Throwing your smartphone into rice is useless, the only effective tip Apple offers

A very old rumor is doing the rounds on social networks. Soaking your smartphone in rice will dry it out. However, there is a more effective method.

This rumor is almost as old as the internet: the best way to dry your soaked smartphone is to bury it in a bowl full of rice. It must be said that rice often has the reputation of being very effective at absorbing moisture, especially for clothes or rags.

However, this famous reputation is not based on any solid studies. Rice, in fact, does not claim to be used to absorb moisture from your clothes, much less from your smartphone!

It’s a myth that comes up over and over on the web. Just type “dry phone” to find several tutorials that advise users to fill a bowl with rice and submerge their phone in it. The rice grains will have the property of being able to absorb moisture from the device and dry it completely, even if it has been soaked in water before.

Unfortunately, this myth is as false as it is dangerous for your phone. Rice grains can easily penetrate and stick inside your phone (especially through the rear USB port) and their starch can further damage the device.

Recently, the official Apple website returned to the methods to adopt if your smartphone has fallen into water. The firm suggests that you should not use the rice method, or insert small items such as cotton swabs or paper towels that are likely to deposit residue inside the device.

Conversely, Apple recommends placing your phone in a dry location with some ambient air. You can always try using a small hair dryer, but stay away from the device and with very moderate power. The goal is to keep your device dry, and not send all the ambient dust inside. Note that drying can take all day.

If, despite a full day of drying, your smartphone still does not respond, you will unfortunately have to go to a repair workshop or buy a new model! Although most smartphones are now IP68 certified for moderate resistance to water and dust, unfortunately this does not allow them to be submerged for long periods of time.