If you spill some water into your phone’s speakers, immediately put the phone in a vertical position and turn it off.
Remove detachable accessories and pat dry any excess water from the speaker. Check and dry out if water has seeped into the charging port and headphone port closer to it.
Dry out the phone, then play water eject sounds to remove any droplets stuck inside. But if it still makes mumbling sounds, take it immediately to the nearest service center.
Step 1: Turn off your Phone
Whether it’s sprinkled drops or a pool of water, water spillage can seriously damage your phone speaker. Turn off your phone immediately to prevent short-circuiting.
Step 2: Remove all Accessories and Pat Dry
If there’s water only inside the speaker, put your phone in a vertical position and remove the phone case. Now gently dab the speaker on a piece of cloth.
But if your phone is totally drenched in water, remove SIM, SD card, or any other detachable accessories from the phone. Then, gently wipe off the excess water around it.
If you have older models, take out the detachable batteries and dry out the inner casing with a gentle dab.
Step 3: Dry Off the Phone Speaker
After you wipe off the visible water in your phone, let it dry in the air. Put the speaker upside down and leave the phone in a well-ventilated place.
You can also place a fan or a dryer in a cool setting at a distance to circulate the air around the device. But make sure to avoid direct air pressure on the area, or else droplets could go deeper inside.
Commercially available silica gel pods also have efficient hygroscopic properties. If you have them at home, place your phone among a bundle of such pods and leave for a while.
However, this method is time-consuming and might even take a couple of days to dry out your phone completely. If you are in a hurry, a shop vac or vacuum dryer can help suck out excess water inside your phone speaker’s tiny holes.
Place the nozzle close to the speaker and turn it on mild mode. Alternatively, you can use a thin piece of cloth or place your hand to limit the airflow to the speaker.
Step 4: Play Water Eject Sound
Sometimes, your phone might play a muffled sound even when it is completely dry to the naked eye. This happens when water is trapped inside your speaker.
I was able to fix the erratic sound in my phone speaker by playing the water-eject sound available online.
A combination of low-frequency sounds vibrates your phone rhythmically vibrates in a haptic pattern to eject water stuck in the speaker.
For iPhone users, the Speaker Cleaner app or Water eject shortcut can simplify the process. Whereas other users can download the Android version of Speaker Cleaner from Playstore.
After installing the app, raise your phone volume to the highest level. Place the phone in a slanted position with the screen facing down and play the music for 20 minutes. Gently wipe off the water droplets that come out of the speaker.
Step 5: Test Out the Sound
Play a set of different sounds on your phone after trying the stepwise fix mentioned above. If you still hear erratic sounds or if the sound doesn’t play at all, then take it to the service center.
Furthermore, water damage might not take effect right away, even in a phone soaked in water.
But if you see issues like a malfunctioning screen, sound error, or charging issue, it’s better to seek out expert help immediately.
Things to Avoid While Removing Water from Phone Speaker
- Don’t plug in the charger since it can short-circuit your device.
- Don’t press any buttons to prevent squeezing water deeper inside.
- Shaking the phone could disperse water drops in ports near the speaker, so don’t do it.
- Avoid heat of any sort for drying. It can loosen the rubber seals around the device and raise your phone temperature as well.
- Never use a cotton swab or lint-full cloth to remove water, as it can get stuck inside.
- Don’t blow into the speaker holes. It will further push in the water droplets.