Summer is a tough time for smartphones, which can easily end up in the sea, in a river or on a beach. Here’s how to react if your mobile accidentally falls into water or sand.
Electronic devices don’t like summer. In case of high temperature, it is even advisable to be particularly attentive and to adopt the right reflexes as we indicate in our practical sheet to avoid damaging them. But in addition to this risk, the summer period presents other dangers for our little gems of technology. A short trip to the pool or the beach can be fatal. A fall in water or in the sand can permanently affect them or even render them completely unusable. Water, in particular, remains the main enemy of smartphones. It infiltrates everywhere, through the smallest gap such as the power connector, the microphone or the loudspeaker grilles and penetrates inside the device. What follows is an oxidation of its components… and certain death if we don’t act quickly.
Many recent smartphones benefit from sealing (IP68 certification) which gives them resistance to dust and water. Covered with seals in the most sensitive places (SIM card drawer, microphone, speakers and buttons) they can thus remain submerged for up to half an hour at a depth of one meter. But be careful not to rely too much on this label, especially if your mobile has already been around. The seals may not be as tight as that anymore. The other enemy that arises during the holidays: sand, especially if the grains are fine. They too can fit into the holes of the mobile and above all, damage the screen by causing scratches. Here too, it will be necessary to act with precaution for an effective cleaning.
What to do when a smartphone falls in water?
Whether your mobile has IP68 certification (waterproof and dustproof) or not, you should act quickly to evacuate any trace of moisture that could damage it, if not immediately, perhaps later. .
► Remove the smartphone from the water immediately. Place it upright to drain most of the water out of major vents like the power connector and speaker grilles. Do not shake it at the risk of distributing the liquid which is inside.
► Using a towel or absorbent paper, wipe it, always keeping it vertical, then lay it flat.
► If your mobile has fallen into sea water and it has the IP68 standard, rinse it with tap water to remove the salt which can be quite corrosive.
► If it is possible – and it is unfortunately less and less the case – remove the back cover and remove the battery. If its battery is not removable, turn it off, taking care not to shake it or press its buttons too hard.
► Once the device is off, open the SIM card drawer and remove it from its slot. Also remove the microSD card there is one.
► Use absorbent paper to dry all accessible parts. Dab without rubbing. For small grills, use the edge of the paper towel. You can also use a cotton swab except to dry the power connector so as not to damage it.
► Once most of the water has been removed, wrap your smartphone in a sheet of newspaper. Take an airtight bag (like a freezer bag) and pour in some wheat semolina (uncooked). If you don’t have semolina, raw rice can also do the trick, even if its absorbency is lower. For best results, you can use silica gel (Silica). These are small bags usually nestled in the packaging of electronic products and intended to absorb moisture. You can also buy it online. Once the airtight bag is 2/3 full, slide the smartphone wrapped in its sheet of newspaper – which prevents grains from slipping into the device while taking advantage of the absorbent power of the paper – in the middle, always in a vertical position. Reseal the bag.
► Place the bag containing the smartphone upright, in a dry place. Then wait at least 48 hours, 72 hours at best before opening the sachet.
► At the end of this period, remove the mobile from the bag and its sheet of newspaper. Try turning it back on. If it works, immediately recover all the desired data. The corrosion started inside the device could only give it a few months of respite.
What to do when a smartphone falls in the sand?
Less problematic than water, sand remains dangerous for the smartphone. It can prevent it from working properly by getting stuck inside and affecting mechanical parts. Better get rid of it quickly.
► Gently pick up the smartphone still in the sand to avoid any scratches to the screen or its back if it is not equipped with a protective shell.
► Then switch off the device to avoid a short circuit with the battery or the power supply.
► Hold the smartphone vertically, power connector down, and shake it gently to remove as many grains of sand as possible.
► Inspect it from every angle to find the grains stuck on the removable parts such as the SIM card or microSD card drawer and the buttons. Using a brush, evacuate the grains present.
► If your mobile benefits from IP68 certification – and is therefore waterproof – do not hesitate to rinse it with clear water.
► For less accessible places such as the speaker grille, the jack socket or the power connector, use a vacuum cleaner. You will have to take care to lower its suction power to a minimum and bring the smallest brush possible.
► If necessary, to dislodge the really well stuck grains of sand, you can use a compressed air bomb (which is usually used to remove dust from computer equipment). Be careful, however, not to propel the grains inside the smartphone.
► To clean the screen, use a microfiber cloth. Be careful not to wipe the screen – at the risk of scratching it – but to tap the screen so that grains of sand and residual dust remain attached to the fibers of the cloth.