Stop putting your phones soaked in rice, it’s no use. © Simone Hogan / Shutterstock
This has probably already happened to you. A stupid accident with a glass of water or a prank at the pool goes wrong and your phone takes on water. You then immediately immerse it in a bag of rice hoping to limit the damage… Well, this practice might be less relevant than you think.
In a page recently put online, Apple actually writes in black and white that in the event of “presence of a liquid“you shouldn’t use the phone”put your iPhone in a bag of rice“, because “small particles of this grass could damage your device.“The manufacturer is breaking an urban legend that has been going strong for decades… and quite rightly so.
Indeed, even if the tip has been shared from generation to generation since the invention of the first processor or almost, it is not that relevant or useful. It can sometimes even do more harm than good. We’ll explain it to you.
Action No. 1: Turn off and wait
When an electronic device falls into water, “corrosion is instantaneous“, explains the repair specialist iFixit. Putting the phone in rice will eventually absorb the surface moisture (and more), but the liquid that has intruded © in the crevices of the phone is already starting to do damage, whether there is a grain of rice on the other side of the jack port or not.
The most useful practice in the event of accidental damage is simply to turn off your phone to avoid creating short circuits while the water dries. che. Desperately trying to turn a phone back on, out of panic, or continuing to use it, actually increases the risk of component damage. If possible, try to open the device and remove its battery to limit damage. Otherwise, let it dry in a well-ventilated place for as long as possible (ideally 24 hours) before attempting to relight it.
“If we hold back from turning on the phone until it dries on the kitchen table, in rice or anywhere else, sometimes we are lucky . If it’s in rice, we think the rice saved the phone. But that’s not true! ”, insists iFixit on its Wiki.
Rice, even less useful than couscous or cat litter
In 2014, the site specializing in reuse Gazelle even carried out a battery of tests to see under what circumstances and with what desiccant agents a sponge soaked in water released the most liquid. As a result, the rice arrived dead last, behind ambient air, silica packets and even kitty litter!
Silica gel is a much better drying agent than rice. © jakkrit pimpru / Shutterstock
Well before that, from 1946 (!), the magazine Popular Photography already explained that, to keep your photo equipment in good condition in humid areas, rice can be “a temporary alternative“with silica, but that”its moisture absorption capacity is so low that large quantities are needed to hope to see a result“.
Additional risks
As Apple writes, immersing a device in rice can allow dust or even whole grains to lodge in the phone’s ports, clogging it up a little more. a device that didn’t require so much. The feeling of doing something useful can even encourage you to try to turn the phone back on more quickly, which is therefore counterproductive.
The more DIY enthusiasts can try to save a phone by dismantling it and scrubbing the potentially oxidized components with a toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol. For others therefore, wait patiently for the phone to dry or possibly, “Tap it with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid.“And in any case, save your rice for the evening dinner.