Few mobile phones are available today that work well even after getting soaked in the rain, or worse, being dropped in water. With Holi round the corner, it is imperative for you to worry about your mobile phone. Of course you can use hands-free or Bluetooth, though that won’t make your handset waterproof. With coloured water-filled balloons flying and people spraying water from all sides during Holi, it is very hard to keep one’s phone dry.
Well, you can keep your phone at home but if you do that you won’t be able to keep in touch with your friends, or click those rare Holi pictures.
So here are some tips to waterproof your phone and enjoy Holi without compromise.
Inexpensive safeguarding tips
Using transparent plastic shopping bags and zip-lock pouches are inexpensive means of saving your phone from rain. Make use of rubber bands to pack the mobile handset in several layers of plastic shopping bags.
In case you plan to use this method, keep a pouch of silica gel or desiccant granules in the package to keep the device moisture free.
Place the handset in the innermost pocket of a raincoat or wind-cheater, but ensure that the latter is water proof. Make use of features like voicemail to store voice messages, and use call-forwarding to get calls attended by someone else.
Waterproof accessories
The safest bet is to buy waterproof covers not only for Holi but also for daily use, especially during Monsoon. Several such accessories are available starting at Rs 100, and they can range up to the price of an entry level smartphone. These accessories are made by brands like Otterbox, Pelican, iBall and others.
Do note that using water proof and Silicon or thermoplastic polyurethane cases may save your handset from rain, but that doesn’t bail out moisture so ensure you take out the handset often and clean it, along with the case, with dry tissues.
Waterproof handsets
Select waterproof and dust resistant handset models. Most are budget friendly. Such waterproof models include Intex IN 3030, Motorola Defy, Motorola Wilder, and Micromax X50. You can refer to a previous article on The Mobile Indian for such rugged mobile phones.
Sonim Technologies is one handset maker that offers smartphones for the harshest conditions and its devices cost as much as good smartphones do – at approximately Rs 18,000 for a used device to Rs 38,000 for a new one.
Despite these measures if your phone does get wet, here is a list of measures to increase the chances of resurrecting it:
Dealing with a wet mobile phone
The first thing to do with a wet mobile phone is to pull out the battery. Cutting off the power to the phone will increase chances of the device’s recovery. Do not try to turn on a wet phone as it may cause a low-level short circuit and damage core components of the handset. Wrap the wet phone, SIM card module, Memory card and battery separately in paper sheets or moisture absorbing dry tissues.
Wipe the wet components of the phone with a clean cotton cloth or tissues, and don’t turn on the phone immediately. Chances are that it still isn’t completely dry. Avoid using a hair dryer to dry the phone or putting it into an oven or microwave at low temperature. By doing that you’re totally killing all possibilities of saving your mobile phone. Instead, leave the phone components in a dry place like near a window or under indirect sunlight.
If the phone was heavily soaked, use the famous rice method. Take a bowl of raw rice and submerge the phone, battery and SIM card in it for at least 24 hours. Leave it unattended and do not turn it on until after half a day or so. Let it dry completely.
Alternatively, soak the components in silica gel sachets that can be found in new bags, insulated thermoware etc. These absorb moisture.
When everything else fails, take your phone to a reliable mobile service station and be honest about what happened to the device.