You probably have heard many stories about how rice has saved many phone lives. It has become such popular belief that If you have dropped your phone in water, the first thing your friends will say is “ Put it in rice “.
If you are unfamiliar with this method and wondering how this magic works, it’s pretty simple. You take the wet phone and put it inside a pile of rice and the rice will absorb all the moisture out.
When did putting wet phones in rice become a thing?
For many years, rice was used to keep film and camera equipment dry in tropical locations. In 1996’s Yankee Magazine’s Make It Last: Over 1,000 Ingenious Ways to Extend the Life of Everything You Own, Earl Proulx writes, “If you’re taking your camera to a warm, humid climate, ward off rust and fungus by putting some silica gel desiccant (available from camera shops) in a porous bag and storing it with your camera equipment and film… In a pinch, substitute uncooked rice.”
Since iPhones are considered to be camera devices, that could be the inspiration that led someone out there to try dunking it into rice for the first time.
What does Apple think?
While Apple denies rice’s ability to fix wet iPhones. They recommend that you turn it off immediately and to NOT turn it back on. The last thing you want to do is to activate the circuits inside the iPhone because this is likely to lead to short circuits and that’s what causes the long-term damage. If the iPhone happens to be switched off, you should leave it off.
If your device was already on when you dropped it then you can either turn on the screen briefly to power it off or risk leaving it on then getting notifications which will activate the circuits. While it is entirely up to you, The best option for you is to turn on the screen briefly and power it down.
After you make sure the device is turned off you could try the rice method. You take a bag or a container filled with rice and you leave the device inside it for 48 hours. Some swear that rice is the solution but many experiments say otherwise.
In-fact uncooked rice was found to be the least absorbent, behind cat litter, couscous, oatmeal, silica gel, and instant rice.
To be safe
Your safest bet is to ensure your wet phone is completely turned off. After that, you should take your phone to your nearest phone repair shop so you and your phone can live happily ever after.
Author: Ryan Abdul