As long as smartphones have been around, people have put them in rice after dropping them in water. The repeated “trick” to rescue a waterlogged phone has gone too far. Let’s explain.
Where does it come from?
The rice trick has been around forever and there’s probably a good chance you’ve done it before—I know I did. Where did this common advice come from? This is a good question.
One of the first well-publicized examples of the recommended “rice” rice dates back to A lifehacker message June 2007. The claim was that dry rice “absorbs moisture around it”. Since then, the same reasoning has been repeated.
The stunt certainly preceded smartphones, but it really caught on as more people started carrying expensive and fragile devices. Do not play gently with water. People want to know what to do when they drop their phones in water and the rice trick has satisfied that need.
Related: Waterproof tools are not waterproof: What you need to know
Why don’t you work
Here’s the hard truth about putting a wet phone in rice – it does nothing. Rice does not have magical moisturizing powers. You should place the phone in a completely empty container.
Cedar has some ability to absorb wet talker water, but it is very weak. In addition, it does not solve the main problem. Even a strong desiccant such as silica gel cannot reach the most harmful liquid, the liquid inside from the phone.
Sometimes, if water does not penetrate the phone much, letting it dry and giving it time to dry will save it. People end up thinking that rice did something when in fact just leaving the phone alone for a while did the job.
To make matters worse, rice can counteract water damage in some cases. Fine rice “dust” can enter the ports and mix with water to form an ointment-like substance that is difficult to remove.
How to keep the phone wet
The key to keeping the phone wet isn’t necessarily just waiting for it to dry. It might work if you’re lucky, but it’s more effective In fact, remove as much water as possible as soon as possible. Just letting it dry will leave all the conductive material in the water behind.
If your phone has been submerged in water, the immediate first step is to turn it off. Do not attempt to turn it on if the water has turned it off. You then need to remove anything that can be removed. This includes the cases, the SIM card tray, the microSD card tray, and the battery (even if it’s removable).
Then you can go with the low-tech method and use a fan or compressed air to blow the water out of the outlets. However, this will not help the water that has entered the phone. To remove the water yourself, you will need to open it. From there, you can rub it with 90% + isopropyl alcohol or place it in front of a fan.
Related: How water destroys electronics
We’ll probably never know who was the first person who thought they put their wet phone in a bowl of rice, but the “trick” has been around for a long time. Fortunately, h Most smartphones Today there is a certain level of waterproof. better for you Get one like this And Take other precautions. Save the rice for dinner.