The Quickest Ways to Dry Out a Wet iPhone

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Prevent water damage to your iPhone with this step-by-step guide

Co-authored by James Bell and Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: November 5, 2025 Fact Checked

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First Steps

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Advanced Options

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

If you dropped your iPhone in the sink or pool, you know the immediate panic that sets in. The good news is that most iPhones are pretty water-resistant, so damage will likely be minimal if you act fast. In this article, we’ll go over immediate first aid steps for your wet iPhone, as well as what to do if you suspect more serious water damage. We’ve included tips from mobile phone repair specialists Josef Storzi, Linh Le, and Shavo Hacopian. (By the way, if you’re thinking about sticking your iPhone in a bag of rice, don’t do it–official word from Apple is that you’re more likely to damage your device that way!^{[1]
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The Best Way to Save a Wet iPhone

If your iPhone gets wet, phone repair specialist Josef Storzi says to immediately unplug it and turn it off. Wipe the phone with a lint-free cloth, and tap it against your hand to shake water from ports and speakers. You can set the phone in front of a fan to dry, but don’t use compressed air, heat, or put it in rice.

Section 1 of 2:

First Steps

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While this step is logical, you may start to panic as soon as you drop it in the water. Calm down, and pull it out as quickly as you can.^{[2]
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2
Unplug it. If the phone happens to be plugged in, unplug it as soon as possible. According to Storzi, removing all power sources is the best way to prevent more serious damage to your phone when it gets wet.^{[3]
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Josef Storzi
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Interview} Be careful when doing so, as you don't want to electrocute yourself.^{[4]
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- Be sure not to get your fingers near the connection. Hold the phone in one hand, and pull out the charger by grasping the cord several inches down. Normally, you don't want to pull from the cord because it causes wear and tear on the cable, but in this case, you need to do so to keep yourself from being electrocuted.
- If there are any other accessories plugged into your iPhone, remove those as well.
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Ideally, you'd want to remove the battery first. Since you can't do that with an iPhone, the next best thing is to turn off the phone as soon as possible.^{[5]
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Remove the case. If your iPhone has a case on it, take it off. This will help prevent water from getting trapped against the phone or in any nooks and crannies covered by the case.
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Wipe it down with a lint-free cloth. Run a soft, lint-free cloth, such as a lens-cleaning cloth, over the outside of your iPhone. This will help quickly remove any excess water from the surface of your iPhone.^{[6]
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- You can also run it over the ports to help draw out the water. Just don’t stick anything inside the ports.
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Tap your phone on your hand to shake out water. Turn your iPhone so the charger port at the bottom is facing down. Then, firmly tap the bottom of your phone against the palm of your hand. This should help shake water out of the port and speakers.^{[7]
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Let your iPhone air dry for a few hours. Lay your iPhone down on a flat, dry surface in an area with good air flow. If possible, set up a fan to blow cool air toward the charger port at the bottom of the phone. While Apple doesn’t recommend waiting for a specific length of time, many phone repair specialists say you should wait at least 24-48 hours before powering your phone back on after a water accident.
- Wait at least 5 hours before you plug your iPhone into a charger. Using the Lightning or USB-C port before it’s completely dry could damage your iPhone.^{[8]
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  - If you need to charge your iPhone in the meantime, you can use a wireless charger.
- Don’t dry your iPhone with a hair dryer, blow compressed air into the ports, or insert anything into the charger port (like a paper towel or cotton swab). Doing these things could force water deeper into your phone or damage the internal components.
- Don’t place your phone in a bag of rice or loose silica gel. These drying techniques are not effective and can actually do more harm than good, since small particles of rice or silica could work their way into your phone.^{[9]
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EXPERT TIP

Linh Le
Certified Mobile Repair Specialist
Linh Le is a Certified Mobile Repair Specialist and the Owner of SC Mobile Repairs in San Clemente, California. With more than 12 years of experience, he specializes in smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch hardware repair. Linh has an iTech Mobile Device Repair Certification and an iOS Certification. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from The Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Linh Le
Certified Mobile Repair Specialist

Silica packets may be helpful for drying out a wet phone. Rice is ineffective because it will only absorb water it comes into direct contact with. However, silica gel packets can actually help dry out your phone. Put your phone in a ziplock bag with several closed silica packets for a few hours.

Section 2 of 2:

Advanced Options

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1
Give your phone more time to dry if you see a Liquid Detected alert. Most newer iPhone models (iPhone XS and later) have a feature that alerts you when there’s water in the Lightning or USB-C cable port.^{[10]
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Research source} If you see one of these alerts, unplug your charger or other accessory immediately, and wait a few more hours before trying again.
- In the meantime, you can use a wireless charger. Just make sure the outside of your iPhone is completely dry before putting it on the charger.
- If it’s an emergency and you don’t have access to a wireless charger, you can use the Emergency Override option to charge your phone with a cable anyway. Just keep in mind that doing so can damage your iPhone.
- Hacopian says that if your phone screen is cracked, exposure to water is more likely to cause serious damage to the internal components. If your phone was damaged before it got wet, take it to a repair specialist.^{[11]
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  Shavo Hacopian
  Smartphone Repair Specialist
  
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Try a liquid ejection shortcut. If you have an Apple Watch, you probably know about the convenient water ejection feature. While the iPhone doesn’t officially have this feature, you can use a shortcut to play a sound that will help eject water from your phone’s speakers. Use this option if your phone has been drying for a while, but you suspect there’s still water in the speaker ports. To save you the trouble of coding your own custom shortcut, you can download a pre-made shortcut for this purpose.
- Visit this link on your iPhone: shortcutsgallery.com/shortcuts/water-eject-💧/
- Tap Get Shortcut. When your iPhone prompts you to “Open in ‘Shortcuts’”, tap Open.
- Tap Add Shortcut, then tap the Water Eject shortcut in the main Shortcuts menu.
- Tap Start, then select 3 from the list of intensity levels.
- Your phone will play a tone that should help push any remaining water out of your speakers. You may even see water bubbling out of the speaker ports!
- Alternatively, visit www.tunepocket.com/water-ejection-sound in a browser on your iPhone and play one of the tones on the page. You don’t have to download anything. You can use this option in combination with the shortcut method to get as much water out as possible.
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Check the Liquid Contact Indicator if you suspect internal damage (applicable models only). If your phone seems dry but you’re noticing glitches, display problems, or other issues, there might be water damage to the inside of your phone. Some iPhone models have a visible LCI (Liquid Contact Indicator) that allows you to check for water exposure or damage. If your LCI indicates water exposure, your iPhone might need more serious repairs.^{[12]
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- On most iPhone models, the LCI is on the left side of the phone, below the volume buttons. Visit this guide from Apple to determine where it’s located on your phone (if applicable).
- Many recent iPhone models don’t have a visible LCI. This is because the LCI used to be located in the SIM tray, a feature that has been removed from newer iPhones in some regions.
  - If your iPhone doesn’t have a SIM tray/LCI, you might be able to spot other signs of internal water damage, like fog inside the camera lenses.
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Take your iPhone to a specialist for advanced repairs. If there’s water inside your iPhone, the best way to fix it is to remove the screen and clean the internal components with isopropyl alcohol. This is a difficult process, and there’s a good chance you might damage your phone if you try to do it yourself. Unfortunately, water damage isn’t covered by Apple’s warranty, and most official Apple service providers will probably recommend replacing your iPhone completely.^{[13]
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Research source} However, a third-party phone repair specialist might be willing to fix your phone for you.
- Do a search using terms like “iPhone water damage repair near me.” You’ll likely find some local businesses that advertise water damage repair service for iPhones.
- If you can, find a third-party Apple Authorized Service Provider. They use genuine Apple parts, which will help ensure that your iPhone continues to work properly if any parts need to be replaced.

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Will I still be able to dry out my phone if it is not turned off?

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Yes, just follow the steps, and you will be good.

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Should my iPhone work after getting wet?

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Turning on the phone while is still wet may cause a short-circuit in the internals. Avoid turning it on before drying.

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What should I do if my iphone fell into body cream?

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Test it to see whether it is still working. If not, use a damp cloth to wipe off the lotion, then follow the steps to use rice or silica gel.

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Tips

Most modern iPhones are water-resistant, so don’t panic if your phone gets wet. Even if you completely submerge it for a few minutes, there’s a good chance you can air-dry it without any serious damage.^{[14]
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Try a waterproof case to protect your phone from these types of situations in the future, especially when you’re visiting the beach or another environment where water exposure is likely. Le explains that even putting your phone in a ziplock bag can help prevent serious water damage!^{[15]
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Linh Le
Certified Mobile Repair Specialist

Expert Interview}

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Warnings

Don't use a blow dryer or other heat source to try to dry your phone. The heat can damage your phone even more.

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Don’t submerge your iPhone in rice, loose silica gel, or other loose desiccants (packets are fine). Doing so can cause more damage to your phone.

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If you need to open the SIM tray, wait until your iPhone is totally dry before doing so. Opening the tray while the phone is still wet could allow water inside.^{[16]
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