January 12, 2026, 12:48 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
The myth persists online that placing a smartphone in rice overnight can help with water damage. Repair experts have long advised against this method, and now even Apple warns against using this supposed miracle cure for the iPhone.
Modern smartphones, including the iPhone, have had an IP rating for years, indicating protection against the ingress of dust and water. This gives users a sense of security, which can be somewhat misleading. The IP rating is based on lab tests with pure fresh water or drinking water. However, it’s not the water itself that’s dangerous for the smartphone, but the particles in it, such as minerals like salt. TECHBOOK explains why rice doesn’t help with water damage to an iPhone—and can even worsen the problem.
Apple Warns Against Placing the iPhone in Rice
Almost everyone has a pack of rice at home. It’s not just a popular food. The grain is considered absorbent, which is why the myth has persisted for some time that it can absorb liquid from a smartphone if placed in it. Experts have been warning against this approach for some time; even Apple has now followed suit and issued a notice regarding the iPhone.
When water contacts the Lightning or USB-C port, the iPhone displays a liquid warning. When this message appears, it’s not possible to charge the smartphone or use accessories through the charging port until it is dry again.
Also of interest: What to Do if Your Smartphone Falls Into Water?
On its support page, Apple warns against speeding up the drying process by placing the device in rice: “Do not place your iPhone in a bag of rice, as it could be damaged by small rice grains.” Apple also advises against using a hairdryer, cotton swabs, and paper towels.
Instead, users should gently tap the iPhone with the port facing down, such as on the palm of their hand, to remove any remaining water. To dry it, the company recommends placing the device in a well-ventilated area and waiting at least 30 minutes before reconnecting it to power. It can take up to 24 hours for the water to completely evaporate and for the liquid warning to disappear.
It’s Not the Liquid but Corrosion That Causes Damage
If liquid has only entered the charging port, it usually doesn’t affect functionality. It’s a different story if water gets into the casing itself. In this case, simply letting the smartphone dry can have fatal consequences.
The danger to a smartphone from water contact generally doesn’t come from the liquid itself, but from the particles it contains. That’s why an IP rating only applies to pure fresh water—and not to seawater, which contains large amounts of salt and other minerals. The particles are what remain after the water evaporates and lead to corrosion. This can continue to spread—even long after the device has come into contact with water.
In rare cases, water damage directly leads to a defect. Modern smartphones intelligently shut down when critical components come into contact with liquid. Internal connections are usually protected by rubber seals. A short circuit is therefore quite unlikely, and the device starts up as usual after drying. However, the remaining particles can still cause corrosion months later and lead to a defect. From my own repair experience, I know that corrosion attacks the contact points on connections and slowly but surely destroys the smartphone from the inside out.
Repair experts, therefore, warn on the iFixit blog against letting a device with internal water damage dry out at all. Instead, affected individuals should try to displace the water with a purer liquid. Isopropyl alcohol with a concentration of more than 90 percent is most effective. The cleaning alcohol is non-conductive and harmless to components, but ideally flushes away the water along with the dangerous minerals completely.