of the lake for 6 hours a friend went in as i cannot swim and found it
amazingly it was still working without any problems at all so far so good not saying it will last but i still give it a thumbs up for lasting that long in water
Swimsuitsshouldnothavepockets says
I think the iphone XS (with a near dead battery) was at the bottom of the pool in 4 feet of water for about 20 minutes. After attempting to reset, turn on, turn off the phone, all with no luck, I wrapped it in a paper towel and then put it directly into rice for three days. Coming out of the rice, it showed the battery symbol when the screen was touched along with a vertical red stripe. It did that for about half a day and then went completely dead, dark, and unresponsive. So I took it to a third party repair shop. After selling me a crappy refurbished 11 Pro with too little memory, they took the XS in and said that often they can get them working but they don’t stay working. After three days of tinkering they gave me the phone back still dead, dark, and unresponsive. They suggested it needed motherboard work and they could have sent it away, but I did not want my data going to who knows where. Just for the heck of it, I plugged it into the USB port on my computer and left it. The next day it was miraculously working as if it had never got wet. But then then next day it was dead, dark, and unresponsive again. So I plugged it back in, and after a day of charging, its now working fine. I surmise that without a sim card, it expends battery capacity quicker than normal looking for the sim card. But I might have a bad battery. Haven’t figured that out yet. Now I’m dealing with two phones connected to the same itunes app and the associated confusion. That’s another story.
P.S. I read that one of the office supply places has a Tek Dry machine that can dry an iphone in 30 minutes.
Brian Johnson says
will that still work on a iphone se or 6
Anymous says
I dropped my phone in the toilet at work and removed it right away dries off my phone and let it air dry got home and check my phone right away bo red light because I charged it to heat it up and it worked I saved my phone it works fine now
Deb says
Yesterday I put what I thought was a closed thermal coffee cup in my purse.
Well, it wasn’t closed & I ended up w/boiling hot coffee in, on & around my iPhone8. It was showing a red “your phone is too hot” signal. I wiped it off & put it in my pocket. About an hour later, I discovered that there was no volume on the phone. I had to sing a solo acapella @ a funeral outside. Fortunately, my voice & sense of pitch are in better shape than my iPhone.
Anyhow, as time went on, I found that the camera had also been affected.
I found this site, have turned iPhone off, removed SIM card & have a small fan blowing over it towards the charging port. It’s lying face down.
Thing is, I need my phone for work. I’ll be calling the Apple store.
Nick says
I was hosting a party last night, jumped in the pool and probably spent 2 minutes in there before I realised my iphone was in my pocket, then took it out of the water, chucked it on charge and forgot about it for 24 hrs, then used it until it went flat, and then it wouldn’t charge . Finally looked up what I should have done, I think it’s definitely stuffed. Miracles are possible right?
Jeanne says
My phone fell in the toilet)-clean water) for maybe 1 second and I removed the case quickly and di put it in rice for 3-4 hours. That was yesterday.. It seem to be working fine but the charger prong won’t go in to recharge it. What should I do now? There aren’t any visible flashing lights. I appreciate your article but it doesn’t quite fit my problem. Thanks in advance for any help.
Sam says
Perhaps there is a bit of rice in your charge port?
Jack says
My iPhone 6 has falling in the sink I retrieved it in less than 2 seconds but now they is a flashing light in the simcard port, am finished pease help me
Katrina Rowcliff says
Does putting the iPhone in rice to dry it out really work? My daughter dropped her iPhone in the toilet. So far it still works but she has turned it off and taken the sim out. I just pray it turns back on.
Sue Whitten says
I just dropped my iphone 12 in a clean toilet for maybe 2 seconds. If you actually read this article it tells you what to do. And what not to do like put your phone in rice, ever. I took out the SIM card and it was dry inside. YAY! As instrusted above I cleaned the phone with an alcohol wipe(because it went in a toilet) then put the SIM in a safe place and the phone, stripped of it’s case and screen protector, on a paper plate over by a fan. There it will stay for the next two days. It seemed like it was working fine before I turned it off. So I’ll hope for the best. Thank you for the great step-by-step instructions! I looked on Apple.com and couldn’t find anything like this. Apple should do something about that.
deanna says
Mine is still drying too, but i wanted to “ditto” Sue’s comment that this article was so clear and well written that I feel like i’ve at least given my precious phone it’s best chance at a future. I just don’t know i’ll be able to wait a full 24 hours to leave it in peace as I can’t even open my email on my work COMPUTER without it (stupid microsoft authenticator app). The issue with some of these multi-factor authentication tools — particularly that don’t give you an option outside of your mobile phone authenticator app to complete a verification (an email to a second trusted account, for example) is that they FORCE you to turn on that drying phone. 🙂 Any suggestions on a workaround to my microsoft authenticator issue would be welcome, though i know it’s a long-shot and I’ll likely need to get my IT department AND the apple store on this job… 🙂 Meanshile, thanks for the article — good work!
Pam says
IphoneSE went through the whole wash cycle, which was set on heavy duty and the tub had filled for the rinse cycle before it got discovered. Dried it off, threw it in rice overnight and turned it on this morning. So far no issues! It was not in any kind of case or otter box so I’m pretty amazed!
Bill says
Thank you so much for writing this! My iPhone 7 dropped off a pier and spent maybe 30 seconds five feet deep. It did have an Otterbox on. Someone with me immediately googled dropped iPhone in water; this was the first good hit. We immediately turned the phone off, took the case off, removed the Sim card, and let the phone dry. Did not turn it on — for almost three days (!) – over 60 hours. It is pretty weird going entirely without one’s cell phone for days. But kind of freeing, when you realize how much sway it has over you. Anyway, enough philosophizing. Late on the third day, turned it on, charged it up, seems to work fine (phone, texts, apps, sound, etc). Fingers crossed for the next couple of weeks. But again, this article provides great advice — follow it and good luck!
Portia says
My nephew dropped My iPhone in water for more than an hour, when I took it out the phone was off . I cleaned it and put it in rice and left it for the following day. I took it out and charged the phone and it came on but the issue was the SIM card area doesn’t work but the SIM card works and the screen shakes a bit . I just saw this article but its too late. What do I do ?
Sanjay Dhakal says
Hello,
I took a selfie today on a swimming pool with my iPhone xs max, (3/4 times I put it inside the water), after few minutes, it turned off automatically.
I tried several times to turn it on after it turned off and I let it dry on sunlight, still not turned on and I tried to charge it but not charged.
what should i do?
Kathy Ann Peers says
Thank you for this insight
Sofie says
omg, I’m so dumb! I turned my phone on the minute I took it out, but the sim card is fine so is the thing you put it in. it flashed hopefully it’s ok 🙂 I dried it as well
Michael says
Just dropped my phone in the shower, I took it out immediately started drying it up lines appeared so I turned it off I then removed the sim card and now put it down to dry up. I don’t know what to do right now I’m hoping it will turn on tomorrow because if it doesn’t I’m dead.
Kate says
Did it switch on? I got lines too and switched it off.
Christine snyder says
My cell phone wont turn off when i try to press the side button
William Dickinson says
My daughter dropped her iPhone 12 in the bath and we got it out quick and took the case off, dried it and removed the sims card, which that area was completely dry.
Thoughts on it not seeing issues?
Alex says
I dropped my iphone 6s in the bathtub and took it out less than a 5 seconds later. I dried the outside off but it won’t turn on. It doesn’t have the red dot and it’s vibrates when i click the home button, like the vibration when your finger print ID won’t work. What should I do?
KG MAKHUBELE says
im using iphone 6s plus
it fell on water and now apparently the fingerprint sensor does not work. what should i do?
Daphnne says
Ok I dropped my phone in a bucket of water and took it out in less than a minute. I removed my casing, dried the exterior with a washcloth, and removed my sim card. (Sim card and the thing that holds the sim card seems dry)… It didn’t turn off, it didn’t have any weird lines or got any weird static thing….
I turned it off after i read your article but not before i quick posted an instagram story so people know to contact me elsewhere…. now i leaving my phone on top of my table top in my room since I have the AC on and hope that the AC removes the moistures from my phone as much as possible. I will be keeping the phone off and not be using it for at least 48hours which will be around 3am on thursday. Hope it works!!!
Julia says
Just dropped my iPhone 6 in the bathtub and it was only in there for a few seconds. I dried it off and put it into rice. I then read this article and realised, so I took it out of the rice and turned it off. I left it for a little bit then tried to turn it on. It turned on fine but white glitchy lines came up on the screen and it was quite unresponsive. I tried playing music but no volume. It was almost dead so I tried charging it but it starting making unusual noises like crackling. I decided to turn it off, take the SIM card out and leave it on a windowsill to dry out. Hopefully works!! There were cracks in the screen so I believe water might have gone into them.
Twylia White says
My xr want turn off and the flashligh stays on after falling in my dish water. How can i fix fix that.
Donna Beasley says
My iPhone 6 has a toilet swim back in February and died, took it to Apple store and saved SIM card with contacts then purchased new iPhone XR great phone. But I still have the dead one – what can I do with it. Makes a great paper weight. Do I just throw it or take it to repair shop to recycle if possible. Please Donna
JIMY JEAN JAMILI says
Iphone 11 is one of the model for apple that offers or has a water resistant. now my phone is dead for weeks what happen is I was outside and it was raining so my phone was wet with rain water and after a mins my phone died. I attempted to on it but my brother stop me from doing it cuz maybe it will cost more damage to the phone and I’m from Philippines we went to one apple service store and informed us that they cannot accomodate the issue that we have because it’s not available here in the Philippines and can’t even replace a phone.
Issue of the phone is due to liquid damage and it says that Iphone 11 is water resistant. Why can’t they replace another phone if the water resistant phone was damaged due to liquid substance?
TOM ELLIS says
Dropped my 8plus in lake. Had a Diver retrieve it within 1 hour. $150 for that. He located phone in 5min. It came out on and working fine. I’ve powered it down, removed sim card, letting it just sit on shelf now. I’m gonna take 2 aspirin and try it in the morning…………….#willsee
Kenneth Russell says
I went swimming in our pool with the grand kids, forgetting about the 3-day old phone in my pocket (wrong). I took it out and tried using it (wrong). The screen flashed white. I put it in a bag of rice for an hour (wrong). I got out my heat gun (wrong). I finally read the instructions here (right, but not soon enough). I figured that with the “red dot of death”, I wasn’t going to get anywhere with any warranty, so I removed the battery and SIM card and carefully unscrewed the back and removed the back panel. There were obvious signs of water. I blew compressed air everywhere, until no more water came out from anywhere. Then blew more air for another ten minutes. I then put the back, SIM card, and battery back in the phone, plugged into the charger, and tried to turn it on (wrong). Nothing happened. Now I will wait a couple of days (right).
SWATI J says
did it turn back on?mine was just in my pocket while i was in the pool by mistake , i tried turning it on but it did the fisrt showing apple logo , but now its dead shows the red dot and its been two days
Vicky says
Thanks! Very helpful and thorough
Mary Ann Teschan says
Didn’t drop my phone in anything! A rain poncho which was supposed to waterproof wasn’t- at least not the front pouch with a zipper. Zipper pouch didn’t have a flap over it and the zipper was not waterproof. Water collected in the front pouch (it was a down pour). The phone was on its side in the pouch (e.g on its long edge) in an Otter case- now removed. Where it the SIM card and how do I remove it? Thank you ….
Julia says
While setting up my new iPhone SE 2020, I bumped it off the table and it fell into the bowl of water out for my cat. I removed it immediately, and it was probably only in the water 1, maybe 2 seconds. I immediately dried it off with my shirt, and turned it off. I took out the SIM card, and it was completely dry, and I did not see any damage. I put the SIM card back in and after about 10 min, tried to turn it back on. It turned on and continued starting up with no issues. Should I be concerned about long term water damage? Thank you!!
Joan says
I have an I phone 6 and dropped it in the pool. Only seconds and cask was not wet inside.
It keeps blinking and had a line across the top. I trained to shut it off but it is not shutting off. What do I do. Where can I go get help. Please
Sheila says
Dropped my phone in water tonight, but did not switch off or remove SIM card till 3 hours later, as i didn’t know i was to do this; have done this now and am I too late as red light has come on and is there any way i can save data , as i really need it. Stupidly didn’t back up since April 🙁 .
Rick says
well, i just drop it to a bucket which was full of water, i did take it out within 5 seconds, after that i remove the case and the sim card, dry it with hair dryer for 10 second and stop, and use the hair dryer again for 10 seconds, put it in charge, turn in on,everything works fine,
Karen B says
Ugh. Dropped my iPhoneX in a bucket and picked it out right away, took off the case and dried it off with a towel. My husband told me to put it in rice. After several minutes I tried to check if it was backed up and was seeing faint lines all over before the screen went black. Just saw your instructions so I took out the sim but is there anyway to power it off if I can’t see the screen. Really didn’t want to buy a new phone right now. 🙁 Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.
Liliana says
Hi,
Like many of you, I dropped my phone in the toilet and quickly took it out.
Took case off, dried on the outside, and put it in a bag of rice.
Once I read online you should turn it off and take sim out I did that but the phone was already off though I did take SIM card out.
Left it overnight in the bag of rice. I have now taken it out, felt dried when checking the charging jack by shaking in my hand.
I have tried plugging it in to charge as it’s not turning on and the charger jack is not holding the plug, it doesn’t click anymore.
Why is this
Have I done any damage to it by shaking it?
Help, please!
Tierro says
Hi, i’m currently in the same situation as everyone here and on the subject of your charger not holding the plug I believe there’s small pieces of rice in your charging port. I did the same and noticed a grain in my port. Hope it works out.
John Marshall says
Same here, I need help.
Rachelle Viola Romualdo says
Hi! My phone has slipped in its place and went to my inflatable pool.
I think it was in the water for more likely around 5 minutes.
I was panicking and I turned it off, removed the case, and put it in our rice dispenser but then I was reading this article then I took out my iPhone from the rice dispenser.
I just removed the sim card and now I am using my fan to help it dry out.
I don’t have any silica at home.
How long would this take to dry off? My mother would kill me.
Mary Catherine Clancy says
Like everyone else here I dropped my phone in the toilet for mere seconds. Dried it off, removed SIM card and have it sitting in the sun. I cannot turn it off and it is making a buzzing noise. Any thoughts?
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Mary,
First, cool down that iPhone. The buzzing could indicate a hardware issue impacted by the water or the heat from direct sunlight. But first, the most important thing is to cool down and dry that iPhone without using it.
Please place your iPhone in a well-ventilated area–but not in the sun! Direct sunlight can heat up your phone very quickly to over the recommended top temperature of 45º C / 113º F! iPhones can easily overheat in temperatures above this range–and direct sunlight can easily do this and cause the device to change performance and/or behavior. Placing your iPhone in direct sunlight for an extended period of time can damage internal components.
Normally, when in use and in direct sunlight your device warns you and shows this alert and automatically turn-offs its display: “Temperature: iPhone needs to cool down.”
If it’s on, turn it off. Try to move it to a cooler environment that well-ventilated (but not in direct sunlight) and allow it to cool down and dry out. YOu can even place it near a fan to speed the cooling and drying.
Kimberly Anning says
Hey, I recently dropped my phone in the toilet for a few seconds. I quickly dried the surface and it began working, later it just quickly turned off and the phone wouldn’t turn on only the Apple sign came on. Left it overnight plugged in, now it isn’t turning on at all and I have left it in rice . What should I do?
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Kimberly,
Keep your iPhone off and unplug it from the charger. Try placing it in a well-ventilated area, even in front of a fan. If you have silica packets, you could try using those. Remove the SIM card as well.
Let it sit there for at least 24-48 hours without disturbing and do not attempt to turn it on or connect it to power.
Once that time elapses, check the liquid indicator to see if it is red. If so, your warranty (if you had one) will not be honored at Apple for a repair.
Inspect the phone to ensure it is as dry as possible, then plug it in for charging and let it charge for several hours. Then and only then, try turning it on
Wilade F says
Hello, so my phone dropped in the sink.
I didn’t really know the strategy.
But I took it out of the sink and put it in rice (without turning it off) because I remembered it from somewhere.
After about 25 minutes I believe, there were no longer lines on the screen.
So I thought the phone was fine.
The speaker wasn’t working but I could hear stuff with earphones so I thought it was fine.
I used my phone for like 30 minutes, then the circle button and the turn off button stopped working.
I put it in rice for 30 minutes.
When I checked, the buttons and the speaker still didn’t work but everything was fine.
I was concerned so I started googling.
Then I found this website and it said everything I did was wrong. So I took the phone out of the rice.
I managed to switch off and it’s in a well-ventilated area now, I think.
Do you know what will happen? What should I do?
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Wilade,
We’re glad you switched it off and placed in a well ventilated place–hopefully, that will dry it all out and everything works.
Whether there is long term damage depends on if any hardware was damaged by the water and the fact that the iPhone was on and used and therefore sending electricity through it and likely contacting the water and your iPhone’s hardware.
We suggest you dry out your iPhone for longer than recommended in the article–and adding silica gel packets around it may also help.
Before you turn on the iPhone again, take a look at your iPhone’s liquid indicator and see if it turned red. Hopefully not but if it did, any warranty you had on the device is now void.
Taking out your SIM card is also a good idea so it can also dry
Ibrahim A. says
I dropped my phone in the toilet for about 2 seconds and immediately picked it up and dried it. Turned it off after 2 min then put it in a bag of rice since I couldn’t find silica packets. Is my phone damaged and should I lose all hope??
Elizabeth Jones says
Wait a few days and see if your iPhone works–many people do recover their phones when dropped in water for a short time. The key is to not turn it on or use it when it’s wet–allow it time to dry out and use desiccants like silica to speed up the process. A fan is also good! And so is activated charcoal (as long as its contained and not in direct contact with the device!)
Since you used rice, make sure you cover the iPhone is cloth–it should not directly contact your iPhone as rice can get into ports and cause a host of other problems!
Jenny D says
I accidentally put my iPhone in the washing machine (it accidentally got wrapped in the bedsheets).
I heard it banging around and immediately opened the lid and fished it out.
The water had just started filling up or at least was still filling.
It was in a life proof case.
I removed it and turned it off immediately.
Next, I removed the SIM card, which looks OK and set it aside.
I dried the iPhone with a towel and letting is sit at an angle ( so the bottom charge port and the side (now open) SIM port can drain any additional water.
The water indicator in the SIM slot is NOT RED! Hallelujah!
But, I’m planning to leave it off for 48 hours just to be safe, before attempting to turn it back on.
I am tempted to try to open it further to check the other water indicator– not sure if this is a wise idea or if I should just leave it alone for now.
Any advice on that??
Thanks!
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Jenny,
Oh my goodness! Well, it’s bound to happen to us all at some point.
We recommend leaving it alone for that 48 hours–if you have some silica packages around, place those with the iPhone to further enhance drying out!
Check out this article on using silica to dry it out: Use Silica Gel Packets to Dry Your Wet iPhone, iPad, or AirPods
Raya Jamias says
I had the same case I heard it banging in the washing machine good thing I didn’t put any detergent yet but it has gurgling sound when I try playing videos on Tiktok then I turned it off dried it even put it in rice dispenser it’s been 24 hours now and I’ve got one more day to wait. So how is your phone doing now? Thank you.
Ngoc Do says
Just accidentally dropped my phone into the toilet today, but I took it out right after. Turned it off, dried it with some toilet paper, removed the SIM card to check the LCI (it was not red, thank God), then left it to dry for a few hours. Tried turning it on to try using it for a while then started charging it. It’s still working just fine & I’m thinking this could be a miracle lol
Sharing for those who are anxious, hope this helps a little 🙂
MJ says
does it still work fine?
Anne Oxborough says
Phone in water for seconds 48 hours ago. Miraculously been ok since but charger now stuttering/vibrating occasionally. In lockdown how can I change my phone before or in case it breaks down completely. Was thinking of upgrading anyway
Elizabeth Jones says
Anne,
You can still purchase iPhones via Apple’s website or with your current carrier. They can ship you the iPhone overnight or in a matter of days, depending on availability and shipping costs.
nick mead says
Hello. I was being stupid and jumped in the pool with my phone recording a slow-motion video.
I have an IPhone XR. when I hit the water I saw it was still recording but when I turned it off it won’t turn back on.
I while ago I noticed one of the screws is missing near the charging port and the other screw is loose. Also when I took out the SIM card it was wet when I took it out. could anyone help me with this?
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Nick,
Oh boy! Try using silica gel to thoroughly dry out your device. Use Silica Gel Packets to Dry Your Wet iPhone, iPad, or AirPods
Janice says
I dropped my phone in the toilet. A very clean one!! I’ve removed the SIM card and I powered off a after the accident for several hours. Being shut in makes it impossible to leave it off. Can apple just send a replacement
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Janice,
Apple and its iPhone warranty Apple Care doesn’t normally cover water or liquid damage so it’s unlikely they would send a replacement device at no cost.
What you should do is try to dry out the iPhone as much as possible following the steps listed in the article. Once you believe it is dry, you can also check the device’s Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) to see if it shows red.
Hopefully, your device is now dry and working. If it isn’t, it never hurts to contact Apple Support and discover what options are available.
Roslia Santa Maria says
Hey, I recently got water splashed on my iPhone. After going through your blog I was able to fix my iPhone at home. Thank god I had my data backed up. Thank you so much for sharing this.
amanda k says
I was taking a bubble bath and like an idiot replied to a text and lost the grip and into the water, it went.
Immediately got it out like literally not even 1 second in the water. turned off my Bluetooth and tried playing the music through the phone speakers it sounded fine then I immediately googled what to do when dropping an iPhone 8 plus in water and as soon as I saw turn it off immediately that’s what I did.
Then I shook it a few thousand times and took my blowdryer to it on the coolest setting and tried to “air” dry all the ports and speakers and everything.
Then I probably took another 15 mins getting out of the tub running to my room getting on my Mac and came across this site.
I immediately took the screen protector off ( I was switching cases atm so it was completely unprotected….) and took the SIM card out.
I then wrapped it in a towel and put it in the driest room on top of an empty vase……and the SIM card/holder is sitting on my nightstand. I’m about to figure out where to store them until I figure out what my next move is……….
Bri says
How did this end up working out for you?! I just did the same thing and am looking for some advice!
Savanah says
what if i turned it off then turned it back on and then it went out and wont cut back on??? is there any hope or should i get a new iphone or repair it?? is it too late??
IPHONE 6S PLUS
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Savanah,
Make sure your iPhone is off and get it completely dry (this might take a few days). We recommend you use those silica packets to absorb any remaining water–Use Silica Gel Packets to Dry Your Wet iPhone, iPad, or AirPods
Once you wait the appropriate amount of time and believe your iPhone is as dry as it possibly can be, clean it thoroughly including all ports like the charging port and headphone jack. Then try turning it on or plugging it into the charger.
If it still won’t turn on, it’s likely it’s too damaged and at this point, it’s best to replace it than repair it.
Consider purchasing a refurbished iPhone from Apple to save some money on a new iPhone–all refurbished iPhones from Apple comes with a standard 1-year of Apple Care, which is the same one-year warranty as a brand new iPhone! Plus, if desired you can purchase additional Apple Care support so you get extended coverage.
Austin says
I felt like this post was talking directly to me. My iPhone X fell into a pool and since then it has been misbehaving. I plan on taking it to repair Tomorrow though. I’ve been trying to put off the phone but I haven’t been able to. The phone is on but the light isn’t coming up. I hope it doesn’t get worse
Margie says
Hi, going crazy, I got in the pool with my iPhone in my pocket. when i realized it the power was off. I dried it with a blower and put some rice , i also took the sim card out…nothing sos
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Margie,
Try using silica gel packets or pockets and see if those dry up all the parts.
Take a look at this new article on how to use silica: Use Silica Gel Packets to Dry Your Wet iPhone, iPad, or AirPods
Oscar McGill says
Thank you so much for this advice it was really helpful and I have recommended this site to others. Thanks again.
Oscar
Edwinna says
After ruining my three-week old iPhone 6 by turning it on too soon, the next time my phone took a dunk, I left it off for 24 hours. I keep a jar of silica found in stores like Hobby Lobby. I bought a storage container that my phone fits into. I wrapped my phone in a paper towel to prevent any silica from getting into it. Worked great!