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Guides · Water damage

Dropped it in water? Do this first.

Turn your phone off right away and don’t charge it. Take off the case and SIM tray, wipe it dry, and bring it to us as fast as you can. Skip the rice. It doesn’t work, and every hour counts.

Dropped it in water? Do this first.

Sep 4, 2026 · 3 min read

Do this right now

The first hour matters most. Water does the most damage when power runs through it, so your first job is to cut the power.

Wet phone

All phones

  1. Turn the phone off. Don’t turn it back on to check if it works.
  2. Don’t plug it in to charge.
  3. Take off the case and pull out the SIM tray.
  4. Wipe the outside dry with a soft cloth. Gently shake water out of the ports.
  5. Bring it to one of our stores as fast as you can.
Warning: don’t charge a wet phone. Power running through a wet phone can short it out and kill it for good. Wait until we’ve checked it.

What not to do

Lots of tips online make things worse. Skip anything that adds heat, pressure or power.

Do

  • Turn it off right away.
  • Keep it still and upright.
  • Bring it in the same day.

Don't

  • Put it in rice.
  • Use a hair dryer.
  • Press the buttons.
  • Plug it in to “test” it.

Why rice doesn’t work

Rice only dries the outside. It can’t pull water out from inside the phone, and it leaves dust and starch in the ports.

The real problem is corrosion. That’s rust on the tiny metal parts inside. Corrosion starts within hours, and it keeps spreading even after the phone feels dry.

Tip: Salt water, pool water and pop are worse than tap water. Tell us what it fell in so we know how to clean it.

What we do in store

We open the phone and clean the board. That’s the main circuit board inside. The sooner we clean it, the better the odds. If the phone can’t be saved, we can often still get your photos off it.

Need it fixed?

Most screen, battery and charging port repairs are done while you wait, with a warranty.

Book a repairGet a price

Keswick · Newmarket · Cobourg · Brampton

Questions

Isn’t my phone waterproof?

Most new phones are water resistant, not waterproof. The seals wear out over time, especially after a drop.

It works fine now. Should I still bring it in?

Yes. Corrosion can kill a phone days or weeks later. A quick check now can save it.

Can you save my photos?

Often, yes. Even if the phone can’t be fixed, we can usually recover your data in house.

How long does the repair take?

It depends on how much damage there is. We’ll check it and give you a time and price before we start.

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