"Moisture detected" on Samsung: why it won't charge and what to do

You plug in the charger and your Samsung shows a water drop: "Moisture detected. Unplug the charger." Sometimes even if the phone was never in water. Let's sort it out.

Why the message appears

The phone measures resistance on the USB-C port contacts. If there's water, sweat, condensation or salty dirt (the beach!), Samsung blocks wired charging so the contacts don't corrode under current.

If the phone really was wet or in humidity

1. Unplug the cable.
2. Tap the phone port-down against your palm and wipe it.
3. Let it dry somewhere airy for a few hours.
4. Don't blow into the port or use a hair dryer.
5. While you wait, you can use wireless charging if the phone supports it.

If the phone wasn't wet and the error won't go away

• Dirt in the port: lint, sand, dust. Clean it gently with a wooden toothpick, no metal.
• Oxidised contacts: green or dark residue inside the port after moisture, sweat or the sea.
• A damaged port: after a drop or "bad" cables.
• A software glitch: try a restart and clearing the cache of the "USB Settings" app (in apps, show system apps).

What not to do

Don't look for ways to "turn off the warning": charging a wet port leads to corrosion and a broken board.

Repair

If the message stays for a day or more on a dry phone, it almost always needs the USB-C port cleaned or replaced. It's a quick, inexpensive repair. More: Samsung charging port replacement. About water in general: phone fell in water.

Read also

• Phone fell in water: what to do in the first 10 minutes (and why not rice)
• Phone dropped in the sea: why salt water is worse than fresh water
• IP68 water resistance: can you swim with your phone?
• Cracked glass but the screen works: can you replace just the glass?