Check for corrosion marks visible at ports. 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.
There's good news — you can often salvage a phone with water damage. Learn how to determine your phone's water damage repair cost and whether your phone has some more life in it or it's time for a replacement.
If you see moisture, gently dry it as best you can, without damaging the components. Don't touch it for a while. The air will naturally evaporate water that has gotten inside your phone, helping it dry out as time passes.
Like rust on a car, it slowly starts to grow over the course of a week, a month, or 3 months. It will begin to spread until one day your wifi won't work, your camera goes out, your phone stops charging, the screen goes black, or some combination of all those things.
Signs of internal damage can include a touchscreen that doesn't work properly, random phone reboots, or a screen with blacked-out pixels.
In a small number of cases swamped phones are able to dry out on their own over the course of days or weeks. But it's not common.
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.
Do not -- we repeat, do not -- use a blow dryer; the heat can damage the phone. If you have a phone or a gadget with a cover that comes off, take it off, and take out the battery, the SIM card, and anything else that can easily be removed. Dry all those things off.
According to Sarah McConomy, a phone expert and the chief operating officer for SellCell, putting your phone in rice can damage it. "The starch in rice can actually speed up the corrosion process inside your device that occurs when liquid seeps into the device and starts to rust," McConomy explains.
A) Leave Your Phone to Evaporate.
Just leave the phone somewhere for 1 – 2 hours to let it dry up. Moisture will naturally evaporate within a few hours when you place your phone in an open room with a warm temperature. If you're on a typical warm day, put your phone by the window to catalyze the drying process.
Upgrading your phone every three years is appropriate for most people, but it might not be for you. For instance, a modern flagship phone is already future-proof enough to last you longer than five years—assuming that you don't care about having the latest software updates and can replace the battery later on.
Average lifespan of a smartphone: A smartphone has an average life span of 2.58 years. According to reports, iPhones last 4-10 years, while Samsung phones last 3-6 years. Many factors affect a smartphone's lifespan, including the condition of the screen, the hardware, and the battery's health.
However when it comes to iPhones, you can expect between three to five years (maybe more) with proper care.
At least 24 hours is the minimum, and try for 48 hours or more if you can. Don't hit the power button to “test it out” or “see if it's fixed yet” before that time. If there's still water inside, it can easily conduct electricity to places on the circuit board that it's not meant to go.
Fill a sealable bag, dish or container with dry, uncooked rice. Any type of rice will do, though instant rice may yield faster results. Carefully place your device and any wet components, including the battery, inside the rice. Do not move the phone around too much or turn it upside down.
If your iPhone won't turn on after coming into contact with water, it can be one of two things; either the iPhone has short-circuited, or the water has damaged or corroded some internal components and compromised the circuit. Both can be irreversible if the phone isn't looked at by an iSmash technician.
Use Silica Gel Packets (Not Rice)
Instead, use silica gel packets. They are used in packaged and boxed products (such as shoes) to absorb moisture, and can do the same for your phone. Place a few silica gel packets under your phone and on top.
According to Apple, you should leave your phone in a dry area with some airflow to help remove moisture. You can even place it in front of a fan blowing cool air to "help the drying process," the company says.
Just drop the dunked phone into the container so it's surrounded by packets, seal the container, and wait 24 to 48 hours.