Getting water on your iPhone is truly a nightmare scenario. While newer iPhones (including iPhone 7 and above, iPhone 12 series) have some level of IP rating, they are not waterproof. Also, if you’re using an older iPhone, getting water in or out of it can be pretty devastating. So, if you accidentally immersed your iPhone in water or if there is water in the iPhone camera, speaker or lightning port, here is how to remove water from your iPhone.
Get Water From Your iPhone (Updated May 2021)
Regardless of whether your iPhone has an official IP rating or not, submerging it in water is not recommended. This is because Apple does not cover water damage under warranty, even for IP-rated iPhones. So, if something goes wrong, Apple will let you dry (pun intended).
Often times, water gets into the lightning port or speaker of the iPhone and makes the sound muffled. However, in some cases you may also find water or moisture inside the camera lens and it is more difficult to dry. In this article, we’ll show you how to remove water from your iPhone’s lightning port, camera lens, and more. We will also see how to dry your iPhone with and without rice. You can use the table of contents below to navigate to any section in this article.
How to Remove Water from iPhone Speakers and Charging Port?
Since this is the most common problem people face with their iPhone, this is what we will discuss first. If you want to get water from your iPhone without using rice, here are many methods including apps, Siri shortcuts and more. You can use them to get water out of your iPhone speakers and charging port. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
-
First, Try Using Gravity
The first thing you should try is to use gravity to recover your water damaged iPhone. Point your iPhone’s speaker at the ground and tap the top of your iPhone lightly. You can also try touching the bezel of your iPhone to get water out of the device.
This simple trick can dislodge any water droplets stuck inside your iPhone speaker and allow them to drain from the speaker grille to the floor.
-
Extract Juice from Speaker Using Siri Shortcut
As many of you know, the Apple Watch offers a convenient way to get water out of the speaker grilles. It allows you to play the sounds to get water from the speaker and it is effective. Surprisingly, iPhone does not have such built-in methods. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make one for yourself or use Siri shortcuts created by other iPhone users to get water out of the iPhone speaker. Follow the steps below:
1. First, you need to enable untrusted shortcuts to be installed on your iPhone. Go to Settings -> Shortcuts and “Allow Untrusted Shortcuts” choice. You will need to enter your password to confirm the action.
2. Next, download the “Water Eject” shortcut from: this link and add it to your iPhone. Go to the bottom of the “Add Shortcut” page that opens and Tap the “Add Untrusted Shortcut” button. This is a nifty shortcut created by user Josh0678 and you can check out more such shortcuts. using this link if you are interested in it.
4. Now open the Shortcuts app and go to the “My Shortcuts” tab. Here, Tap the “Extract Water” shortcut. Select “Start” from the drop-down menu and the shortcut will start doing its job. You will hear a series of sounds while the shortcut is running and water should start gushing out of your speaker.
note: For better results, hold your iPhone’s speaker against the floor so that gravity also helps. Also, don’t use the shortcut when using AirPods or headphones.
-
Use an App to Extract Juice from the Speaker
If Siri Shortcuts isn’t your thing or you don’t trust a Shortcut created by an anonymous user on the internet, you can try apps that offer similar functionality. The app that most people recommend to get water out of iPhone speaker is Sonic.
1. Download Sonic from the App Store (free).
2. Launch the application after it is installed. Sonic uses sound waves to help you get water out of your iPhone speaker. It lets you choose the frequency of the sound that will play through your speaker, which means you can experiment with highs and lows for the best results.
3. After selecting the frequency you want to use, tap “Play”. Tap “Stop” to stop the sound after the water is finished draining.
This app should clear water from your iPhone speakers for you, plus it’s free to use, which is great.
note: While playing the sound, slide your finger up and down the screen to adjust the frequencies in real time. This can help expel water more effectively.
-
Use a Website
If neither an app nor a Shortcut sounds like a good idea to you, there are also websites that let you play audio to get water out of iPhone speakers. Here’s how it works:
1. Go to this Web site on your iPhone.
2. Tap the frequency value here (by default it will show 440Hz) and enter 165Hz.
3. Click the “Play” button to start playing the sound. This will help to remove any stuck water in your iPhone speaker with ease.
Use Rice to Repair a Water-Damaged iPhone
Using rice to repair water damage in electronics is something many people swear by. I have never used this method and cannot vouch for its effectiveness. However, rice is a pretty good absorbent; that means it can help your water damaged iPhone to some extent.
The process is simple. Turn off your iPhone and submerge it in the uncooked rice. Be sure to submerge it completely in the rice for several days. The rice should be able to absorb at least some of the moisture from your iPhone. This trick is for moisture in the iPhone camera lens, charging port, etc. It can help you solve problems such as
Use Silica Gel to Repair Water Damaged iPhone
While rice is known to work, there is something that absorbs a lot of moisture and it’s called silica gel. You must have seen these packages in the shoe boxes or bags you bought. Filled with silica gel, these little packets absorb all the moisture and are the perfect fit for your clothes, bags, shoes, etc. It ensures that it is not damaged by moisture.
So, if you have silica gel on hand, you should try using them to help you fix water damage to your iPhone. Cover your iPhone with silica gel packs and leave for a day or two. This will help absorb all the moisture from your iPhone.
note: This method is most effective if you tear open the silica gel packs and embed your iPhone in the tiny silica gel beads inside the packs. However, it can also be a bit risky as you can pop these silica gel beads.
How to Remove Water from iPhone Camera?
If moisture is stuck on your iPhone’s camera glass, it can cause your photos to come out blurry and spotty. Also, this is not good news for the life of your iPhone.
The easiest way to try getting water out of your iPhone’s camera is to bury the device in rice or between silica gel packets. on your iPhone camera, screen, charging port, etc. they will absorb moisture.
You can read the sections above to learn more about how to use rice and silica gel to remove water from iPhone camera lens. On the other hand, if your iPhone camera is freezing or you are seeing a black screen, we suggest you check out our linked troubleshooting guide.
Take Your iPhone to Apple for Service
If nothing works, or if you want a professional to take care of your iPhone, you can take it to the nearest Apple Store or certified service center.
Apple Genius or repair specialists can help you get rid of moisture or water from your iPhone. If something is broken, they can even fix your iPhone. However, remember that iPhones come with water damage indicators, so your repair manager will know about water damage. There is no point in trying to hide this fact from them.
DIY Solutions to Fix Wet iPhone
note: We do not recommend unlocking an iPhone by yourself. So try this at your own risk.
For those who consider themselves a DIY enthusiast, you can try opening your iPhone and drying it yourself.
Unlocking an iPhone on your own allows you to easily dry out any water that may have seeped into the body of your iPhone, not just the charging port or speaker. You can also clean it properly, which is better than using rice or silica gel. Keep in mind that silica gel will work even better when you open your iPhone and bury it under the silica gel packs.
We would also like to remind you that opening your iPhone will void your warranty. So make sure you only do this if you’re out of warranty or if you’re confident in your ability to open and repair your iPhone.
Protect Your iPhone From Untimely Death Due To Water Damage
Losing an iPhone due to water damage can be frustrating because you can almost feel helpless. Also, even with newer IP-rated iPhones, there’s no guarantee that your iPhone will survive any form of water exposure. If you have used your iPhone in the rain or accidentally dropped it in the pool, you should check that there is no water left in the Lightning port or the speakers. If so, use the methods described in this article to get water out of your iPhone and recover from a short circuit.
So, what methods do you use to remove water from your iPhone speaker, charging port, and camera? Have you used the brass trick or audio apps to repair a water damaged iPhone? Or did silica gel work better for you? Let us know in the comments section below.