Are you someone like me who cannot spend even a second away from their phone? Well, same! But while it is convenient to have your phone on you at all times, this can result in being very prone to accidents too. You can be clumsy like me and drop your phone into the sink while washing your hands or maybe it could just simply slip out of your hands into a puddle.
Now what happens when your phone’s charging port gets wet and you get an alert for “Water detected” repeatedly? Not to worry, because the same thing happened with me a few days back and I got my phone working overnight without going anywhere. I am going to help you do the same. So just follow these steps to know how to get water out of the charging port easily.
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How to Dry Your Device’s Charging Port?
It is normal to panic when you see that your phone has stopped working due to water detection. It can make you resort to methods that are stupid. But believe me when I say that it is extremely easy to dry off your phone if you just follow these steps below:
Turn Off Your Phone
The first and most important step is to take a deep breath and immediately turn off your phone. This step is very crucial because if we try to use the phone while it is still wet then, we are at risk of causing short-circuiting. Switching off the power of your phone will prevent water from reaching the internal components and causing more damage.
Wipe Off Excess Water
Take a microfiber cloth and wipe off the excess water from the outside of the phone. What is microfiber, you may ask? You know the cloth that you use to wipe off your glasses, yes that is a microfiber cloth. It is highly water absorbent and dries quickly.
Now, in case you do not have access to microfiber cloth, any fabric will work fine as long it is lint-free because, at the moment, the priority is to get the device dry quickly
Gentle Tapping
Now that you have completely wiped off the exterior of the device, I want you to gently tap the phone against the palm of your hand while the charging port is facing down. Make sure that the charging port is facing down against your palm and not the other way around because then the water can slip even deeper into your phone. Continue gently tapping until you are sure that all the excess water has come out.
Q-tip or a Cotton Swab
Take a cotton swab or a Q-tip and clean out the excess water from the charging port. These items are very soft and can fit easily into small spaces making them less likely to cause any damage to the charging port. Now don’t just start poking and prodding, try to be gentle.
Air-drying
Now comes the hard part which is to wait. Place your phone in a well-ventilated area preferably with a fan switched on. I know it is tempting to use a hair dryer and just blow air into the charging port to dry it, but please don’t do that because, with the high pressure from the hair dryer, the water droplets will seep even further inside.
The period for waiting completely depends on the quantity of water because if it was just for a few seconds then a couple hours would suffice but if it was completely submerged then waiting for 24-48 hours is recommended. Wait at least six hours to turn your phone back on in any case. If you give in and try to turn it on before time then you are risking even more damage to the phone.
Rice or Silica Gel
You must have heard that placing your phone in rice can solve all its problems, but I don’t believe that is true. I mean it may help to absorb water to some extent but it can problems as well because the rice grains can get stuck inside the charging port and produce mold as well in some cases.
Better than rice you can try putting the device with the silica gel packets. If you are having trouble remembering then, silica gel comes in the packets which often come with new products like shoes and bottles. They have a warning of “do not swallow” written on them. So leave your phone inside a container filled with silica gel and it will dry off all the water.
What To Avoid?
This kind of misfortune can happen with any kind of device of any brand. it could be an iOS or an Android. But here are a few things that you should never do if your phone gets wet now that you know how to get water out of charging port:
Shaking Extensively
Shaking your phone is one of the first things you think of doing when you notice your phone is wet. Now there is a difference between gentle tapping and shaking. Shaking your phone while it is wet is something that you should never do. It is not practical and will not help in removing moisture from your device.
Charging
Do not try charging your phone while it is still wet to just check if it is working or not because that’s a dumb decision. Most smartphones will send alert messages that will tell you to not charge your phone when moisture is in the USB port and it is crucial that you listen to this notification.
High Temperature
Avoid placing your phone in direct sunlight. You may think that this will help but it is causing more damage than you know because exposing the phone to direct sunlight can cause it to overheat and shut down forever.
Blowing Air Into The Charging Port
It is the first instinct to start blowing air into the USB port to get the water out. Do not do that because water can run further into the device and on the essential hardware instead of getting dry.
After this, if you plug your device in for charging, those little droplets can cause electricity to spark up which will result in short-circuiting.
Wrapping Up
Well, this was all about how to get water out of charging port. These kinds of accidents can happen anytime and anywhere but there is no need to panic because there is a solution for every problem.
Meanwhile, if you are someone like me who constantly sends snapchat streaks to her friends, then not being able to use your phone for a while can prove to be a hassle. Check out how to get snapchat on Apple watch so you don’t have to break your precious streaks.
Also, if you have spilled water on your device and it is switched off you need to make an urgent call. One tip is to purchase a wireless charger that can act as an alternative meanwhile or if possible, you can just take your phone to the local repair shop and just be patient.
