Remove Water from iPhone Using YouTube Video

A YouTube video claims to be able to remove water from your iPhone. Tests show it actually works to some extent.

A tech journalist was skeptical of the comments on the video, then decided to call iFixit to check the claim.

The 2-minute video, titled Sound To Remove Water From Phone Speaker (GUARANTEED), has garnered around 45 million views over a period of 4 years.

The video has also garnered more than 140,000 comments, many of whom claim they tried it and found it effective. The Verge's David Pierce tried it and it seemed to work, but wondered if it was just a coincidence.

I encountered this first hand earlier this year after my nephew's phone slipped out of his pocket and fell into a river near his Airbnb in a small town in Virginia. Miraculously, we found his phone, brought it inside, and started trying to dry it out. A while later, a friend of his casually suggested playing "one of those videos that helps water get out." We turned on "Sound To Remove Water From Phone Speaker (GUARANTEED)" and the phone was finally fine.

Since then, I've been trying to figure out if these videos actually work, or if phones have gotten much more water-resistant and durable in recent years? Should we stop recommending rice and start recommending videos?

Apple declined to comment, although the Apple Watch's water-propulsion system works in a similar way. Audio company Bose says the theory sounds plausible.

All the speaker really does is push air around, and if you can push enough air, with enough force, you can push liquid droplets out. “The lowest sound that speaker can reproduce, at the loudest volume it can play,” says Eric Freeman, senior director of research at Bose. “That’s going to create the most air movement, pushing the water out of the phone.”

Generally, the bigger the speaker, the louder and deeper the sound. Phone speakers are usually very small. “So those YouTube videos aren’t really deep,” says Freeman. “But it’s within the bass range that a phone can produce . ”

iFixit tested the video with four phones, including the iPhone 13, and it works — to a point.

While playing the video on each phone, Ritter also shot a close-up of the speaker on each phone, and in every case, the phone immediately began to spray a series of water droplets. The effect didn't last long, but it was clear that it was spraying water that would otherwise remain inside the phone.

However, the benefits, as you might expect, are limited to the speaker. If you get water in the USB port, SIM slot, or under the buttons, the video won't help.