Think Rice Saves Wet Phones? Think Again

The post Think Rice Saves Wet Phones? Think Again appeared first on Android Headlines.

Jun 11, 2025 - 12:00

We’re sure many of you have heard a piece of tech advice, and that is, if your phone gets wet and you want to dry it out, stick it in a bowl of rice. There is some logic to that. This stems from using rice to keep camera equipment and film dry in tropical climates. So, it makes sense that it could be used to dry out a wet phone, too, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Don’t stick your wet phone in rice

According to Emily Stallings from Casely, a phone case retailer, sticking your wet phone in rice could do the opposite. Instead of saving your phone, it could make things worse. Stallings says that while rice can pull moisture from the air, it won’t dry out your phone’s internal components that might have gotten wet in the process.

She says, “Rice absorbs moisture from the air around it, but it can’t effectively pull water out from inside your phone’s sealed components. Meanwhile, those tiny rice particles can get lodged in your charging port, headphone jack, or speaker grilles, creating new problems you didn’t have before.”

In fact, Casely isn’t the only company to warn against using rice to dry out a phone. Even Apple says you shouldn’t use rice to dry out a wet iPhone. The Cupertino company shared a similar concern about how small particles of rice could actually damage your iPhone. So, if rice isn’t the wet phone panacea, what should you do if you get your phone wet?

How to properly dry out a wet phone

According to Casely, there are four steps you should take if you want to dry out a phone that’s been submerged underwater. The first step is to power down the phone immediately. In case it wasn’t obvious, water and electricity are a bad combo, so leaving your phone on could make things worse.

The next step is to remove everything you can, including your SIM card, memory card, and phone case. This allows air to circulate more freely and prevents water from being trapped. Afterward, use a cloth to wipe down your phone to remove any excess and obvious signs of water.

Once that’s done, if you have access to silica gel packets, use them. Put the gel packets and your phone inside a sealed container. Lastly, wait. Casely advises that you should wait at least 48-72 hours before attempting to turn it back on. Ensure your phone is in a well-ventilated space, too.

That being said, most phones these days are water-resistant to a certain degree. However, if you are worried about damage if your phone has been fully submerged or underwater for too long, then just follow the steps above first.

The post Think Rice Saves Wet Phones? Think Again appeared first on Android Headlines.