water damage lcd screen phone factory
The world suddenly freezes when you see your phone dunked in water. Whether it’s in a pool, the sea, or a toilet, you know nothing good will come out of the next few seconds. After all, that’s a high-tech device worth a significant amount of cash, and chances are it will be deemed unusable. Not to mention all your important files might be gone! You may want to learn how to fix a water-damaged phone.
Let’s start by saying trying to rescue a water-damaged phone is a bit of a coin flip. Nothing can guarantee a positive outcome, but it’s always worth trying. Our upcoming tips may give you a higher chance of success.
The best way to fix a water damaged phone is to turn it off, disassemble it as much as possible, and throw it into a bag full of rice for a day or two. You can also use silica gel packets. Try turning the phone back on when it"s completely dry. Also, check if it still has a charge by plugging it in.
Water damage repair might be unnecessary if you take some precautions. You may want awaterproof phone with a good IP rating to ensure it will survive a dip. These are becoming very common. If your phone can’t handle liquids and you know you’ll be putting it in danger at your next beach retreat, buying something like a waterproof phone pouch might be worth it.
Additionally, it’s always nice to consider getting phone insurance, whether from your carrier, the retailer you bought the phone from, or a third party. We have a handy list of the best phone insurance options out there. Just make sure to read the fine print to ensure the insurance policy covers accidental and water damage.
I know it’s hard to react quickly after such a devastating event, but you must snap out of it! The longer your device stays underwater, the lower its chances of survival are. You must dig in and take that phone out of the water immediately. Yes… even if it’s in the toilet!
Once the phone is out of the water, make sure it’s off and it stays that way. Even if it seems okay… it is important to shut it off just in case. Those who still have a removable battery should take it off. Turning off the device ensures that water doesn’t reach and damage important phone parts while electronics are active. Water reaching operating components is more likely to cause permanent damage.
The following actions can mean the difference between a totaled phone and a survival story. You better be careful what you do. Before we jump into water damage repair, let’s try to prevent major failures you could cause.
Don’t shake or blow into the device. This may also push water into deeper areas of the phone. Especially try to avoid blow driers — not only because of the blowing part, but also because of the following point.
Don’t mistake this step with “take the whole darn phone apart!” What we mean is that you should remove everything that is user-removable. If your back cover is removable, take it off. Similarly, try to remove the battery (if you can), SIM card, and SD card. Lay it all out on a paper towel. Most phones have no removable backs nowadays, but do what you can.
Now, if you are an experienced tech specialist, know a phone’s ins and outs, and don’t mind voiding your warranty, you can go ahead and take the whole phone apart too. It might help with drying up every single piece faster. Just be careful. If you don’t know what you’re doing, this could cause more harm than good.
We first have to try to get rid of all the excess water found on the exterior of your phone. Use a cloth or paper towel to dry out everything as much as possible. Just make sure you don’t mess with the phone too much. Gently dry everything out without moving things around too much. All this water can still make its way inside the phone, which isn’t good news.
Of course, there are areas the paper towel can’t access. And while we told you not to blow anything into the phone, we didn’t tell you not to suction the water out. In fact, a vacuum cleaner can suck off bits of water from the phone without too much risk. Just make sure the suctioning doesn’t make the phone move around excessively.
The hardest part is now, because it involves leaving the phone alone for some time. We know that simply waiting isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. If you have another phone or one you can borrow, make sure the SIM card is completely dry and stick it into the working handset. Otherwise, resort to smoke signals, public phones, and all that archaic stuff.
So how do you dry your phone out? You could leave the phone on the counter or inside a drawer, but some people like giving it a little help. The idea is to put it in an environment that will ease its drying process. Next to a window works great, as the moving air (if the window is open) and sunlight might help a bit. It could also help to put them next to a fan or air conditioning vent.
Another very common practice is to put the phone in a Ziploc bag full of rice and let it rest for about two or three days. Why rice? Mainly because it is something readily available in most homes. Rice is dry, and hence very good at absorbing humidity in the air, making the phone’s environment drier and helping dry out the device.
And while we are on the topic of thinking ahead, you could also buy a water rescue kit. I happen to like Kensington’s EVAP bundle, which includes a special bag and silica gel packs. Kensington states this is 700% more effective at drying moisture than rice is, though it’s hard to say how true its claim is. Still, it might be worth the investment.
So you did everything you could, and a few days passed. It’s time to see if all your efforts paid off. Take the phone out of wherever you left it and put it all together. Then plug the phone in and try to turn it on. If it works, you have succeeded! Stay on the lookout for any odd behavior, though, at least for a few days. Also, test all the components. Make a call to see if the microphone and earphone work, test the speaker, etc.
Now, if the phone doesn’t work, it’s time to accept defeat, take it to a professional, and see if it can be salvaged. You can also claim insurance if you have it. Not to sound like a doctor, but after this point, we have done everything we could. Sometimes you have to let the phone go.
It’s not guaranteed, but putting your phone in rice gives it better chances of surviving a dunk in water. The idea is that rice is very dry, and can absorb moisture in the environment. If the air around your wet phone is dry, it will also absorb moisture from the phone.
While it may sound like a good idea, blow drying a wet phone can often do more harm than good. This is because blowing air into electronics can push moisture further inside.
Did your phone die? Let’s help you find a new one. Take a look at our lists of the best Android phones and best budget Android phones. You might also want to consider a used or refurbished phone to save some money.
A coworker came to me with his IPhone X with a responsive screen black screen. He mentioned that he took it in for repairs at a local shop. They promptly replaced his screen and battery but the problem still persists. Resetting the phone and connecting it to ITunes to do an entire factory reset have been performed. Anyone have any ideas or solutions?
If you’ve ever gotten your phone wet in the rain, dropped it in water or spilt liquid over it, you’re not alone. One study suggests 25% of smartphone users have damaged their smartphone with water or some other kind of liquid.
While new phones are advertised as “water resistant”, this doesn’t mean they are waterproof, or totally immune to water. Water resistance just implies the device can handle some exposure to water before substantial damage occurs.
In 2019, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took Samsung to the federal court, alleging false and misleading advertisements had led customers to believe their Galaxy phones would be suitable for:Use in, or exposure to, all types of water (including, for example, oceans and swimming pools).
Similarly, last year Apple was fined €10m (A$15.5m) by Italy’s antitrust authority for misleading claims about the water resistance of its phones, and for not covering liquid damage under warranty, despite these claims.How resistant is your phone?
The water resistance of phones is rated by an “ingress protection” code, commonly called an IP rating. Simply, an electrical device’s IP rating refers to its effectiveness against intrusions from solids and liquids.
A phone that has a rating of IP68 has a solid object protection of 6 (full protection from dust, dirt and sand) and a liquid protection of 8 (protected from immersion in water to a depth of more than one metre).
The popular iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy S21 phones both have a rating of IP68. However, regarding exposure to water, the iPhone 12 has a permissible immersion depth of a maximum of 6m for 30 minutes, whereas the Galaxy 21’s immersion limit is up to 1.5m, also for 30 minutes.
While IP ratings indicate the water-repellent nature of phones, taking most phones for a swim will land you in deep trouble. The salt content in oceans and swimming pools can corrode your device and cost you a hefty replacement.
Exposure to water is something manufacturers have in mind when designing phones. Most Apple and Samsung phones come with a liquid contact/damage indicator strip located inside the SIM card tray.
2. If your phone is water resistant and you’ve spilt or submerged it in a liquid other than water, both Apple and Samsung recommend rinsing it off by submerging it in still tap water (but not under a running tap, which could cause damage).
6. Use a compressed aerosol air duster to blow the water out if you have one. Avoid using a hot blow dryer as the heat can wreck the rubber seals and damage the screen.
8. Leave your phone in an airtight container full of silica gel packets (those small packets you get inside new shoes and bags), or another drying agent. These help absorb the moisture.
9. Do not charge the phone until you are certain it’s dry. Charging a device with liquid still inside it, or in the ports, can cause further damage. Apple suggests waiting at least five hours once a phone appears dry before charging it (or until the alert disappears).
If the above steps don’t help and you’re still stuck with a seemingly dead device, don’t try opening the phone yourself. You’re better off taking it to a professional.Ritesh Chugh is a senior lecturer in information systems and analysis at CQUniversity Australia
It happens in slow motion. Your phone is sitting there, calmly, quietly, on the table. You take a sip of your pale ale, when suddenly, the firm pint glass in your hand turns to ice. It slips out of your grasp and, in an instant that lasts an eternity, smashes down right on your phone"s screen, which has now exploded into a spiderweb of dagger sharp cracks.
It doesn"t make sense. The laws of physics just ceased to exist for exactly long enough that your precious is now on life support. It"s a terrible feeling, but one we know all too well. Over the years, we"ve broken our phones in every conceivable way possible — and a few ways we didn"t think were possible.
Depending on the situation, and its severity, your phone may not have to become a sacrifice to the upgrade gods. You can salvage it. Ahead, here"s how to handle the situation.
From the beach to the boat, wherever we go to enjoy the warmer weather, our phones are usually right along for the fun—and keeping them above water can be a challenging task. According to 2021 Asurion claims data, more phone repair claims are filed for water damage between June and August than any other time of the year.
So, what is the best way to protect your phone from liquid damage? Asurion Experts are asked this question often while helping our 300 million (and counting) customers with all of their tech care needs. Their advice: Invest in a waterproof pouch. While some of the newest phones are considered “waterproof,” they’ll only be protected if submerged for a set period of time—to learn more, check out our guide to waterproof vs water-resistant phones. Waterproof phone pouches, like those made by CaliCase® or JOTO®, will help to keep your phone afloat.
Here"s what to do if you drop your phone in water or get it wet:Remove it from the liquid immediately. The longer it stays there, the more liquid will seep into various inlets.
If possible, open the back and remove the battery, SIM card, and microSD card (if you have one). Not sure how to remove the SIM card? Check out our guide for iPhone and Android.
Use a cloth or paper towel to dab your phone dry. Do not rub the phone, as doing so could accidentally push liquid into the phone’s more sensitive parts. If the phone was completely submerged, you might try (very) gently vacuuming around the phone’s creases and openings to suck more water out.
You’ve probably heard the suggestion to put your phone in rice if it gets wet, but we do not recommend this method. Instead, try silica gel packets, like the ones that often come with new products such as a pair of shoes,as they’ve proven to be much more effective. Fill a plastic zip-top bag with silica gel packets and bury the phone in the bag. Leave your phone in the bag for 24–48 hours.
There are a few signs that can confirm water damage to your device:Look for the visual presence of water or evaporation (or dried water markings) behind the screen.
Check the Discolored Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI). The LDI is typically located in the headphone jack, battery compartment, or SIM tray slot. If your phone has water damage, the LDI will appear red or maroon.
According to Asurion Experts, putting your water-exposed device in rice may absorb some moisture. However, it may also cause other issues for your phone, such as an introduction of dust and dry starch (a rice byproduct) into your phone"s cracks and crevices. Rice could also potentially become lodged in your phone"s charging port or headphone jack, which can be extremely difficult to dislodge as the rice swells when exposed to liquid.
Blow-drying your phone when it"s exposed to water is not recommended. While it might remove some of the surface moisture, it will do very little to remove the moisture from inside your device and the heat could do irreparable damage to your phone"s internal components.
Turn the device off and place it in an upright position to dry out, with the speakers facing downward. Doing so will encourage excess water to come out.
While dropping your smartphone into liquid typically voids the manufacturer’s warranty automatically—many phones have indicators that change colors when wet—that isn’t the case when it comes to your smartphone insurance policy. If your phone is covered, you can start a claim at asurion.com at any time.
Tip: Airplane mode is automatically turned on when you enter safe mode. We recommend turning airplane mode off in order to continue using features such as GPS, Wi-Fi, and making phone calls.
Tip: Airplane mode is automatically turned on when you enter safe mode. We recommend turning airplane mode off in order to continue using features such as GPS, Wi-Fi, and making phone calls.
Slowly drag your finger to the bottom right corner without lifting. Try to move your finger slowly enough that you can count to 10 before reaching the opposite corner of the screen.
Under your Pixel 5 phone’s screen, at the top center, you can see a white dot. This white dot is your proximity sensor. When your proximity sensor is on, the dot shows through the display. The dot can blink or stay solid.
Your proximity sensor keeps your phone’s screen off while you hold your phone near your face during a call, when your screen is locked, and when used by certain apps. Keeping the screen off helps save battery and avoid accidental taps on the screen.
All Pixel phones have proximity sensors. Because the Pixel 5’s display goes almost to the edge, you can see the Pixel 5’s sensor under the screen. Check our Pixel 5 phone diagram.
IMPORTANT: A factory data reset will remove all data from your phone. While any data stored in your Google Account will be restored, all apps and their associated data will be uninstalled. Before you perform a factory data reset, we recommend backing up your phone.
Green lines are a fairly common problem with smartphones, and they’ve been seen on almost every brand available. When this problem occurs, you’ll typically see:
There are a lot of potential reasons for a green line appearing on a mobile screen. If the green line is accompanied by many other colors, and especially if you can see damage to the glass, the screen itself is probably cracked. If it’s just a single, thin green line that runs from top to bottom, some of the common causes include:
To fix the green line on your phone’s screen, try each of the methods listed below. If the green line doesn’t go away, your phone probably has a loose or damaged display connector, or it may have suffered fall or water damage. In that case, the best solution is to contact the manufacturer or a qualified Android repair technician.
Restart your phone. Start by turning your phone off, and then turning it back on. Don"t just turn off the screen, make sure to actually turn off the phone and restart it.
This basic fix takes care of a lot of problems because it forces your phone to close everything down and start fresh. If the green line was caused by a temporary glitch in your phone’s software, restarting the phone will fix the problem.
Restart your phone in Safe Mode. Safe Mode is a limited mode that prevents anything from launching on your phone aside from the essentials. This is a good way to see if you have a software problem. If the green line goes away in Safe Mode, then you know you have a problem with an app, a setting, or the operating system.
Update your phone. Check to see if your phone has any operating system updates available. If there’s a problem with your current version of Android, the update may fix your problem.
Factory reset your phone. This is the last fix you should attempt before you send your phone in for repairs. It’s a drastic option, because it deletes all of the data on your phone, including photos, videos, and everything else, and installs a fresh version of Android.
Contact the manufacturer for further assistance. If your phone is still under warranty, the manufacturer may repair or replace the phone for free. If it isn’t, they’ll be able to provide you with information on how to have the phone repaired.
To fix a black screen on an Android phone, ensure the buttons aren"t jammed; restart the phone after a thorough cleaning. If it"s still black, inspect and clean the charging port for debris. Let the charge die, recharge the battery, and then restart the phone. Also, try removing the stylus.
To fix a dead pixel on your Android, try waiting to see if it resolves itself, or use a third-party tool like JScreenFix. If the dead pixels aren"t getting any better, you may have to replace your screen.
This article was co-authored by Linh Le and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Linh Le is a Certified Mobile Repair Specialist and the Owner of SC Mobile Repairs in San Clemente, California. With more than 12 years of experience, he specializes in smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch hardware repair. Linh has an iTech Mobile Device Repair Certification and an iOS Certification. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from The Franciscan University of Steubenville.
A broken iPhone screen is no fun. After all, we use our phones for almost everything. If the touch response isn’t working, using your phone can be difficult, and it might not be possible to use it at all. This can make it hard to keep up with friends, plan your day, and even do your job.
There are several reasons your iPhone touchscreen could stop working. One of the most common reasons is physical damage. If your screen stopped working after it hit something, the damage is most likely physical.
Damage from excessive heat is actually quite common. Those who use a car vent clip for their iPhones are likely to experience heat damage if they turn the heat on. Many might not realize that the vent is even on since they don’t feel it, but the iPhone could get damaged in the process.
If your iPhone was exposed to salt water before it stopped working, then that was most likely the cause of the damage. Salt water is corrosive and, while your phone might have been fine right away, the damage could continue to progress for weeks after exposure.
The iPhone actually has two parts to its screen. The top part is the digitizer and the part underneath is the LCD screen. The digitizer is the touchscreen and the LCD screen displays the contents of your iPhone.
When your digitizer isn’t working, your iPhone touch response won’t work properly. Meaning you’ll see your screen, but you won’t be able to interact with it correctly. Sometimes, only part of your screen will work, or it will take extra pressure to tap something.
If your LCD screen is out, your iPhone won’t turn on at all and you won’t see anything on your screen. Alternatively, your screen will be blurry or fuzzy or will have some sort of visible damage.
If there’s a problem with your digitizer, there are a few fixes you can try before taking your iPhone to a repair shop. However, if it’s the LCD, you’ll need to start searching for repairs straight away.
Some users might have activated certain accessibility settings that can interfere with how the touchscreen works. The most common culprit is Touch Accommodations. If enabled, your iPhone screen will seem buggy and you’ll have a difficult time navigating the touchscreen.
If turning your iPhone off and on again doesn’t do anything, you’ll need to do a factory reset. Be sure to back up your iPhone before moving forward. If you can use your screen in some way, navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
If you can’t navigate here, you’ll need to plug your iPhone into a computer to perform a factory reset. After resetting, in rare cases, your touchscreen will work again.
If you do choose to get your iPhone repaired, you’ll most likely need to do this anyway. This ensures that the technician won’t be able to access your personal data. They may also need to test Face ID to make sure the repair worked and will need the phone to be unlocked to do so, which means you’re better off erasing all your data first.
If your iPhone is under warranty, you’ll want to get Apple to take a look at it as soon as possible. Visit the Apple website to figure out if you have a warranty. If you have AppleCare+, your repair will be deeply discounted.
If your phone is an older model or you’re on a budget, consider exploring other repair alternatives. Screen repair shops and kiosks are popular, and some of them do a great job for a fraction of the price. However, you might not get the best repair.
You can also attempt the repair yourself, but if you make a mistake you could do more damage. If you want to try it yourself, you can buy iPhone screens online and most of them include a DIY toolkit.
If your iPhone isn’t working but you need to access certain files, you can still do that. To do so, you’ll need to activate Voice Control. This can be helpful for backing up and restoring your iPhone.
To do this, your phone screen will need to at least partially work. If so, try to make your way to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control and turn that on.
If Siri’s enabled, you can enable Voice Control by saying “Hey Siri, turn on Voice Control.” Once enabled, you can access your iPhone without using the touchscreen.
If your iPhone stopped responding to touch after damage, heat, or salt water exposure, a repair is likely needed. However, a user might have activated Touch Accommodations, which could be the culprit. There are also rare cases where a software problem can cause the touchscreen to work and a factory reset could solve the problem.
No matter what happened to your iPhone screen, it’s important to get your device functional again. After all, we use our phone for everything nowadays, and not being able to use it can change how we engage in daily life.
I"ve got my opo 2 months ago, and I love everything about it. (except for the camera sometimes). Sadly i dropped it into the water, i manage to save it . After sitting it in rice bag for 4 days, and I flashed everything back to factory. Everything else works fine, except for the screen. Here is what I"ve got so far.
I still have a backup phone to use right now. I"m just wondering is there any chance that the rice methods (or any other methods) could bring it back to life for another couple of days? or should I give it up and buy a new one? Is there any chance that I could sell it on Ebay for other parts?
After letting it sitting in the water for a week, finally, I"ve talked with the customer service. They say the motherboard is broken, and it"ll cost $315, and plus $20 repair fee, and probably $20 shipping, makes it more expensive than the new one.
Hi, my phone xperia u has a broken screen and the touch system is not working . when it got splashed with water a little bit of water got in i immediately took off the battery and took of its case
It’s impossible to know for sure if it will work or not or whether the water/moisture will affect the touch screen or the display screen or both or something else entirely. Water damage is a tricky thing. Sometimes the cell phone will work fine once it’s dried completely and then all of a sudden something will stop working.
The only way you’re going to be able to tell is to wait for it to dry and then try it. If it doesn’t seem to work then consider attempting the advice in the article above and if that doesn’t seem to work then you might have to look into replacing some of the damaged parts or look into replacing the phone itself. It depends on how extensive the damage is, if any.
Hello, my phone Xperia C suddenly dropped into a swimming pool when i was snapping some photos with my friends. my screen worked just fine after drying it for a whole day but the problem is my touchscreen is not working. the touchscreen does worked at first but after i reset the phone, the touchscreen malfunctioned. could you help me? thank you for your time.
Out of curiosity why did you perform a factory data reset on your cell phone? Was it having other issues as well? Did you reset it to try and fix your touch screen? Did this issue only occur after performing the hard reset?
If you were not having any issues with your cell phones touch screen after it got dropped in the swimming pool and after drying it out completely and this only occurred after the reset then it MIGHT be a software issue (doubtful but possible) and I would suggest connecting your phone to a PC and if the phone will let you then try to reset it again using Sony’s PC companion.
Sometimes you can combat the negative effects that moisture can cause to a cell phone and sometimes you can’t. Did you have the opportunity to try the 99% alcohol bath yet? If you have and your touch screen is still unresponsive then you might have to replace the touch screen in order to get your phone to respond and function properly again.
when i switch my phone on it shines a pale blue light on the screen but nothing else. my touch screen and everything else on my phone is working. i had tried the rice method for a day before i looked at this and it stayed the same although it used to show “nokia” and glitch and now it doesnt. i dropped it in sea water yesterday and my local shops don’t sell that 99% alcohol. i need help please. i need a working phone!!!!!
Yes, 99% isopropyl alcohol can be difficult to find in local stores. 70% seems to be the standard mixture and what is often the most commonly available. I do NOT recommend anything less than 99% though. While isopropyl alcohol is NOT a conductive liquid the greater part of that other percentage of liquid found within that container is going the be water which IS a conductor and if you choose to use less than 99% than it increases the possibility of causing an electrical short and you take an unnecessary risk of causing damage to the cell phone.
If you look and look and simply cannot find any local stores that sell it then ordering it online might be the next best thing. The downside is that you will have to wait for it to arrive and during that time you will be without a cell phone.
Another thing that can be disconcerting is that bathing a phone in 99% isopropyl alcohol is NOT a guaranteed fix for a cell phone experiencing issues after being dropped in water. If your display screen was damaged when exposed then this trick isn’t going to work and the screen will have to be replaced or a different phone will have to be purchased.
I had my phone in my back pocket of my shorts and it fell in the toilet. I dried it quickly and it still acted up. First the screen blacked out for about 5 minutes but I could still receive calls. Then it lit up again but just for good measure I left it in rice over night. The next morning I kept getting the indicator that I plugged in a headset and it got stuck there for about a minute. Now I can touch my phone and everything works except…. the phone will not read my SIM card. I tried putting my card in another phone to check if it worked and it did, so I know its the phone. What else can I do??
Ok, so the display screen was acting up but is now fine (that’s good), the charging port was having issues but that seemed to go away too (if it happens again check out this Charging Issue Guide as you might have to physically adjust or clean that port), but the SIM card is having issues. Which stinks because without a SIM card you won’t have service… You established that it’s not because the SIM card was damaged (good job) and that the issue lies with the phone itself.
It’s most likely an issue with that SIM card port (where you plug the SIM card into) and although it can sometimes be difficult do to because of a lack of space, I think your best bet is to give that SIM card tray/port/slot a thorough cleaning with 99% alcohol. I don’t think you need to bathe your entire phone just yet as everything else seems to be working at the moment. In fact I would just get a Q-tip and give those metal contacts that press against the SIM card a good but gentle scrubbing. Just focus on that port for now trying to get those metal prongs as clean and shiny as you can. You want to remove anything from them that can be preventing the SIM card from reading correctly.
I know that the LG G2 is not designed to allow you to remove the battery but before you start cleaning the phone, just as a precaution, I suggest that you power it off completely. Alcohol usually dries pretty fast but depending on how much alcohol you end up using I would give it enough time to dry all the way before putting everything back together again and before powering it back on. Once it’s dry then you can reinsert the SIM card and give it a try.
I accidentally dropped my phone (samsung s4) in water. i immediately turned off the phone n kept it in rice. Phone is getting turned on but sim card is not getting detected. Could someone suggest me what i should do to make it work.
Hopefully the SIM card is the issue as you would be able to get a replacement SIM card and that would resolve the problem. If however the issue is a damaged SIM card trey on the phone itself then the issue is NOT going to be as easy to fix. If that is the case then you might be able to thoroughly clean that SIM card port which might get it to read the SIM card properly and work again.
Definitely not a fun issue to have on a cell phone; without a working SIM card your phone won’t have service and what is the point of a cell phone that can’t text message or make and receive calls.
I read that the entire phone should be placed either into plastic bag sealed or container with a lid to enable a tight seal with rice then place it in a lighted location or window with the phone completely submerged in rice. I think you described that you did place your phone into rice however, you didn’t leave it there long enough.
Also, from the information that I read the phone should not be turned on or charged even though your immediate reaction would be to find out if it will work after contact with water. However, don’t worry if you did turn your phone on because, the author indicated he did but, stressed not to attempt to check for operation till after, being left in the rice with the phone being off a sufficient amount of time.
I think you just didn’t leave your phone long enough in the rice. Wish you success and I hope this additional information serves beneficial in recovery the use of your cellphone I am in the same situation with my phone.
Thank you for contributing to the site. A lot of what you mentioned in your post can be read in this other guide about trying to save a phone dropped in water. You might find some additional tips that can help you if your phone is in the same situation.
My phone fell in the pool 6 days ago…we got it out right the away. Few minutes later put on rice…and left it there until yesterday 5 days later…and put it to charge…nithing came up…then a day later I tried turning on and it come on …I was so excited but then a few minutes later and went off and since then I keep trying to turn it on and nothing happens. what should I do? Is there still hope?
So i dropped my G2 in the tub while bathing my 3 yr old….i took it out right away and the screen went from lit to black. I have had it in rice for days..still no screen….you can tell the phones on…just still a black screen…i don’t know how you open the thing….is there any chance it will work again.
Sorry to hear that your LG decided to join your 3 year old in the bath. If you can tell that the phone is on but the screen remains black then the display screen is malfunctioning (it may have been damaged by the water). Try the Alcohol trick described in this article. You might just get lucky and it might resolve your issue. If it doesn’t then you will likely need to replace your G2’s display screen yourself, or take it into a local repair shop to have them replace it for you.
It might work perfectly and it might not… 70% alcohol is going to contain approximately 30% water which I suppose is better than 100% water; so if you dropped your cell phone in water then Yes 70% might help to clean out some of that water as well as help your phone to dry quicker so you might choose to try it.
Just remember that the less alcohol you use the more water gets introduced into your phone and water and electronics don’t get along very well together. You want to get that water OUT of your phone not introduce water INTO the phone… even if it is only 30% or 9% water.
I figure that its best to order 99% alcohol for less than $10 online from a site like Amazon and then wait for a couple of days for the alcohol to arrive then it is to risk possibly damaging my smartphone which is worth hundreds of dollars.
If I have to have a phone for work or life (many people have become dependent on their cell phones) while I wait for the alcohol to arrive I can switch over to the phone I had before upgrading or I could go out and purchase a cheap prepaid phone to use as a temporary solution.
The risk may be very small but when the situation involves hundreds of dollars and possibly losing my cell phones user data it just isn’t worth it to me. If you don’t have 99% alcohol you might want to consider ordering some to use or you might want to think about buying some just to prepare for any possible unforeseen accidents in the future…
It’s always hard to tell when it comes to possible liquid damage and I am not sure how the sea water affected your cell phone but I would definitely recommend trying the advice in the article above. Salt water might do a number on your cell phone and an Alcohol bath should help get in there and help clean all that out.
Hi, my smartphone fall in the water recently. But after it dried up, i can turn on the phone but i notice that there are some black spots on the screen. The camera can’t focus well when taking picture. Other than that, everything is function well. May I know this situation is due to what reason? Is there any component in the phone that has been affected by the water?
From your description is sounds like the camera was effected and your display screen was effected. You got lucky though, water can do far worse to a cell phone and if everything is functional on your phone and you can still use it for the most part than be very grateful and enjoy it.
i had my phone in my back pocket wearing high-waisted pants and when pulling down my pants my phone fell in the toilet, i took of the charger and case right after and let it dry over night. when i woke up to check on it, it turned on and the screen was flickering then went black but u can still hearing turning on and i left it like that and i started getting messages and was able to unlock my phone but you still cant see the screen, the screen is able to touch and work but your not able to see it. please help me i cant afford to buy a new one at the moment.
Like many other people your poor unlucky and unfortunate cell phones display screen has had a negative outcome after coming in contact with liquid. The “flickering” doesn’t sound good either (good description by the way). A flickering could indicate a greater chance that the display screen has been damaged and if the advice above doesn’t help resolve the issue then you will most likely need to replace that display screen on your device.
Hello, I need HELP!!! My phone was updating, but I accidentally took the battery out but now it won’t come on. I was told it had water damage but it was never near water. Is there a way it can come back on some how?
I got some good news and some bad news… Let’s start with the good news. The Good news is that even though the LDI (Liquid Damage Indicator) on your phone has been activated if your phone was working properly before trying to update then this is not a hardware issue which means that it is potentially fixable.
Now the bad news this can be hard to fix sometimes as it is one of the more serious software related problems that an Android can experience. Since the update didn’t get to finish properly the brains of the phone and how it thinks got all messed up. The brains still there you just have to try to teach it how to think again.
Put your Doctor Frankenstein gloves on because you might just be able to give life back to your phone. It may not have the memory of its previous life(s) (its info is going to be lost) but it will be able to think and LIVE again. What you need to do is Flash the software to your Samsung (I recommend flashing the latest software release from Samsung) using a tool like ODIN.
Make sure to try the advice listed in the article that I linked to earlier. You might even get lucky and solve the problem without having to reload the OS (Operating System) back to the phone.
my iphone screen is shattered and I spilt water on it a while back so I was just wondering if I soaked it in the alcohol now if it might work but it still works but the screen is black. ive been using a track phone to replace it and I dropped it in water, i soaked it in alcohol but the screen is still glitching, I used 91% alcohol instead of 99% should I try again with 99%?
Since your screen is shattered there is no question of whether or not your iPhone is damaged but I don’t think you lost anything by trying the alcohol trick and I admire the fact that you at least gave it a try. At this point I think you will need to look into your repair and replacement options.
I recommend that you take it off of the boiler (you don’t want to inadvertently cause heat damage to the phone). Then I would take the battery out of the phone for a good 5 minutes, plug it back into the phone and then try to turn it on again. A battery icon is a good sign but a strange one. Is the battery icon on the screen to show that the phone is charging or is it just an LED light on the phone?
There isn’t too much that you can do if your phone won’t turn on properly but definitely try the battery pull. See if you can boot your phone into Safe Mode or the Android system Recovery as well, just to see if it will let you access those features or not. If it will then let me know and we can try a few other things to try and fix your LG Optimus x4.
Hi my phone had fallen in the toilet. I took it out immediately and took it apart to wipe it off to dry it. My phone turns on but the screen stays on the home screen and I can’t swipe it to unlock it or to answer it. The screen is pretty much unresponsive. What do I do?
If the Alcohol trick doesn’t work then you will need to look into replacing your cell phones touch screen as it has been damaged and is no longer working properly.
Power related issues such as not being able to charge a phone properly after it has been exposed to water is one of the more common side effects of moisture and liquid damage on a cell phone. If I was in your position I would power your Samsung OFF, remove the battery, and take some alcohol and a Q-tip and give that charging port a really thorough cleaning. Try to get everything nice and clean and shiny again. Hopefully the charging port didn’t experience any permanent damage and hopefully a good cleaning will get it to recognize the charger and allow your Samsung to charge properly again.
I also recommend that you try to perform a full backup (if possible) before your phone completely runs out of battery life. Just as a precaution in case you cannot get your phone to charge up properly again and it continues to have issues. Then you will have a backup of your data available should need it later.
I don’t foresee any issues. Just keep an eye on things. If you notice that your cell phone is starting to get hot (especially in that area of the phone) then you might need to give it some attention. Otherwise as long as it’s working enjoy it. Glad that you still have a working cell phone my friend. Thanks for coming back to the site to post a follow-up.
As far as trying to fix those little black lines on your screen it might be slightly difficult and may not be possible. You got nothing to lose by trying though. If this happened to my phone then I would start by checking the flex cable that attaches the display screen to the phone. You will have to take your cell phone apart, but since the display isn’t having issues with a singular pixel (which would likely point to a damaged screen) and it’s a whole line (or lines) of dead pixels there is a good chance that the issue lies with that flex cable that or more specifically with the connection between the display screen and your phones motherboard.
So you could take your cell phone apart, check that cable, give it and where it connects a good cleaning with alcohol, see if it helps and if it does then enjoy. If checking and cleaning that cable doesn’t seem to help and you have tried a full alcohol bath (as suggested in the article above) but you continue to have problems and cannot handle seeing those annoying black lines on your display then you might need to invest in a replacement display screen.
So from your description your microphone is having issues as people are having a difficult time hearing you and you might be right, there might be something under the volume button causing it to not respond without some effort. Both of these issues might be a bit of a challenge to resolve as the volume key would be hard to clean under without physically removing it and the microphone might be a little clogged up too.
I am assuming that since you’re visiting and posting on this page that these things started happening after your LG Optimus was exposed to liquid or moisture. Have you tried the 99% alcohol bath yet? It might be enough for the alcohol to soak in under your volume key and into your microphone and might just do the trick. If not then you might need to attempt a good cleaning by some other means (I still recommend using alcohol though) and if you cannot seem to get your microphone to hear you correctly it might need to be replaced. Try cleaning it though as I have a feeling it’s just clogged up and the audio isn’t getting through properly.
So my Sony Xperia SP was in my back pocket and it dropped in the toilet. it turned off, so I put it on my radiator and then into rice and then I tried charging it but it wouldn’t turn on. I have taken it to the phone repair shop but they cant get it to turn on as well help!!!
Sorry to hear about your Sony Xperia SP. If this should ever happen again try not to put it on your radiator (or any heat source for that matter) as the heat from the radiator might cause additional damage to the phone which of course you want to try to avoid. Good job with the rice though; rice is excellent at absorbing moisture and is one of the most common tricks used to dry out a cell phone that’s recently been dropped in water.
Believe it or not my brother just had the same issue with his Samsung Galaxy S4 (it wasn’t a bathroom accident but he did drop his phone into water). Like the advice listed in this article I suggested that he try the 99% alcohol bath, which he did and left his phone completely submerged in the alcohol for about two or three hours. We then removed it from the alcohol and put it into a bag of rice sealed it, as it was a Ziploc bag, and let it sit for about eight hours to dry out completely. Lo and behold we put the cell phone all back together, put the battery back in, put the SD card back in, the SIM card back in, etc. and guess what… it powered on.
I am telling you guys that it works! It may not work for every phone but definitely try the advice listed in the article above. Buying a bottle of alcohol beats having to buy a new cell phone every time and if your phone is completely lifeless then you’ll have nothing to lose by trying it.
If you can still see a water bubble and it looks like there’s liquid underneath the display screen then I would wait. I would not risk turning on the phone if there is a possibility of moisture still present in the phone as it may cause an electrical short.
Now if your cell phone has been drying in rice for three days and it is still not completely dry yet then you might want to consider submerging the phone in 99% alcohol as not only will the alcohol create a chemical bond with the water (helping to dilute the water and remove it from the inside of the phone), but it will also help the phone to dry out quicker which should speed up the drying process. This might also help to clean out any soap residue that might have been in the washing machine at the same time as your phone and may have gotten into the phone as well. Just another thing that you might want to consider.
As far as your original question though, I would not turn on the phone if there is even a chance of liquid still remaining in or on the device. You run the risk of an electrical short and causing irreversible damage to your cell phone.
My girlfriend’s phone got damaged when her bottle of tea spilled, soaking her backpack and all its contents (including her phone). I dried it off in a box of rice, then tried turning it on. The power button alone did nothing, but plugging in the USB cable caused it to display the “Google” screen, then it would immediately turn off, and repeat this in a cycle. We were going to send the phone in for service, but noticed the water damage stickers were pink, so I figured we were out of luck as far as the warranty goes.
I read about people fixing water damage with Isopropyl alcohol, so I figured I would give it a try. I took out just the motherboard, soaked it in some 99% alcohol (about 1/2 hr), and brushed it a bit with a nylon toothbrush. I just let it air dry for about 1/2 hr, reassembled the phone. Now when I plugged in the USB cable, I saw a battery charging icon. Progress! Once it got enough charge to turn on, I turned it on, and it booted like normal. Unfortunately, operation was glitchy – in particular, any time sound was playing, it would play for about a second, then stop, and stutter. Also, the camera was completely non functional (camera app just displayed an icon of a camera).
I followed some instructions online and took the phone apart again, but this time I took the daughter board off of the motherboard, and took off the gold-colored metal shield that covered several of the chips (including the audio coded chip and a gold covered metal shield which for some reason wasn’t mentioned in the online tutorial).
I soaked and brushed all of the disassembled motherboard parts. I also removed and soaked the camera. Again, after a quick dry, I reassembled everything, and, like magic, the phone now works perfectly, including sound and camera functionality. It’s nice being a hero