Your phone falls into water; what do you do? Hint: Don’t put it inside rice

If your phone falls into the toilet or pool, or a drink get spilt on it or it gets an accidental contact with water what should you do?

The popular advice is to put your phone inside a bowl of rice if it comes into contact with water, but this advice is actually false.

How to avoid water damage to your phone

The first step to protecting your phone from water damage is to buy a waterproof or water-resistant phone case. This will save your phone from water damage more than you can imagine.

Does putting your phone in rice work?

The rice trick—which suggests that raw rice absorbs moisture—is not very good at drying phones. If you place your phone in rice, the phone's crevices and nooks may not be reached and it might take days before the water totally dries out. Also, starch and rice dust can potentially get into the phone's ports and cause more issues.

Here’s what to do if your phone falls into water:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Remove the phone case.
3. If you can open the back and remove the battery, do so.
4. Remove the SIM card and microSD card if it has one.
5. Use a clean cloth or paper towel to dry the phone, do not rub it in, gently dab around the creases and openings.
6. Avoid drying the phone in the sun. Keep it in a cool and dry place.
7. Use a cotton swab to clean the charging ports and other open spots on the phone.
8. Instead of rice, use silica gel packets, often found in new products, to dry the phone.
9. Fill a plastic zip-top bag with silica gel packets and bury the phone in the bag for 24-48 hours. After allowing the phone to dry, switch it on and charge it fully if needed. If the phone doesn't turn on immediately, charge it fully and try again.
10. If this doesn’t work, then take it to a phone repairer or technician.