From sandy beaches to our bathrooms at home, we often bring our phones to places prone to getting wet. Sometimes, keeping them above water can be tricky. And often, the speaker is the first one to take damage. Luckily, at this point, it should still be repairable. Although it’s best to bring your phone to a service center, it pays to know how to fix phone speaker water damage yourself.
From classic wipe-downs to the rice method, there are many ways to address water damage on a phone speaker. Read on to see which can help you restore your phone’s audio quality to what it once was.
How Water-Resistant Is Your Phone?
Manufacturers rate their phones’ water resistance via the ingress protection code. Commonly, we all know it as the “IP rating,” referring to the phone’s efficiency against liquids. And it often includes two numbers, the first showcasing the phone’s protection against solids.
Meanwhile, the second number indicates the phone’s resistance to liquids — especially water. For a better understanding, here are varying IP ratings. The number changes depending on the phone’s protection level.
For instance, a smartphone with an IP68 rating has a stable object protection of 6. That means the phone has excellent resistance against sand, dirt, and dust. And the last number of 8 showcases its protection against water damage. Generally, these phones let you immerse them in a depth of over 1 meter.
Although for water protection, manufacturers are responsible for defining accurate depth and time. Generally, famous brands like Apple and Samsung come with an IP68 rating. But iPhones have permissible depth immersion of 6 meters for half an hour. Meanwhile, Samsung phones have a 1.5-meter immersion limitation for 30 minutes.
Although the IP rating showcases a phone’s water-repellent nature, taking your smartphone for a swim lands you in significant trouble. Not to mention, the salt content of bodies of water can corrode your phone — costing you a lot.
Aside from that, phone manufacturers conduct their IP testing with fresh water. Hence, they don’t recommend submerging your smartphone in all liquids. Despite that, water-resistant phones can survive in smaller volumes, like from a glass of water tipping over your phone.
Checking Water Damage on Phone Speakers
When designing smartphones, water exposure is what most brands prioritize. Hence, you’ll be able to see famous manufacturers like Samsung and Apple have phones with damage indicators or liquid contact strips. You can find this within the SIM card tray, giving you a foolproof way to check for water damage.
Aside from that, you can use them to check for water damage that might be causing your phone to malfunction. Indicator strips contact with liquid loses their typical hue, becoming discolored and smudgy! And best of all, you can find these in all phone brands, guaranteeing easy checking.
Remember, discolored strips make your phone ineligible for the given warranty. Hence, you’ll need to address water damage yourself. Aside from that, some recent phone models can detect excess moisture and liquid in their charging ports — warning you with an alert. And once the water speakers and ports dry off, you’ll recent a notification.
How to Fix Phone Speaker Water Damage?
Here are foolproof tips on how to fix phone speaker water damage:
📱Turn Your Phone Off and Let its Speakers Dry
The safest way to deal with phone speakers’ water damage is by turning your phone off. Switch your smartphone as fast as possible once you drop it into the water. If it isn’t possible, remove the phone’s battery and SIM card for safe fixing.
Regardless, it’s best to turn your phone off and leave it until you’re ready to fix the water damage. Please avoid using the gadget as its circuits might be wet.
Once you turn off your phone, there are a few ways you can dry its speakers off:
Using a Clean Cloth and Wiping Your Phone
Dry your phone’s speakers with a clean, dry cloth or cotton, and let the rest of the excess moisture and water out by placing the gadget upside down. Place your phone on a clean cloth and let it dry for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the water damage.
If the regular clean cloth or cotton doesn’t work, use a microfiber cloth instead. Using a dry lint-free one lets you wipe your phone and speakers well until there’s no visible water or moisture.
Regardless, dry your phone speakers for at least a day, and once dried up, try using them. If it still sounds muffled, chances are there’s still trapped water inside.
Blow Drying Your Phone to Fix Phone Speaker Water Damage
If wiping your phone speakers dry isn’t enough, try blow-drying them. But remember, you’ll need to hold the blow dryer close to the affected speaker for many minutes. Evaporating all the trapped water can take a while. Generally, it can take between 10 and 15 minutes to dry off your phone speakers with a blow dryer.
Using a Vacuum Cleaner
Be careful when using this method when drying off your phone speakers, as the vacuum cleaner’s pressure can be too much for the gadget. It’ll help you access hard-to-reach areas within your phone speakers.
I recommend using your home or vacuum cleaner to fix phone speaker water damage as they have small nozzle attachments.
If you don’t wish to risk breaking your phone, waiting for your phone speakers to dry off is ideal. I recommend leaving your smartphone somewhere it can dry thoroughly. But the downside of this technique is that it often takes an entire day for your phone speakers to dry off.
📱Use Third-Party Apps to Fix Water Damage in Phone Speakers
Using third-party apps is a modern technique for fixing water damage on phone speakers. Once enabled, these third-party apps play a specific frequency to remove all trapped water droplets within the smartphone.
Aside from that, some phone models can play a specific tone and force the trapped droplets out. You can find one in the app store if your phone doesn’t have a built-in speaker water ejection feature.
Android phone users have more options. Here’s how you can use the app to fix phone speaker water damage if you have an MIUI device:
- Explore your settings if you’re using an MIUI smartphone. Go to general Settings> Additional Settings > and clear your speakers.
Meanwhile, here’s how you can clear your phone speakers of water damage via the third-party app:
- Launch the app menu. Tap on the icon and open the water-cleaning application.
- Explore the search box. Search “Speaker Cleaner” and press on the icon.
- Download your chosen cleaner application. Ensure the “Speaker Cleaner” application can remove water well and fix the damage.
- Grant necessary permissions. Once you’ve installed the cleaner application, please open it and grant all requested permissions.
- Read on-screen instructions. Press the “Clean Speaker” option and abide by the given rules.
- Raise volume levels. Most “Clean Speaker” applications ask users to crank up the volume. It maximizes its effect but ensures your phone isn’t connected to headphones.
- Do it in an empty room. The app’s high-pitched beeping noise can irritate others. So, ensure you do the cleaning in a vacant space.
- Watch the magic happen. The “Clean Speaker” application will play high-pitched noises until it’s clear of the water!
You can speed up the process by playing several music tracks after each cleaning cycle to ensure the speakers sound clear.
Finally, if you suspect there are water droplets stuck in the earpiece, here’s how to fix phone speaker water damage:
- Choose a premium cleaner application. Activate “Earpiece Mode, ticking all the prerequisite boxes.
- Launch the water-ejection procedure. Press the green button to begin the cleaning process.
Generally, these are available for iOS and Android devices, so you must search for the right app.
📱Disassemble Your Phone and Remove Water from Internal Components
Disassembling your phone is necessary if you can’t access these devices. And though it isn’t something all people can do, don’t risk bringing your gadget to unauthorized services. After all, they can cause more harm to your damaged speakers than good.
If this is your situation, search for a reliable repair shop and bring your phone once ready for them to work on it. But note that not all smartphone brands allow disassembling their devices. So, try another method if your phone manufacturer doesn’t allow it.
If possible, have your phone disassembled by a pro and check for signs of water inside. If you spot water droplets, ask the service repair to fix the liquid damage.
📱Submerge Your Phone in Uncooked/Raw Rice
As cliche as it may sound, submerging your phone with water damage in dry and raw rice works. Once you see water traces, place a few rice grains inside your phone’s speakers. And leave them for 24 hours or until they absorb all excess moisture.
If it doesn’t dry your phone speakers the first time around, you need to repeat the process. Do it until the rice grains absorb all excess moisture and water droplets. Here are a few tips to guarantee successful water removal via raw rice:
- Fill a container with raw, dry rice. Switch off your phone and submerge it in the uncooked rice grains.
- Let it sit for a few hours. Leave your phone in raw rice for at least 24 hours. Remember to check if all trapped moisture is in your phone’s speakers.
If submergence in uncooked rice isn’t enough, an alternative is silica gel packets. They work better in absorbing excess moisture.
📱Have Your Phone Repaired by a Professional
If you’ve tried all techniques to fix phone speaker water damage and nothing worked, go to a professional. It’s a guaranteed way to save your phone. But this only works if the device’s water damage indicator doesn’t trip. Otherwise, bringing your phone to get fixed by a professional might be too late.
It’s best to have your phone fixed by its official service center, as third-party professionals don’t guarantee positive results. But note that not all brands offer repair services, so inquire with your chosen manufacturer first. If not, consider working with a third-party repair service, but check their previous projects and testimonials.
Bringing your phone to an uncertified service will do more harm than good, leaving your phone with more damage over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will water inside phone speakers go away on its own?
A: Although it can take a while to dry off completely, water inside phone speakers can go away. But sometimes, water damage won’t be able to go away — making your speakers useless. Hence, acting quickly and addressing phone speaker water damage is better.
Q: Will submerging my phone in raw or uncooked rice fix water damage on its speakers?
A: As efficient as submerging your phone in raw rice is, it works slowly. So, even if it can absorb moisture from your smartphone better, it can be too late. At most, uncooked rice can remove water from your phone speakers within a day.
Q: How to fix phone speaker water damage without using rice?
A: Addressing water damage without rice is possible with silica gel packets. You can find them in packaged and boxed products, absorbing excess moisture well. And silica gel packets do the same for your phone. It would be best to let your phone sit in the silica gel packets for a couple of hours to absorb the water.
Q: How long will it take for phone speakers to dry off?
A: Drying off phone speakers will take several hours, maxing out at 24 hours. Ensure you put the phone where your affected speaker is facing down.
Final Words
No matter how advanced your smartphone is, water damage is inevitable. We’ve all gone through the pain of having a water-damaged phone, leaving us with less-than-ideal speakers. Luckily, getting rid of this water is possible. And this guide on how to fix phone speaker water damage should help you bring it back to its former glory.
