Is your iPhone wet? If so, don’t put it in a bowl of rice. Apple’s new support document warns that rice can actually cause more damage to your iPhone. The company also discourages drying your damp iPhone with a blow dryer or paper towel.
For years, the common advice for dealing with a wet iPhone has been to put it in a bowl of uncooked rice. The theory behind this is that the rice grains will absorb the moisture. However, Apple’s latest guidelines advise against this practice. They explain that small grains of rice can actually damage the phone if they get lodged into the ports.
According to Apple, you should also avoid inserting any foreign objects like cotton swabs or paper towels into the port to dry your moist iPhone. Additionally, using an external heat source like a blow dryer is not recommended.
Despite these warnings, Apple does offer some suggestions on what users can safely do when their iPhone gets wet. If you plug your iPhone into a wall outlet with a lightning accessory and a “Liquid Detected” alert appears, immediately unplug the cable from both ends. Then, gently tap your iPhone against your hand with the port facing the floor to allow excess liquid to escape. After that, store the phone in a dry area with some airflow for at least 30 minutes before attempting to charge it.
If the liquid detection alert appears again, unplug the cable and leave your phone to fully dry for up to 24 hours. After waiting, try charging the phone again. If it still doesn’t charge, you may need to bring it to a repair shop or consider getting a replacement.
However, there is hope for your wet phone. In a drop test video, an iPhone 6 from 2014 continued to work after being dunked underwater. Years later, the iPhone 11 Pro also passed a similar water resistance test. So, while it’s important to take precautions and follow Apple’s guidelines, there is a good chance that your wet iPhone can still survive.
It’s worth noting that Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider before the publication of this article.
