For many years now, whenever someone drops their iPhone into water, someone will call urgently for a bag of rice to put the device into to help dry it. But it turns out we’ve been mistaken, according to new guidance from Apple.
The tech giant says that rather than helping to draw out moisture – as the theory goes – putting your phone into a bag of rice could end up damaging it further.
While iPhones have become increasingly sophisticated over recent years – including the devices showing an alert if moisture is detected in the connector, and it not charging until the port and connectors are dry – remedies for drying it when it gets wet haven’t.
But now, Apple has confirmed what users should do if an iPhone does get wet. The company recommends that to dry your iPhone users should try these steps:
- Tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow.
- After at least 30 minutes, try charging using a Lightning or USB-C cable or connecting an accessory.
- If you see the alert again, there is still liquid in the connector or under the pins of your cable. Leave your iPhone in a dry place with some airflow for up to a day. You can try again to charge or connect an accessory throughout this period. It may take up to 24 hours to dry fully.
- If your phone has dried out but still isn’t charging, unplug the cable from the adapter and unplug the adapter from the wall (if possible) and then connect them again.
Apple also included a few things not to do:
- Don’t dry your iPhone using an external heat source or compressed air.
- Don’t insert a foreign object, such as a cotton bud or a paper towel, into the connector.
- Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.
So now you know. But it is still better to keep your phone safe and away from water sources in the first place to avoid a lot of hassle and stress.
