Rice is not the solution for water damaged phones.

People have been using rice to save phones that have been dropped in water for nearly as long as smartphones have existed. This procedure has gone too far. Allow me to explain.

Where Did It Come From?

It's been around for ages, and I'm sure you've done it before. Where did this ubiquitous piece of advice come from? That's an intriguing query.

The “rice trick” has been around for a long time, and one of the first instances of it being recommended dates back to a post on Lifehacker in June 2007. According to that post, dry rice “sucks up the surrounding moisture.” That same line of reasoning has been repeated ever since.

People have been looking for answers when their phones fall into water for a long time, but the demand increased after people began carrying around devices that are both expensive and delicate, and don’t play nice with water. The rice trick provided the answer.

Why It Doesn’t Work.

Unfortunately, putting a wet phone in rice is a waste of time. Rice does not have magical moisture-wicking abilities. You may as well just place the phone in an empty bowl.

Rice does have some ability to absorb water from wet things, but that doesn’t address the main problem. Even a strong desiccant such as silica gel cannot get to the most damaging liquid, which is inside the phone. It is very weak in this regard.

Leaving a waterlogged phone off and letting it dry out may save it, especially if the water did not penetrate it too much. People often mistakenly credit the rice for saving the phone, when in fact leaving it alone was what did the job.
Unfortunately, rice can make water damage worse in some situations. The fine rice “dust” can get into the ports and combine with the water to form a paste-like substance that is more difficult to remove.

How Save Your Phone After It Gets Wet .

The main factor in saving a wet phone is to remove as much water as possible as quickly as possible, rather than simply waiting for it to dry. In this case, luck may play a part, but it is much more effective to remove as much water as possible as soon as possible. All the conductive matter present in the water will remain after it dries.

If your phone has been submerged in water, the first step is to turn it off. Do not attempt to turn it on if it was disabled by the water. Next, remove any removable components, including cases, the SIM card tray, the microSD card tray, and the battery (if it can be removed).

Blowing the water out of the ports with a fan or compressed air is a low-tech option. Using a fan or compressed air to blow the water out of the ports will not remove water that has seeped into the phone. You will need to open the device to remove the water. You can then scrub it with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol or set it in front of a fan.

The first person to think of putting their wet phone in a bowl of rice is unknown, but the “trick” has persisted for too long. Thankfully, most smartphones today have some degree of water resistance. You should get one of those and take other precautions. Save the rice for dinner.