A Cautionary Tale: What Happens When You Swim with Your Phone

We’ve all been there: a moment of distraction leading to a regrettable mishap. Recently, I experienced this firsthand when I accidentally submerged my smartphone in water while swimming. What began as a leisurely outing turned into a frantic scramble to save my device. Here’s the story of what transpired and the lessons I learned along the way.

It wasn’t until I surfaced that I realized my smartphone, a Galaxy S8, was still nestled in my pocket. Panic set in as I retrieved it from the water, hoping for the best. To my relief, the phone powered on without issue, except for the ominous “moisture detected in charging port” alert. This notification was familiar to me, having survived a similar fate when I unintentionally dropped my phone into a toilet. Encouraged by its initial responsiveness, I meticulously dried the phone and placed it in a towel, believing I had dodged a bullet.

However, my optimism quickly faded. After about an hour of gentle drying, I checked on my phone, only to find it warm to the touch and showing 0% battery. Surprised, I plugged it in, and it buzzed momentarily before displaying the charging icon, yet it remained unresponsive. Repeating this process yielded no different results. It was then that I noticed tiny bubbles forming beneath the camera lens—a clear indication that I was facing a more dire situation than I had realized.

In an act of desperation, I placed the phone in a bag of rice, a home remedy often cited for water-damaged electronics, and left it for several hours. When I checked again, there was still no response, and the bubbles had not dissipated. After a brief drive home, I noticed some improvement, as the bubbles seemed to lessen, but plugging it in still resulted in silence. Determined, I placed it upright in another bag of rice overnight, hoping that a change in orientation would aid in its recovery.

The next morning brought a glimmer of hope: upon plugging it in again, the phone buzzed and briefly displayed the charging icon. However, pressing the power button still only yielded the same buzz without further functionality.

I find myself at a crossroads and would greatly appreciate your insights: Is my phone potentially salvageable after all my efforts? If I were to take it to a repair facility, would they have the ability to open it up and dry it properly to restore its