What to do right now
- Turn the phone off, and leave it off even if it seems fine
- Don't plug it in, because power on a wet board is what does the worst damage
- Take off the case and pat the outside dry with a towel
- Skip the bag of rice, which doesn't dry the inside and leaves dust in the ports
- Bring it in today or tomorrow if you can
Why speed matters
Water by itself isn't the main villain. Corrosion is. Minerals in the water react with the metal on the board, especially when there's power running through it, and that reaction keeps going after the phone looks dry. A phone that gets opened and cleaned the same day has a much better shot than one that sat in rice for a week.
What we do
We open the phone and disconnect the battery so nothing else can short out. Then we look at the board for corrosion, clean it, and check what's survived. Sometimes a good cleaning brings everything back. Sometimes a screen, a battery or a charging port has taken the worst of it, and replacing that part finishes the job. And when the damage is on the board itself, we may be able to do a board-level repair.
When it's really about the photos
Be sure to tell us if what you care about most is what's on the phone. We'd handle it differently if the goal is rescuing pictures of the kids and not keeping the phone alive for another two years. Our guide on getting photos off a dead or wet phone explains what's possible and what to do before you bring it in.
Great experience. Very friendly on the phone and in person. Got my grandson's phone fixed, and within a few hours at a reasonable price. I was trying to hurry and get there before he closed at 6 and he told me to call him if I'm not able to make it there by closing time and that he'd wait. Wow.
Questions we get a lot
Does rice actually work?
No. Rice can't pull moisture out from under the shields inside your phone, and it can leave starch and dust in the ports. Meanwhile, the corrosion keeps working. Use that time to drive here.
My phone still works after getting wet. Is it okay?
Maybe, but don't assume so. Water can sit under the shields and corrode the board slowly. Phones often fail days or weeks later. If you got a dunk and you care about what's on the phone, back it up right away.
Does it matter what kind of water it was?
It does. Clean tap water is the kindest. Lake water, pool water, salt water and anything sugary all do more damage and do it faster. Tell us what it fell into, and don't be embarrassed about it. We've heard it all.
Can you promise you will save the phone?
No one honest can. We'll open it, tell you what we see and give you the real odds. Often the phone can be repaired. If it can't, we'll talk about getting your data off instead.
Isn't my phone waterproof?
Water resistant isn't waterproof, and it wears off. The seals age with time, and a drop or an earlier repair can weaken them. A phone rated for a dunk when it was new may not survive one three years later.