The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a wonderful smart phone, with a large amount of features and technology that makes it among the best in the industry. However, one lacking feature is that the S6 is by no means waterproof. This is quite the drawback as we approach summer, and pools, summer showers and the occasional cooler filled with melted ice will become much more common sights. If your phone took an unexpected a dip, the good news is you won’t necessarily need to replace it. Here, we look at a few methods of how to fix your Galaxy S6 if you dropped it in water.
Before we get started on unique methods of solving this minor crisis, let’s look at some common guidelines and steps you can take to make these as effective as possible. First, it should go without saying that you should remove the device from any source of dampness as soon as possible. Next, be sure to shut down the phone if it hasn’t automatically shut down, and remove the battery within. This will minimize the chance of irreparable (or very costly) damage. Do keep in mind that removing the battery from your S6 will void its warranty (as it wasn’t designed to be removed) so if your device still has an active warranty, this may be the time to cash in on that. If that is not the case, you can do the following to remove the battery:
Step 1: Gather the following tools: A hair dryer, a phillips screwdriver, a playing card (or credit/debit card) and a small nail file.
Step 2: Use the small nail file to hook into the SIM card tray, and remove it.
Step 3: Heat the back of the phone with the hair dryer for three minutes, aiming particularly at the edges of the phone. This will partially melt the adhesive within the inside that seals the phone.
Step 4: approach the seal at a slight angle with the card, and gently slide the edge against the gap until you can slip a bit just inside the seal.
Step 5: Using the heat source, warm the edge of the card and slowly press up to loosen the panel, applying as little pressure as possible. One properly loosened, remove the battery door.
Step 6: Inside, you will find 13 screws which will need to be undone using the phillips screwdriver. Then, you will need to warm the front plate of the phone for a minute or so to release another layer of adhesive.
Step 7: after being properly warmed, the next step is to remove the screen assembly using the card method mentioned in steps 4 and 5.
Step 8: Next, the motherboard that surrounds the battery should be visible (and completion of the task in sight). Now, very carefully remove the wired connectors of the motherboard and take it out.
Step 9: Lastly, use the card one last time to slide between the phone and the screen, and with the utmost care remove the battery. Now, your S6 battery is finally free.
Method #1: The Hair Dryer Method
The Hair Dryer method is by far the fastest method to drying out your phone, though it may not always be 100% reliable. This method should be attempted if there is a high probability that you will need to be open for contact in a short amount of time (for example, if you have a job that requires you to be on call). After performing the steps mentioned above, dry the phone components as much as possible using a cloth or towel with gentle pressure. Then, plug in a hair dryer on low heat, and apply the heated are to the phone with the screen face down. After applying heat for about 15 minutes, wait about five more. Then pat down one last time with a clean, dry towel and reassemble the phone. Then turn on your phone and with any luck your phone will be in working order, in record time.
Method #2: The Rice and Alcohol Method
Aside from making a decent start to a dinner, Alcohol and Rice can be used to save your phone a vast majority of cases. For this technique, you’ll need a watertight containers (a pair of ziploc bags would be just fine for this), a few cups of rice (your typical white rice or quick cooking rice works best), and a small container of Isopropyl alcohol. After removing the back and battery of the phone, as well as the sim card (if applicable) fill the first bag with the alcohol, and set your phone into it. This will allow for the alcohol to displace the water inside the phone and will be easier to remove as the alcohol will replace the water within the phone, and being more volatile will itself be easier to remove. After a minute or so soak, remove the phone components and give it a quick pat down to remove the excess alcohol. Then, set it screen side up into the bag of rice and ensure it is properly covered by the grains. Then, wait around 24 hours for the rice to absorb the liquid and remove from rice. Lastly, gently brush off any remaining grains that may have stuck themselves into the phones ports or crevices and reassemble your phone, using the reverse of the steps mentioned above. Note: You needn’t soak the pieces that you removed to get to the battery. These can be dried off in the rice without much issue.
Now, there is a slight chance that with either of these methods that once you attempt to reassemble and turn on your phone, it simply won’t. This still doesn’t mean the phone is a lost cause however, and we have a few tricks left up our sleeves to figure out how to undo the damage. One of the first things we can look into is whether it is in fact the phone that is damaged, or the battery itself. To do this, simply plug in the phone. If the charging light does turn on, but the phone fails to function after a few moments then it’s a sign that a replacement battery needs to be ordered. Otherwise, you may need to use the final and most expensive method or repairing your water-logged phone: bringing it to a professional.
As is always the case if you do not feel comfortable violating your warranty or are not confident in your repair skills, it’s advised to find someone with the proper qualifications to aid you. If however you are the adventurous sort, we wish you the best of luck.
