How to Get Water Out of Your Phone (No Rice)

To get water out of your phone, wipe it with a soft, lint-free cloth, tap it gently with the charging port facing down, and leave it somewhere dry with moving air. Apple says to wait at least 5 hours before charging with a cable, and not to use rice, heat or compressed air.

This guide goes part by part — screen, charging port, speaker grille and camera — using the drying instructions Apple, Samsung and Google publish. If the phone went fully underwater, start with the first steps for a phone that fell in water, then come back here.

How to remove water from your phone

Removing water from a phone means letting it drain and evaporate, not forcing it out. Apple’s steps for a wet iPhone: unplug every cable, rinse with tap water if the liquid wasn’t water, wipe with a soft lint-free cloth, then tap out the connector and leave the phone in a dry area with some airflow.

Each part of the phone needs slightly different handling, and a water eject tone reaches only one of them.

Part	What to do	What to avoid	How long	Can a tone help?
Screen and body	Wipe with a soft, lint-free cloth	Cleaning products	Dry before a wireless charger (Apple)	No
Charging port	Tap the phone against your hand, port down, then leave it in moving air	Charging, heat, compressed air, cotton swabs	At least 5 hours before a cable (Apple); water evaporates in about 1 to 2 hours (Samsung)	No
Speaker grille	Lay the phone speaker side down on a lint-free cloth and let water drip out	External heat	Sound can stay muffled until the water evaporates (Apple)	It can move droplets sitting in the grille
Camera lens	Wipe with a microfiber cloth	External heat	No time given	No
SIM tray	Keep it closed	Opening it while wet	Until the phone is dry (Apple)	No

Samsung gives the same core advice for Galaxy phones: gently shake the device, keep objects out of the charging port, and rinse with fresh water if anything other than fresh water got in. Apple’s full list is on its iPhone water resistance page, updated in July 2026. Earbuds are a different device with their own care rules, covered in the guide to wet AirPods and earbuds.

Water in the charging port

Water in the charging port decides when you can charge again. On iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later, iOS shows an alert such as Liquid Detected in USB-C Connector and blocks cable charging, because charging with a wet connector can corrode the pins and cause permanent damage.

Samsung phones react the same way: a water-resistant Galaxy won’t charge through a wet port and sounds an alarm until the charger is unplugged, according to Samsung’s moisture in the charging port page. Both brands say wireless charging still works on phones that support it, as long as the phone is dry before it goes on the charger.

Apple gives two different minimums before trying a cable again — 30 minutes after a liquid alert, 5 hours after any contact with liquid — so the longer wait is the safer one. Alert names, the emergency override and what to do when a port stays wet are in the guide to drying a wet charging port.

How to get water out of your phone without rice

Getting water out of a phone without rice takes the two things manufacturers actually recommend: airflow and time. Apple’s liquid-detection alert page says not to put an iPhone in a bag of rice, because small particles of rice could damage it, and to leave the phone in a dry area with some airflow instead.

Apple names one way to help that along: a fan blowing cool air directly into the charging connector. The other usual shortcuts are on the manufacturers’ lists of things not to do.

No rice

Apple says a bag of rice could allow small particles of rice to damage an iPhone.

No heat

Apple rules out any external heat source. Samsung warns against hair dryers, ovens and direct sunlight for a wet Galaxy phone.

No compressed air or swabs

Apple lists compressed air, cotton swabs and paper towels. Samsung says not to insert any object into the charging port.

If a liquid alert keeps appearing after a full day in open air, more waiting may not help. Apple says an alert that shows up every time you connect an Apple cable or accessory can mean the iPhone needs service.

Muffled sound after your phone gets wet

Muffled sound after your phone gets wet can simply be water that hasn’t left the speaker opening yet. Apple says water in the port might degrade speaker or microphone performance until it completely evaporates, and suggests laying the iPhone speaker side down on a lint-free cloth to see whether water drips out.

A low tone is worth trying while the phone dries. At a low frequency the speaker membrane moves the most air, which pushes droplets in the grille outward — Apple Watch uses the same idea and plays a series of tones to clear water from its speaker when Water Lock is turned off. The tone reaches only the speaker grille: it won’t dry the charging port, the camera or the inside of the phone.

Play the water tone

165 Hz through your phone's own speaker: steady, then pulsing, then steady again. Choose 30 sec, 1 min or 2 min.

Volume up to max, case off, speaker facing down.

Using headphones? Turn the volume down before you start.

Take the case off and point the grille down, then play a voice note when the tone ends. Water eject on iPhone and Android is covered in more depth on the SoundTowel water eject page. If sound comes back but one side is quieter, a left-right speaker check shows which end is affected, and an iPhone that stays silent after drying needs the silent iPhone speaker checks instead.

How to get water out of your phone camera

Water on the outside of a phone camera lens comes off with a microfiber cloth. Apple’s camera troubleshooting page says to clean the front and back lenses that way if photos look blurry, and to remove any case, film or accessory that might block the camera.

Fog or droplets behind the lens are a different matter. Apple’s camera page doesn’t describe a way to get moisture out from inside the camera, so the only manufacturer-backed option is the general one: leave the phone in a dry area with airflow, without heat, and give it time. A water eject tone doesn’t reach the camera.

If photos are still blurry or spotted once the phone has fully dried, restart it and check whether one or both cameras are affected. Apple says a camera that still isn’t working properly might need service.

Common questions

Will a phone dry out by itself?

A wet phone often dries out by itself if it sits in a dry place with moving air. Apple says liquid in an iPhone connector might take up to 24 hours to dry fully, and Samsung says water leaves a Galaxy charging port in about 1 to 2 hours. Samsung warns that trapped water can still cause delayed damage.

How do you get liquid out of your phone so it can charge?

Liquid leaves a phone's charging port by draining and evaporating. Tap the phone gently against your hand with the port facing down, then leave it in a dry spot with some airflow. Apple says to wait at least 5 hours before charging with a cable, and a wireless charger is an option once the phone is dry.

What is the fastest way to dry a wet phone?

The fastest safe way to dry a wet phone is still slow: moving air and time. Apple says a fan blowing cool air directly into the charging connector might help, and Samsung also suggests a fan. Apple rules out rice, compressed air and external heat, and Samsung warns against hair dryers.

How do you get water out of a phone screen?

Water on a phone screen comes off with a soft, lint-free cloth, such as a lens cloth. For a touchscreen that responds intermittently, Apple's checklist includes making sure the screen is free of water, removing any case or screen protector and restarting. A screen that still misbehaves once the phone is dry might need service.

When is drying a wet phone at home not enough?

Drying a wet phone at home is not enough when faults remain after it has fully dried. Apple says a liquid alert that appears with every Apple cable, or a camera that still isn't working, can mean the iPhone needs service. Samsung points to a service center when its drying steps don't work. Apple's warranty excludes liquid damage.