A phone in the pool, a coffee spill, a wet swimming bag at the beach — water and phones meet more often than we would like, especially over an Australian summer. What you do in the first hour decides whether the phone survives or slowly corrodes from the inside. This guide gives you the right steps in the right order, debunks the rice myth, and tells you when to stop and get professional help. The first 60 seconds: get it out and power it down Water itself rarely kills a phone instantly. The real damage is corrosion and short circuits, and both are made far worse by electricity flowing through wet components. So your first priority is to remove power. Get the phone out of the water immediately and out of any wet case or pouch. If it is on, turn it off. Do not check for messages, do not test whether it still works — every second powered on while wet risks a short. Do not plug it in to charge. Sending mains power into a wet charging port is one of the fastest ways to destroy the board, and a genuine safety hazard on our 230 to 240 volt supply. Do not press buttons repeatedly, which can pump water deeper inside. Dry the outside and remove what you can With power off, gently wipe the phone dry with a soft cloth. Remove the case, which traps water against the phone, and if your phone has a removable SIM tray, pop it out to open an extra drainage path and let the SIM dry separately. Tilt the phone with the ports facing down and gently dab, rather than blow, the charging port and speaker grilles — blowing or using compressed air can drive water further inside toward the delicate electronics you are trying to protect. If your screen protector has trapped water beneath it, it is worth removing, as moisture sitting against the display serves no purpose. What kind of water matters Not all spills are equal. Clean fresh water is the least damaging. Salt water from the beach and chlorinated pool water are far more corrosive and leave residue as they dry, so they demand faster action and make professional cleaning more worthwhile. Sugary or sticky drinks like soft drink and coffee leave a residue that gums up ports and connectors. If the phone met anything other than clean water, assume it needs internal attention sooner rather than later. The drying myth: skip the rice The famous "bury it in a bag of rice" trick does more harm than good. Rice draws moisture slowly and poorly, sheds starchy dust into the ports, and can leave grains lodged inside. It gives false confidence while corrosion quietly continues. If you want to help evaporation, the better approach is: Leave the phone somewhere warm, dry and well-ventilated — not hot. Avoid direct sun, hair dryers, ovens and heaters, all of which can warp components or damage the battery. Silica gel sachets in a sealed container are more effective than rice if you have them. Give it time. Patience beats any gadget here. Be honest with yourself, though: surface drying only addresses water you can reach. Moisture trapped deep inside around the logic board is exactly what causes corrosion, and no amount of home air-drying removes it reliably. Drying buys time; it is not a cure. How long to wait before turning it on Resist the urge to test the phone. Leave it powered off for at least 24 to 48 hours to give trapped moisture the best chance to evaporate. Turning it on too early, while any dampness remains, is the classic way to trigger a short that finishes off a phone that might otherwise have survived. If after a couple of days it powers on and works, keep an eye on it: delayed corrosion can cause problems like a failing speaker, camera fog or charging faults days or weeks later. When to get professional help For anything more than a minor clean-water splash, a professional ultrasonic clean of the board within a day or two is the single best thing you can do, because it removes corrosive residue that home drying cannot reach. Seek help urgently if the phone was in salt or pool water, if it will not turn on, if it behaves strangely after drying, or if the battery becomes hot or swollen. Water-damage repair involves opening the phone and cleaning the board — not a beginner job — but if you want to understand the tools involved, our DIY phone repair tools and kits guide explains the heat and pry gear a technician uses. Insurance, warranty and your rights Most manufacturer warranties do not cover accidental liquid damage, and phones carry internal moisture indicators that reveal exposure, so do not expect a free repair on those grounds. Check whether your contents or mobile insurance covers accidental damage. Note that an official IP water-resistance rating is a lab measure that fades with age and screen repairs, so it is not a promise your particular phone will survive a dunking. Under Australian Consumer Law, you retain guarantees against faults that are not your fault, but accidental water damage generally is not one of them, and it helps to know where the line sits — our overview of your warranty rights under Australian Consumer Law explains what those guarantees do and do not cover. Preventing the next soaking Once the scare is over, a little prevention goes a long way in a country where we spend so much time at the beach, the pool and on the water. A few sensible habits make a repeat far less likely. Use a waterproof pouch for the beach, boating, kayaking or a day at the pool. A cheap sealed pouch is far cheaper than a repair and lets you use the phone through the plastic. Keep drinks away from the phone on the desk and bedside table, where knocked cups cause a huge share of spills. Do not rely on water resistance for swimming or deliberate submersion, especially on an older phone whose seals have aged. Dry the ports before charging if the phone has been anywhere damp, since charging a wet port is a fast route to corrosion. None of this guarantees immunity, but it dramatically cuts the odds of another frantic first hour like this one. Frequently Asked Questions Does putting my phone in rice actually work? Not really. Rice absorbs moisture slowly and unevenly, sheds starchy dust into the ports, and can leave grains stuck inside, all while corrosion continues. Leaving the phone off in a warm, dry, ventilated spot, ideally with silica gel, is more effective. How long should I wait before turning my phone back on? Leave it powered off for at least 24 to 48 hours so trapped moisture can evaporate. Turning it on while any dampness remains is the most common way to cause a short circuit that finishes off a phone that might have recovered. My phone is water-resistant — is it safe from water damage? An IP rating is a lab test on a new device and that resistance degrades with age, drops and screen repairs, so it is not a guarantee for your specific phone. Treat any real-world dunking, especially in salt or pool water, as a potential problem and act quickly. Can I charge my phone to see if it still works after getting wet? No — plugging a wet phone into mains power is one of the fastest ways to destroy the board and is a genuine safety risk on Australian voltage. Keep it off and unplugged until it has thoroughly dried for a day or two. Is salt water worse than fresh water for my phone? Yes, considerably. Salt water and chlorinated pool water are far more corrosive than clean fresh water and leave conductive residue as they dry, so they cause faster damage and make a prompt professional clean much more worthwhile. If your phone survives the scare, protect it against the next one — and if it needs opening, our DIY phone repair tools and kits guide explains exactly what a proper repair involves. { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does putting my phone in rice actually work?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Not really. Rice absorbs moisture slowly and unevenly, sheds starchy dust into the ports, and can leave grains stuck inside, all while corrosion continues. Leaving the phone off in a warm, dry, ventilated spot, ideally with silica gel, is more effective." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long should I wait before turning my phone back on?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Leave it powered off for at least 24 to 48 hours so trapped moisture can evaporate. 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