Stop using rice to save your wet phone, Apple warns. What to do instead.

There may be a better way.

Apple wants everyone to stop putting their phones in rice.
Credit: Getty Images/Arthit Pornpikanet

As it turns out, the decades-old method of saving one’s wet phone in rice isn’t a good idea, according to Apple. A recent support document states that this hack actually makes things worse.

Quit the rice hack for your wet phoneRice is having a bit of a moment on the internet, including people freaking out about whether it’s safe to reheat it. However, it seems like Apple has jumped on the rice fear-mongering bandwagon, too. In the support document, the Cupertino-based tech giant said that dropping your wet iPhone into a bowl of rice will “allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.”

Apple didn’t elaborate further, but we suspect this warning is meant to keep the company safe from any potential lawsuits that stem from “I put my iPhone in rice and it broke.” Other iPhone-drying hacks like the cotton swab or blowing it dry with a hairdryer are also no-go’s, according to Apple.

A better wet phone-saving hackHere’s what Apple recommends instead:

Tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow.

After at least 30 minutes, try charging with a Lightning or USB-C cable or connecting an accessory.

If you see the alert again, there is still liquid in the connector or under the pins of your cable. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for up to a day. You can try again to charge or connect an accessory throughout this period. It might take up to 24 hours to fully dry.

If your phone has dried out, but still isn’t charging, unplug the cable from the adapter and unplug the adapter from the wall (if possible) — and then connect them again.

The rice trick does work — to an extent. Recent tests have shown that while the rice does soak up the water, it does it in such a slow manner that its potential benefits are negligent at best. Time is of the essence when it comes to fighting water damage.

Assistant Editor, General Assignments

Currently residing in Austin, Texas, Chance Townsend is an Assistant Editor at Mashable. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the University of North Texas with the bulk of his research primarily focused on online communities, dating apps, and professional wrestling.

In his free time, he’s an avid cook, loves to sleep, and “enjoys” watching the Lions and Pistons break his heart on a weekly basis. If you have any stories or recipes that might be of interest you can reach him by email at [email protected].

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