ACT FAST TO SAVE A SOAKED CELLPHONE

It’s a horrible, cringe-worthy moment when a smartphone falls into a sink, puddle, pool – or worse: a toilet – and gets wet. It happens to most people at some point, so it’s smart to be prepared with a plan to recover and restore the phone if it ever becomes waterlogged. Many people panic when their phones get wet, worried that their contacts, photos and other data are gone forever. Their first reactions are often to frantically press all the buttons, attempt to fix it with a hair dryer, or even stick it in the oven to dry. None of these “solutions” work, however.

U.S. Cellular recommends keeping a cool head and following the tips below to help save your phone.

• Act fast. Retrieve the smartphone as quickly as possible, taking it out of the pool, bathtub or toilet right away. The longer it’s submerged in liquid, the more likely it is to be irrevocably damaged.

• Take out the battery. Before doing anything else, take out the battery. If the phone doesn’t have a removable battery, like the iPhone 6s, power off the device right away to prevent a possible short circuit. Resist the temptation to “test” the phone to see if it still works, as pressing keys and buttons could push liquid farther into the device. Immediately taking out the battery or powering off the phone are critical to helping the gadget survive.

• Don’t use heat. It may be tempting to use a hair dryer, microwave or oven to dry off the phone, but don’t do it. The heat can quickly warp the phone's circuits and melt its delicate internal components.

• Remove all accessories. Take off the phone case and protective cover, as well as all memory cards, headsets and other accessories. Remove all plugs that cover the gaps, slots, and crevices in the phone to allow air to circulate. Take out the SIM card and carefully dry it off with a soft towel or cloth. The SIM card may retain data (such as contacts) even if the waterlogged phone itself is destroyed.

• Wipe down the smartphone. Carefully wipe the phone with a clean, soft towel or cloth. Try to avoid getting water into the phone’s cracks, indentations, ports or other openings. If water is trapped in a crevice, use a can of compressed air to blow it out, taking care not to blow the water further inside the phone.

• Use a fan. Don’t blow air into the phone but try using a fan to blow air across the phone's openings to help dry it out. Warm, dry air moving across the phone may be able to coax the moisture out. Leave the phone in front of a warm (not hot) source of moving air (such as a fan) for at least a few hours.

• Have a back-up plan. Most people will submerge their smartphone into water at some point, so be prepared by stocking up on products that have been proven to work. Solutions like the Bheestie Bag or Dry-All are specifically designed to dry out wet mobile devices. These products can often prevent lingering moisture that can do further damage to the phone.

• Hoard desiccant packets. Whenever free desiccant packages (such as silica gel) come with orders of shoes, electronics or other products, save them. Pour their contents into a container with an air-tight seal. When a wet phone needs rescuing, place it in the container and the desiccant will help absorb the water.

• Try rice. No synthetic desiccant on hand? Try a solution from the pantry, let the phone sit inside an air-tight container of dry rice for a few days. The rice helps absorb the water, making it a cheap, easy and convenient solution. However, some people have had problems with wet, mushy rice getting stuck in their phones’ crevices and other small parts after using this method. To prevent this, wrap the device in paper towels before submerging it into the rice.

• Take the cell phone to an authorized dealer. If these methods don’t effectively fix the phone, don’t despair. Sometimes, authorized dealers can fix it, even when home remedies haven’t worked. Be honest about what happened and walk the dealer through the steps that were already taken to try and fix it. Let the professionals take the phone apart, if necessary, since this process could potentially cause shock or exposure to harmful chemicals or components.

“If you tend to be prone to accidents, you may want to consider device protection,” adds Nathan Waddell, director of sales for U.S. Cellular. “At U.S. Cellular, we offer Device Protection+, which not only protects your smartphone purchase, but also comes with PocketGeek, providing you with tools to backup your data, protect against Malware, as well as diagnostic troubleshooting.” For more information on how to protect your phone, U.S. Cellular offers device workshops for the entire community, including those who are not U.S. Cellular customers. These workshops provide a great platform to learn more about protecting your investment and the many other features of today’s mobile devices.

¹ Between Nov. 12-21, 2015, a total of 735 online interviews were conducted among a nationally representative sample by Consumer Insights, in partnership with Maritz CX.

Additional data charges may apply. 4G LTE service may be provided through King Street Wireless, a partner of U.S. Cellular. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.

About King Street Wireless, L.P.
King Street Wireless, L.P. currently holds 700 MHz wireless spectrum in 27 states and is partnering with Chicago-based U.S. Cellular to deliver high-speed 4G LTE service to U.S. Cellular’s customers in several of the carrier’s markets. King Street Wireless is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia where it is recognized for its involvement in its community both through its economic development and philanthropic efforts. To learn more about King Street Wireless, visit www.kingstreetwireless.com.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by a high-quality network in big and small cities and rural communities, and currently, 99 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Champion in 2014 for the third time in four years. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.