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If you haven’t spilt water onto your phone or dropped it into a body of water, are you even a real person?

And if it hasn’t happened to you yet, well, the keyword is yet.

There’s even a study that “suggests 25% of smartphone users have damaged their smartphone with water or some other kind of liquid”, reports The Guardian.

A waterlogged phone can cause blurry photos, muffled audio, poor or zero charging ability, rusting, a dewy screen, and an end to all functionality if you don’t get the water out soon enough.

The promise of ‘water-resistant’ phones is a step in the right direction, but you should always approach water with caution when you have your phone on hand.

This is because ‘water-resistant’ doesn’t mean the device is completely protected from water. It only means it can withstand some water.

Every phone is rated by an “ingress protection” code, commonly called an IP rating, to check the level of water resistance.

While IP ratings are a good way to understand how far you can take it with your phone when it comes to water, it’s just better to not submerge it at all.

Spillage is less of a threat, though, thank goodness.

Technology has become pretty good at detecting when there is water in your device, so if you get an alert that water has been detected, or if you simply know your phone needs some resuscitation, then it’s time to intervene.

Just bear in mind that the old rice bath is not a good fix at all.

Instead, here is a step-by-step guide worth following:

1. Turn off the device immediately and don’t press any buttons.

2. If your phone is water resistant and you’ve spilt or submerged it in a liquid other than water, both Apple and Samsung recommend rinsing it off by submerging it in still tap water (but not under a running tap, which could cause damage).

3. Wipe the phone dry with paper towels or a soft cloth.

4. Gently shake the device to remove water from the charging ports, but avoid vigorous shaking as this could further spread the liquid inside.

5. Remove the SIM card.

6. Use a compressed aerosol air duster to blow the water out if you have one. Avoid using a hot blow dryer as the heat can wreck the rubber seals and damage the screen.

7. Dry out the phone (and especially the ports) in front of a fan.

8. Leave your phone in an airtight container full of silica gel packets (those small packets you get inside new shoes and bags), or another drying agent. These help absorb the moisture.

9. Do not charge the phone until you are certain it’s dry. Charging a device with liquid still inside it, or in the ports, can cause further damage. Apple suggests waiting at least five hours once a phone appears dry before charging it (or until the alert disappears).

10. If the above steps don’t help and you’re still stuck with a seemingly dead device, don’t try opening the phone yourself. You’re better off taking it to a professional.

Never, under ever circumstances, place your phone in the oven.

I know somebody who did this, and he had a great time trying to explain to his company why the phone they gave him was melted beyond repair.

If it’s your iPhone, or any other Apple device that has taken a plunge, Digicape is a certified Apple authorised service provider that offers both in and out of warranty repairs for all Apple devices.

In addition to repairing damaged devices, there’s a whole range of other services, too:

• Out of warranty repairs including Antivirus and Malware
• Product health checks
• Insurance Letters
• RAM, Hard Drives inc SSD’s and software upgrades
• Data recovery
• Deliveries and collections
• System migration to new devices

With the health check, a professional can work on older devices to boost performance, using only genuine Apple parts sourced directly from Apple.

Technicians can also take care of the dreaded cracked screen problem, with same-day repairs at prices that are often than current non-authorised repair providers.

There was a time in my younger days when I could handle a cracked screen, but as you become an adult it’s rather unbecoming.

Swing past Digicape’s repairs and service centre for more on that front.

[source:theguardian]