Last week while I was at work I inadvertently dropped my mobile phone into some water. The water was as deep as you find in the bottom of a toilet bowl (so you have some idea of where I dropped it:() ).
I'm going to tell you what you need to do to have the greatest chance of getting your phone working again, and to prove that I know what I'm talking about, my phone is working again with no loss of functionality.
If this happens to you, there are some Do's and Don'ts:
When I told my work mates what had happened, the first question was "Have you tried it, to see if it still works?"
This is the most important Don't: Don't try to turn the phone on. If you do, I can guarantee that it will never work again!
First Do: Open the phone immediately and remove the battery and SIM card.
Second Do: Leave the back off the phone.
Third Do: Dry the battery especially the contacts.
Fourth Do: Shake out as much water from the phone as you can. And dry as much of the phone as you can with a dry soft cloth.
Fifth Do: Place the phone in a warm, dry place for it to dry out. Phones have a maximum temperature above which they shouldn't be exposed. Make sure that wherever you place the phone. it does not exceed this temperature (like out in the sun would definitely be a no-no).
Sixth Do: Wait until the phone has dried out completely. A good gauge of this will be the display panel. Any moisture in the display will cause discolouring, and/or visible moisture spots in the display panel. If there are any of these remaining - no matter how small, the phone is not dry yet.
After you have determined that the phone is dry, re-assemble it, cross your fingers and any other appendages that you may have and have the dexterity to cross, then turn on the phone. (It may be necessary to uncross some fingers to do this and that will definitely reduce the chances of your phone working, so try to do it with fingers crossed.).
(Note: The previous comment does not necessarily reflect the beliefs and/or attitudes of the author!).
If all is well, and the phone works, you can send me a thank-you email. If not, don't blame me, you dropped the bloody thing - not me!
By the way, these instructions only apply to fairly clean water. If the water has detergent or any thing else in it, you may need to thoroughly flush out the phone with clean water (preferably distilled water to be on the safe side).
Hope this works for you as well as it did for me!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
What to do if you drop your mobile phone into water
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Hello Terry,
ReplyDeleteI have a friend that often does what happened to you, but that mobile never works it's always a new one....
It's good to know you can still make a phone call.
Before I went home from work on the day that I dropped the phone, someone siad that they had had the same experience and had dried the phone out and it worked. So I had that piece of advice to give me moral support. It turned otu to be correct. The most important thing is to make sure the phone is dry not only on the outside, but inside too.
ReplyDeleteHi Terry,
ReplyDeleteI have drowned a few phones and I always take the battery out first(as you say), they always work after being dried out and the battery re-charged.
My current phone (Nokia E51) has dust in it and the earpnone is crackly, might have to take it apart and blowit clean.
Hi Terry,
ReplyDeleteMy mobile needs drowning and stay drowned.....it is a leash to be called into work at short notice....he he
Hi there Liz. I know how you feel. Ya can't do without 'em and they're a pest. (somethin' lie a wife or husband I guess LOL).
ReplyDeleteSorry Doug, I thought I'd already answered you before, but I see I haven't. That's the trouble with reading the comments in your email program.
ReplyDeleteThe phone that went swimming is a Nokia N96, and I would have been dissappointed but unsurprised if it had failed to work. I was pleasantly surprised.
You can imagine the suspense after drying the thing for 4 - 5 hours then putting things back together, then the big moment of suspense when I pushed the power switch! :)
Heya Terry!
ReplyDeleteI have the blackberry pearl and I've dropped it in the water twice my first time i was quick to take it out and dried it though waiting only 2-3 hours I placed my battery back in and powered it up though luckily it worked!! But now dropping it in AGAIN and following ur steps I'm worried it may not work (EEK)!! Should I be worried???!!
Dear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteOnce lucky, twice you've gotta be blessed. I hope it works for you.
In all reality, with modern solid-state circuitry, and given the fact that you have followed my instructions, there shouldn't be any problems, although, on reviewing what I have written on the subject, I would now suggest the phone (minus the battery) should be immediately flushed with distilled water (the purest form of water that contains the minimum of impurities).
The reason for this is to eliminate any chance of electrical energy flow between the fine tracks on the circuit board of the appliance, distruping the proper operation.
Hope all goes well.
Grumpy
I just found you through Google and I must say your advice saved my phone and I am eternally grateful =)
ReplyDeleteToday, I dropped my phone into an unflushed toilet . . I've heard you should wait until you know it is fully dried . As a teenager, my phone is kinda essential . Any reccomendations on how long I should wait before turning it on ? I've heard 24-72hours ? Thanks
ReplyDeleteNice article you got here. I'd like to read a bit more about this theme. Thank you for posting this data.
ReplyDeleteSexy Lady
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I completely just dropped my phone in lemonade and took it out immediately, and it still works but i am letting it sit in rice now completely unsure if it will work, so hopefully it works properly instead of trying to go to different pages without me taking it there.
ReplyDeleteDear Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to be replying so late on your comment.
Dropping your phone in lemonade is MUCH MORE SERIOUS than dropping it in water due to the ingredients in the lemonade.
You will DEFINITELY need to thoroughly flush the phone with distilled water to rid it of the sugar and other minerals that will crystallise when the phone dries out.
The best time to do that is while the phone is still wet and has not had time to dry out. Alas, my warning will probably come to late.
Grumpy