- According to Apple you should never put your iPhone in rice when it’s got wet
- Here’s a little-known trick that dries your iPhone out more effectively
Many iPhone owners know the pain of dropping their handset in the bath or spilling a glass of water over it.
Unfortunately, the classic bit of advice to submerge it in a bowl of rice to dry it out is an urban myth, Apple has revealed.
Instead, a feature on your iPhone called ‘Water Eject’ may be the best option – as long as your handset is still responsive.
The little-known trick emits a sound that vibrates the phone’s speakers to eject the potentially harmful droplets – and it even works on AirPods.
Here’s how you can get it set up for free on your device.
Apple equips its iPhones with IP68 water and dust resistant rating, meaning it can survive in up to 5 feet (1.5 metres) of water for 30 minutes.
This makes it water-resistant, but not waterproof.
And even when the iPhone has been submerged for less than this, water can persist in the little nooks and crannies of the device.
To expel any remaining moisture, you can head to the Shortcuts app, which should be pre-installed but can be downloaded on the App Store.
You may need to go to the the Shortcuts gallery and tap ‘Get Shortcut’ to make sure the Water Eject feature is on the app.
Once that’s done you need to tap the Water Eject shortcut, followed by ‘Start’ or ‘Begin Water Ejection’.
A tone will play to eject the water and after 15 seconds, a message will say the process is complete.
Water should be visible emitted from both the speaker at the bottom and the earpiece at the top of the screen.
You can also get Apple’s digital assistant, Siri, to do it for you by simply saying to your iPhone: ‘Hey Siri, water eject.’
Water Eject will also work on your AirPods, but it’s wise to shake off as much water from them as possible first.
As long as your AirPods are connected to your iPhone, the little headphones should expel moisture with vibrations just like your phone.
It’s important to note, however, that Water Eject probably won’t solve your problems if a phone’s been submerged in water for too long.
If water seeps into the hardware of an iPhone it can cause corrosion which often makes it impossible to work normally.
Apple recently revealed that the classic bit of advice of what to do if your iPhone gets wet – submerging it in rice – might actually damage it.
The idea behind this theory is that the dry rice acts as a desiccant, much like those silica gel packets, which draw water out of the phone.
In reality, rice doesn’t work like this, and leaving the phone in rice can actually inhibit the airflow.
Instead, tap your phone gently on your hand to shake our excess liquid, try Water Eject, and then leave for up to 24 hours in a dry place with good ventilation.
You may be surprised to know that crystal cat litter is the best to recover a water-damaged phone, according to Gazelle (but bear in mind this is not official Apple-sanctioned advice).
Experts at Gazelle said it’s best to shake the water off a handset before placing it in a bag of litter for as long as possible.
They said three days is the ideal amount of time to leave it in there and while you may miss Instagram, it’s a far cheaper alternative to buying a new phone.
It’s also suggested that silica gel packs, which often come with new shoes and handbags, can be used.
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
