Smartphones are very useful in everyday life, but also fragile. A little contact with water, heat or force can cause damages you wouldn’t notice right away until after some days. However, if you are to address the problem before it gets out of hand, then you should find out how to know if your phone has water damage. Besides cleaning out the water right away, there are spots you should check in the phone to know if something is off, and you should do it as soon as possible.

Now, even if your phone is one of the few water-resistant phone models, it could have some damage. Also, we all take phones around and if you get caught up in the rain, at the beach, pool-side splash, or even a drink spill, then your phone could get some water in without your knowledge. This leaves many wondering how to know if your phone has water damage without necessarily visiting a technician or care center.

Check for moisture under the display screen

The first thing to do is to look at the phone screen and check if there are any signs of moisture under the screen. If the phone fell into water while it was still on, you can quickly check for moisture under the screen before you turn it off.

This should give you an idea of how severe the water damage may be. If the phone stayed in water long enough to get moisture under the screen then it means the liquid entered through every possible opening on the phone.

Before trying any other step, ensure that the phone is turned off and use a clean dry cloth to dry it by hand as much as you can.

Check the battery

If you want to know if your Android phone has water damage, take out the battery. This instruction presupposes that your device has a removable battery. If your battery is inbuilt, then skip this suggestion.

• Shutdown the device
• Open the back of the phone and take out the battery.

Examine the battery and look for a white patch with a red pattern. Depending on the device, it could be on the battery or on the inner part of the phone. If the red pattern is still intact and the white patch is also okay, it means the water did not get into the phone. However, if there is a trace of pink on it, it could mean that the red pattern has bled on to the white patch due to the presence of water.

Checking for water damage in phones with in-built batteries differs from one phone to another so you might need to find out what works specifically for your phone.

Check for damaged ports

If you are still checking for water damage in phones, your next stop should be the ports. You need to check every port on the phone, the headphone jack, the memory card slot, the charging port and any other opening your device may have. You may need to use a torchlight and a magnifying if you want to know if your phone has water damage.

What should you be looking out for?

There are several damages that may result from water, but you can look out for some specifics. First check if the port is now loose or wiggles when you plug it in. If you hear some rusty sounds when plugging in the earphone or charger for instance, this could tell you that water has gone into the device. You can also check for any bend around the edges of the port, as well as any sign of corrosion. These are just a few things to check and how to know if your phone has water damage.

Check the sim card slot

If you are wondering how to tell if iPhone has water damage? – You have to take out the sim tray and check the sim card slot. What you are looking for here is a sign that the phone’s Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) has been activated or not.

• The sim tray is usually somewhere on the right side of your iPhone. Use the SIM tray removal tool (if you have it close by) or a straightened paper clip, to press into the small hole at the bottom of the sim tray. This should eject the tray, so that you can gently take it out.
• Point a light into the empty sim slot and check for a red color. If you have a pair of eyeglasses or magnifying tools, you can use it.

Usually, you should see white or silver color to show you that the phone is in perfect health. If you see a patch of red color, it means that the liquid did get into the phone and the phone’s Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) has been activated. This means that your iPhone might have been damaged by water even if it is not obvious.

Even if your phone has not fallen into the water, the water-damage indicator could be showing you that the phone has been in contact with some other liquid forms like steam (from your cup of coffee or a hot steamy shower), or ice (a spill from your drink perhaps).

Check the phone edges and the buttons

You should also check the edges of the phone for any sign of warping or any edge of the phone that refuses to lap properly. You could also have a bleeding display when you switch on the phone or discover some other damage. It is advisable to take the phone to the care center as soon as you can if you notice any of these.

Though some people suggest some home methods to drain out every moisture from the device, there is no guarantee that those methods work and they take more time, possibly making it more difficult to fix the phone eventually.

Where to fix a water-damaged phone 

If your phone is water-damaged, you should take it immediately to the official service center to get it repaired to reduce further damage. If you are using Infinix, TECNO or itel phone, then you come to the right place as we are the official service center for these phone brands. Just make an online reservation and get your water-damaged phone fixed as soon as possible.