Viral TikTok and Reel videos showing how putting wet mobile sets in a bag of rice can save your iPhones may seem like a revelation. However, the tech giant has debunked the myth and has urged users to refrain from attempting it as it can potentially harm the device.
“Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone,” Apple support documents said. The support notes not only addresses this viral trick but also what customers should do when they get the liquid detection alert on their iPhone.
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Apple offers guidance for users who get a “liquid detected” alert when trying to charge their phones. “If you see a liquid-detection alert, your iPhone has detected liquid in the Lightning or USB-C connector or on the cable or accessory. To protect your iPhone and the accessory, charging and accessory connection are unavailable until the connector, cable ends, and the accessory are dry.”
If iPhone is charged while the Lightning or USB-C connector is wet, the pins on the connector or cable can corrode and cause permanent damage or stop functioning, causing connectivity issues for iPhone or accessory.
Although users shouldn’t charge iPhone when it’s wet, one might need to in an emergency. If you reconnect your iPhone to the cable or accessory, you have the option in an emergency to override the liquid detection and charge your iPhone.
If you have a wireless charger, you can still use that to charge your iPhone. For best results, make sure that the back of your iPhone is dry before you place it on your Qi-certified charger.
If your iPhone or accessory is wet
Customers must first unplug the charging cable at both ends. Then tap the phone “gently against your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid”. Leave it to dry for at least half an hour, and then – if the phone and cable are “completely dry” – try charging the device again.
Don’t plug the cable in again until your iPhone and the cable are completely dry.
If you see the alert again, there is still liquid in the connector or under the pins of your cable. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for up to a day. You can try again to charge or connect an accessory throughout this period. It might take up to 24 hours to fully dry.
If your phone has dried out but still isn’t charging, unplug the cable from the adapter and unplug the adapter from the wall (if possible) and then connect them again.
Here are a few things not to do:
- Don’t dry your iPhone using an external heat source or compressed air.
- Don’t insert a foreign object, such as a cotton swab or a paper towel, into the connector.
- Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.