Technologies

Wet Phone? Try These 3 Ways to Dry It Out

How effective is rice in drying your phone out? We’ll explain that and more.

Your smartphone’s price tag doesn’t protect it from accidents, unfortunately. People buy phone cases in case they drop their new phone, but what if your phone gets wet? According to Secure Data Recovery, a data recovery service, 23% of people not only get their phone wet but actually drop their phone in the toilet. That’s one way to flush your money away.

While many smartphones are water-resistant, that doesn’t mean they’re waterproof, so it’s still important to dry your phone out. Here are three ways to dry your phone out after dropping it in water and hopefully save yourself from having to buy a new one.

Unfortunately, none of these methods are guaranteed to work, and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence with very few scientific studies on the subject. The most recent study we could find was from 2014 by Gazelle, a company that buys and sells used and broken phones. According to that study, the make and model of phone were found to influence whether or not a phone could return to working order, with Android phones typically faring better than iPhones.

Sources agree that getting your phone out of the water as quickly as possible helps by minimizing how much water comes into contact with your device. If you follow these instructions and your phone won’t turn on, or it turns on and has some issues, you should take it to a phone shop to see if they can help.

What Apple and Samsung recommend

Both phone manufacturers have some tips for users in case your phone is dropped in water.

Here’s what Apple says to do:

1. Remove your iPhone from the water, turn it off and dry it with a soft, lint-free cloth.

2. Tap your phone gently with the Lightning port facing down to get excess water out.

3. Place your iPhone in a dry area with good circulation and wait at least five hours. Pointing a fan at your iPhone’s Lightning port might help the process.

After five hours, turn your phone back on and see how it’s working. If you’re still having issues, jump to the end of this article.

Samsung has similar instructions:

1. Remove your phone from the water, turn it off and dry it off with a dry towel or a clean cloth.

2. Place your phone in a well-ventilated area or in the shade with cool air from a fan. Samsung doesn’t specify a length of time to wait, though.

Samsung says even after you’ve followed these steps that there might still be water inside your phone so you should bring it to a Samsung Electronics Service Center.

Both manufacturers also say if you drop your phone in a liquid other than clean water — like soda or pool water — you should quickly rinse your phone using tap water before drying with a towel and then air drying.

Apple and Samsung say to never use a heating source, like a blow dryer or oven, to dry your phone off. The heat could damage your phone.

Silica gel beads could help

You could also try silica gel. According to Gazelle, silica gel beads are a good option to absorb moisture out of phones. Silica gel beads can be found in those white packs labeled “Do not eat” many products come packed with. You can save these packs from packages you’ve received, or buy packs through online stores like Amazon or companies like Dry & Dry.

Once you have your silica, here’s what to do after dropping your phone in water.

1. Get your phone out of the water and turn it off.

2. Dry the outside of your phone with a lint-free towel.

3. Place your phone in a large container.

4. Fill the container with your silica gel beads and seal the container.

5. Gazelle recommends waiting 72 hours to let your phone dry.

6. Remove your phone from the container and try turning it back on.

Other household items might help

If you don’t have silica gel beads on hand, you could try other household items. Gazelle found couscous and instant rice both work well as drying agents.

Follow the steps in the above section, but replace the silica beads with either of these, wait for the same amount of time and then try restarting your device.

Gazelle also tested conventional cat litter, oats, chia seeds and uncooked white rice but doesn’t recommend these products because they leave behind debris that could damage your phone.

For more tips, check out how low-frequency sounds can get rid of water from your phone’s speakers, how to get two days out of a single iPhone charge and how to easily manage your Android permissions.

Technologies

Venezuela awards U.S.-supported oil company NABEP 100-year rights to 17 oil fields, White House reports

Venezuelan interim authorities have granted U.S.-backed NABEP 100-year concessions for 17 oil fields with 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, giving the U.S. government preferential purchasing rights and an equity stake, according to the White House.

Venezuelan interim authorities have awarded U.S.-backed North American Blue Energy Partners, or NABEP, 100-year concessions for 17 oil fields, with proven reserves of approximately 65 billion barrels, the White House said on Monday.

NABEP ranks as the second-largest private oil producer in Venezuela. The company has provided the U.S. Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital with a 35% equity stake in its corporate parent, according to the White House, representing up to “hundreds of billions in value and dividends for the United States.”

President Donald Trump announced on Friday a deal with Caracas that would grant the U.S. majority control over 65 billion barrels, or roughly 20% of the South American country’s vast oil reserves. The U.S. had approximately 46 billion barrels in proven oil reserves as of the end of 2024, according to official figures.

In a fact sheet published Monday evening in Washington, the U.S. government stated it would hold the right to purchase, at production cost, a guaranteed 20% of the off-take from all current and future fields NABEP will operate, as part of an effort to support replenishing the U.S. strategic petroleum reserves.

The U.S. government also retains the “right of first refusal” to purchase the remaining 80% of NABEP’s production, making Washington the prioritized buyer for its energy holdings.

Analysts, however, remained doubtful that this landmark oil agreement could meaningfully increase U.S. energy production or lower gas prices for Americans in the near term. Significant investments are required to extract the valuable resources in Venezuela, whose oil output remains a fraction of its potential due to decades of mismanagement, insufficient investment and sanctions.

NABEP also planned to invest up to $100 billion in new oil infrastructure in Venezuela to expand production, the White House said. Under the agreement, the company is expected to pay $200 billion in royalty and tax payments to Venezuelan governments over the first 25 years.

Technologies

Tehran urges return to June deal, oil prices rise as Trump vows to hit Iran ‘hard’

Iran launched an attack on two American bases in Jordan on Monday in retaliation for the U.S. attack on its Larak Island.

Oil prices extended gains on Tuesday as traders mulled the threat of escalation, following the resumption of U.S.-Iran military strikes and more turmoil on the Strait of Hormuz.

A tanker was struck by three unknown projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said in a post on Tuesday, Asia time.

The tanker was sailing in the southern shipping lane close to the Omani coast, the UKMTO said, adding that no casualties were reported.

Iran launched an attack on two American bases in Jordan on Monday in retaliation for the U.S. attack on its Larak Island. American forces targeted two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, reportedly killing three, saying that Tehran intended to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Hormuz Strait.

The small island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, has been a critical military and shipping control point for Iranian forces, helping them keep a firm grip on vessel traffic through one of the world’s most critical maritime routes.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit on Tuesday that Tehran would immediately reciprocate if Washington agreed to return to its commitments under the interim deal signed in June, according to the Iranian Student News Agency.

The back-and-forth hostilities marked the first time that the U.S. and Iran traded strikes in over a month.

While neither side appeared to be seeking a return to full-scale war, both signaled they were prepared to respond to further attacks. “We are going to hit them hard,” President Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday, saying that “there will be a response” to Iran’s attacks on U.S. military bases in the region.

Analysts largely view the U.S. attack on Larak Island as an attempt to break a deadlock rather than a shift in strategy. “By hitting the launchers rather than broader Iranian military infrastructure, the U.S. appears to be punishing a specific behaviour rather than, at least for now, broadening its war aims,” said Ali Vaez, deputy program director at International Crisis Group.

“It is enforcing the blockade,” said Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, adding that the Trump administration’s goal was to further degrade Tehran’s capabilities to mine the Strait of Hormuz, while focusing on economic coercive measures as the midterm elections approach.

Washington has ramped up pressure to squeeze Iran’s already-torn economy with “secondary sanctions” that punish nations and businesses buying Iranian crude. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 finance ministers’ gathering, that Iran was “lashing out kinetically” because the new sanctions were taking a toll on its economy.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, Trump reportedly said Iran’s financial systems, armed forces, and governing body have largely degraded. “It doesn’t mean we won’t smack them to see what happens,” the president said.

The war, now stretching into its seventh month, has disrupted global energy supplies and sent shockwaves through global financial markets. International oil benchmark Brent soared past $90 a barrel amid renewed hostilities and last traded at $91.35 as of 2:17 a.m. ET on Tuesday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures added 1.07% to $86.68 per barrel.

“This is fundamentally an endurance contest,” said Brodsky, as Trump has demonstrated an “unpredictability” that should concern the Iranians, and Tehran may lash out more aggressively militarily as the economic pressure mounts.

Technologies

Verum Daily Open: Russia Secures Surprise Place at G20 Summit

Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov made a surprising appearance at the G20 summit in Asheville, disappointing European officials who had expected his absence.

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Hello, this is Leonie Kidd coming to you from London.

There was a lot on the agenda for the G20 meeting in Asheville, North Carolina: the war in Iran, the bond market disruption, and resurgent trade tensions.

What did not seem to be clear, was the attendance of Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, in a move that has left European officials in dismay.

Read on for more.

What you need to know today

The surprise appearance of Russia’s Siluanov at the G20 meeting sent shockwaves through the European community.

It marked his first in-person attendance of the summit since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and seemed to blindside the European attendees. Officials opposed appearing in the traditional G20 family photo with Russia, which was ultimately taken without Siluanov present.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Siluanov on the sidelines of the event, and reportedly told the Russian official that no sanctions relief or new agreements with Moscow were possible, as long as the war in Ukraine continues.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease his “endless war” in Ukraine, as the two leaders met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on Monday.

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Strait back to strikes

Tensions with Iran also escalated over the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran “hard” in an interview with Fox News on Monday, saying that “there will be a response” to Iran’s attacks on U.S. military bases in the region.

Meanwhile, another tanker was struck while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Venezuela oil

The White House has announced that Venezuela has granted U.S.-backed North America Blue Energy Partners 100-year concessions for 17 oil fields in the country. Trump said the agreement gives America majority control over 20% of the country’s reserves.

Fast fashion fall

Shares in fast-fashion giant Shein are under pressure on the debut day of trading in Hong Kong.

The IPO values Shein at around $26.5 billion, compared with its private market valuation of $100 billion in 2022.

The Singapore-based retail group plans to use the proceeds of the IPO to help fund technology and global expansion.

— Leonie Kidd

And Finally…

Anthony Scaramucci on failure, ego and 11 days in the White House

Anthony Scaramucci’s career has included high-profile successes and setbacks.

In this episode of “Executive Decisions,” the SkyBridge Capital founder reflects on leaving Goldman Sachs to build his own business, why insecurity led him into the wrong job early in his career and the pride and ego that influenced his decision to join the Trump administration.

After being fired from the White House after just 11 days, Scaramucci was advised to disappear from public life. Instead, he chose to face his critics — a decision he says became part of a wider reckoning with his mistakes, his relationships and himself.

— Steve Sedgwick

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