Phone dropped in the sea: why salt water is worse than fresh water

Every summer in Batumi we see the same story: the phone fell into the sea, it was "dried", it seemed to work, and a week later it started glitching and switching off. Here's why, and what to do.

Why the sea is different

Salt. When sea water dries inside a phone, the salt stays on the board. It conducts electricity and causes corrosion of contacts and traces. It's slow: today everything works, in a few days it stops charging, then you lose signal or sound.

Sand. Fine sand packs into the charging port, speaker and microphone meshes. Sound gets quiet and raspy, and the cable no longer holds.

Water resistance doesn't help here. Manufacturers test phones in fresh water in a lab. Salt water, waves, the pressure of jumping in, and worn seals are a different story. See IP68: why water resistance won't save you at the beach.

What to do right after the sea

1. Turn the phone off and don't turn it on to check.
2. Don't charge it until a technician has looked at it.
3. Remove the case and the SIM tray.
4. Gently blot the body with a dry cloth. Don't rub the port or blow into it.
5. No hair dryer, no sun. It's tempting at the beach, but heat harms the screen and battery.
6. No rice. It won't remove salt, and dust and grains get into the port.

Some advise rinsing the phone in fresh water to wash off the salt. We don't recommend doing this yourself: without opening the phone you just add more water inside. The board should be cleaned after disassembly, with a special solution and an ultrasonic bath.

Why you shouldn't wait

With salt water it's a matter of hours, not days. If the board is cleaned within the first day, cleaning is usually enough. If you wait a week for it to "dry out", corrosion eats the contacts and the repair costs more, or the phone can't be saved.

What we do

We open the phone, see where the water went, clean the board, and check the port, speakers, cameras and Face ID. You get the price before the repair. After water damage the warranty covers only the replaced parts. More: water damage repair.

Phone went swimming? Message us on Telegram straight from the beach. We'll tell you what to do and book the earliest slot.

Read also

• Phone fell in water: what to do in the first 10 minutes (and why not rice)
• IP68 water resistance: can you swim with your phone?
• Cracked glass but the screen works: can you replace just the glass?
• Which replacement screen to choose: TFT, OLED, FOG or original