what should you do instead?

One of the most common pieces of advice for those whose phone gets wet is to bury it in uncooked rice, but Apple now specifically advises against this.

The major technology company has updated its recommendations for iPhone owners whose phones display the dreaded “liquid detected” warning.

You may have heard for years that you should put it in a container with rice because it absorbs moisture from the environment.

We don’t recommend such measures anymore. After all, we don’t use rice bags as dehumidifiers in our homes. But Apple’s argument is different.

It says that you should not use rice because “small rice particles could damage your iPhone.”

Apple also advises against using a “cotton swab or paper towel” to dry the port, although this is very tempting. But again, tissue fragments could end up in the charging port.

It even says that you should not use “an external heat source or compressed air.” Light use of a hairdryer should not cause any problems, but this conservative approach prevents iPhone users from unnecessarily heating the battery.

What should you actually do if your iPhone gets wet?

Apple’s actual advice is likely to frustrate those with little patience. It says, “Leave your iPhone in a dry place with some air circulation for up to a day” if tapping it and leaving it for 30 minutes doesn’t help.

Today’s newest iPhones are now very water resistant. Models since the iPhone 7 in 2016 have at least an IP67 water resistance rating, meaning they can survive complete immersion in fresh water.

The problem today, assuming the iPhone is not damaged, is trying to charge an iPhone while there is moisture in the charging port.

Charging will be disabled if moisture is detected. Apple says you should only override this feature in an emergency.

“If you charge your iPhone while the Lightning or USB-C connector is wet, the pins on the connector or cable may corrode and cause permanent damage or stop working, resulting in connection issues with your iPhone or accessories,” Apple’s website says.

One way to get around this is to charge the phone wirelessly if it gets wet for some reason. To do this, you’ll need a pad. iPhones from the iPhone 8 onwards have this feature.