In the past couple of decades, the rapid evolution of technology has blessed us with numerous products that make our daily lives easy. One such product is our beloved smartphone, who we keep near and dear to our hearts (quite literally for me, since I keep it in my breast pocket).
Many of us can’t imagine life without smartphones. If you feel like everyone around you is always on their phone, you’re not wrong. In fact around 85.68% of the world’s population has access to a smartphone. And for something that we love and cherish (sometimes take for granted), we can’t help ourselves from thinking what would happen if something were to happen to it.
Whether its from a sweaty forehead or a casual spill of your favorite fizzy drink, liquids can seriously cause damage to your beloved. Now that the damage is done, you panic and coincidentally find yourself in front of a bag filled with rice and you immediately dump it inside in order to save it. But wait, Should you be doing that? And why is there a random bag of rice in front of you? Well, let’s find out!
The Myth, The Legend, The Rice
Well the concept what most believe behind drying your phone using rice is that it will absorb the moisture from your gadget, heck even shield it from short circuits and damage. But on the contrary, its not as effective as one is lead to believe. Apple, one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers actually advises against using this method all-together! In their official support page, they stated:
Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.
Rice might not be able to absorb the water that has crept into your device’s internal parts, which might potentially lead to issues down the road. While it can seem like a quick and low-cost fix, using rice to dry your phone might end up doing more harm than good. These risks include, but are not limited to:
- Scratches on your beloved smartphone’s body and on the screen.
- The risk of tiny rice particles becoming lodged inside of your mobile port, ultimately damaging the capacity to charge or worse.
- Rice can actually delay the drying process, giving more time for the liquid to leave its permanent mark on your device.
The Better Solution!
So what should you do in order to save your phone you ask? Here are a couple of ways to save your dearest in this dire situation:
- Turn off your device immediately and separate any accessories attached to it.
- Tap the device slowly and gently on a piece of cloth or your palms to ensure all the water has been drained out from the ports.
- Clean up the access water that might still be lingering on your device.
- Place your device in an open, ventilated, and dry area and give it its sweet time to completely dry out (Preferably at least 24 to 48 hours).
- Ensure you did your best, and then pray for its complete recovery.
It might not be a big deal if your phone is water-resistant, but as the term implies, it’s water-resistant and not water-proof. So it’s best to follow all these steps for the best results!
And as far as the random bag of rice in front of you is concerned, I really have no idea how it got there in the first place.
Stay tuned for more tech tips like these, this is your soon-to-be favorite friendly neighborhood techie Zayaan, Signing Off!