iPhone water eject: does the speaker cleaner shortcut work?
iPhone has no built in water eject. The shortcut can help a muffled speaker, but it cannot dry the inside of your phone.
Photo by Brian Huynh on Unsplash
You dropped your iPhone in a sink or got caught in the rain, and now calls sound muffled. Apple Watch can eject water with a built in feature, and many people expect the iPhone to do the same. It cannot. What you will find instead are free Shortcuts and paid apps that play a sound for a few seconds. They are a simple thing to try, as long as you know what they can and cannot do.
How the Water Eject shortcut works
The shortcut plays a steady low frequency tone through the speaker. The vibration is meant to shake water droplets out of the speaker grill. The makers say the tone is around 165 Hz, but that claim has not been proven by independent tests. In practice it often helps with water sitting right behind the grill, which is the cause of most muffled speaker sound after a splash.
The fix
Use a Water Eject shortcut safely
- 1
Pick the shortcut.
Open the shortcut link from a source you trust and tap Add Shortcut. Check that it uses only a play sound action. Do not accept permissions you do not understand.
- 2
Wipe the iPhone and hold it speaker side down.
Dry the outside with a soft cloth. Hold the phone at an angle so water can run out.
- 3
Turn the volume up and run the shortcut.
Open the Shortcuts app and tap it, or ask Siri to run it by name. The tone plays for a few seconds.
- 4
Wipe the speaker grill and repeat once or twice.
Stop if the sound gets painful or distorted.
Free shortcut or paid app?
Several App Store apps with Water Eject or Speaker Cleaner in the name do the same thing as the free shortcut. Many ask for a subscription. Start with the free shortcut. If the speaker clears, you do not need an app. Be careful of apps that promise to repair the phone, because a tone cannot fix hardware.
What the shortcut cannot do
- It cannot dry the inside of the iPhone or protect the circuit board from corrosion.
- It cannot fix a charging port that is wet. Do not charge until the Liquid Detected warning clears.
- It cannot repair a speaker that was damaged by water or a drop.
If your iPhone shows a warning when you plug it in, see the Liquid Detected warning. For wider water damage, read what to do after water damage.
What to do (and not do) with a wet iPhone
- 1
Turn the iPhone off if it got fully soaked, and unplug any cable.
- 2
Wipe it with a soft, lint free cloth.
Tap the iPhone gently against your hand with the connector facing down to shake out water.
- 3
Leave it in open, dry air.
A spot with airflow works. Give it time before you charge it.
- 4
Do not put it in rice, use a hair dryer or heat, or blow compressed air into the ports.
Heat can damage the battery. Air can push water deeper. Rice grains can lodge in the speaker and port.
Speaker still muffled after a day?
If the sound is still dull or crackly after the phone has dried, the cause may not be water. Dust and lint in the grill, a screen protector or case covering the speaker, or damage from the water can all do it. Check why your speaker is not working. If it is still bad, a repair shop or an Apple Store can open the phone and check for corrosion. The sooner the better, because water damage gets worse with time.
Frequently asked questions
Does iPhone have a built in water eject?
No. Apple Watch has Water Lock, which ejects water from the speaker. iPhone does not, so people use a Shortcut or an app that plays a sound to shake water out of the speaker.
Does the Water Eject shortcut really work?
It can clear water sitting in the speaker grill and make a muffled speaker clearer. It cannot dry the inside of the phone, and the makers' claims about the exact sound are not independently proven.
Should I put my wet iPhone in rice?
No. Rice does not dry a phone well and its dust and grains can get into ports and speaker grills. Let the iPhone dry in open air instead.
When can I charge a wet iPhone?
Not while it shows the Liquid Detected warning. Unplug it, let it dry in open air, and charge only when the port is dry and the warning is gone.
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