Modern phones are water-resistant, not water-proof, and that rating drops as the seals age. Whether it's a sink, a pool or a coffee, the enemy isn't the water itself — it's corrosion, which starts within hours as moisture, electricity and metal meet on the circuit board. Move fast and most phones survive. Here's the order that matters.

Do this immediately

  1. Get it out and power it off. Don't check if it still works — every second it's powered on while wet risks a short. Hold the power button and shut it down.
  2. Do not charge it. Putting power through a wet port is the single fastest way to kill a phone that would otherwise have lived. Resist the urge to "see if it charges."
  3. Dry the outside and remove what you can. Wipe it down, pop out the SIM tray, and take the case off so trapped water can escape.
  4. Don't shake it or blast it with heat. Shaking pushes water deeper; a hairdryer drives moisture further in and can warp seals and the battery. Just let it sit, port-down, on a towel.

Why the rice trick doesn't work

It's the most repeated phone advice on the internet, and it's close to useless. Uncooked rice can't pull moisture out from inside a sealed phone — it only dries the surface, which air does anyway. Worse, rice dust and starch get into the port and speakers. The myth persists because phones often survive water despite the rice, not because of it. Skip it.

✓ The clock is the thing. Corrosion starts within hours. The sooner a wet phone is opened, cleaned and dried properly, the better the odds — bring it in the same day if you can. See water damage repair →

What a proper water-damage service involves

This is the part rice can't do. We open the phone, disconnect the battery to stop any current, and clean the board with isopropyl alcohol (and an ultrasonic bath where needed) to lift corrosion before it spreads. Then we dry it properly, replace any components the water has already taken out, and test everything. We start with a free diagnostic so you know what's salvageable before spending anything.

The bottom line

Power off, don't charge, don't use heat, and get it to a repairer fast. If it's already been a day or two and the phone is acting strangely — dim screen, dead speaker, won't charge — that's corrosion at work, and it's still often fixable. Bring it into Riverwood Plaza or call (02) 9533 3300 and we'll take a look at no charge.