Water eject sound for your phone
Got your phone wet and now the sound is muffled or crackly? This water eject sound plays a low 165 Hz tone followed by a sweep between 100 and 300 Hz. At these frequencies the speaker diaphragm moves the most and pushes the droplets trapped in the grille out, the same idea as the Water Lock feature on the Apple Watch.
How to use it
- Take the case off, wipe the outside of the phone dry and disconnect any headphones, wired or Bluetooth.
- Turn the phone's media volume all the way up.
- Hold the phone with the speaker facing down: on most models it's the grille on the bottom edge, next to the charging port.
- Tap Eject water and wait for the timer to reach zero. The droplets come out through the grille.
- Tap Test the sound. If it's still muffled, tap Repeat; two or three rounds are usually enough.
Help and explanations
It works in the browser on any phone (iPhone, Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, Motorola) with no app to install. The timer shows how long is left, the screen stays on while the sound plays and the volume ramps up gently over the first few seconds.
Does it really work?
It works for the most common case: water sitting in the grille and in front of the speaker diaphragm after rain, a sink or a pool. The muffled sound improves because the droplet gets out of the way. It doesn't remove dust, sand, pocket lint or corrosion (the viral video promising to clean speakers with sound was debunked), it doesn't dry what got inside the phone and it doesn't fix a damaged speaker. If the sound is still bad after a day of drying, take it to a repair shop.
There's nothing magic about 165 Hz: it's a low frequency that a small phone speaker can still play with force. That's why the fixed tone is followed by a sweep, which runs through the neighboring frequencies and finds the one that moves the water most on your model.
iPhone, Samsung, Pixel and Xiaomi
On iPhone, if there's no sound, turn off Silent mode (side switch or Action button) and check the volume. Apple advises against drying the phone in rice or with a hair dryer or compressed air: leave it somewhere with good airflow. On Samsung, Pixel and other Android phones, the main speaker is on the bottom edge, and many models have a second one at the top, in the earpiece: run one round with each end facing down. Some Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones have a Clear speaker option in Settings that does the same thing.
Tips
- Don't poke cotton swabs, toothpicks or needles into the grille: the mesh and the diaphragm tear easily.
- No hair dryer or oven: heat damages the battery and the adhesive in the water seal.
- Don't charge the phone while it warns about moisture in the charging port.
- A few rounds are enough: there's no need to leave the sound playing for an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Does the water eject sound actually work?
It works for getting droplets out of the grille and the front of the speaker, which is what makes the sound muffled after the phone gets wet. It doesn't dry the inside of the phone, remove dust or corrosion, or fix a broken speaker.
Why 165 Hz?
It's a low frequency that a phone speaker can still play with force, and it makes the diaphragm move a lot. It isn't a magic number, which is why the page also sweeps from 100 to 300 Hz.
How long should I let it play?
One round takes 50 to 80 seconds: 30, 45 or 60 s of tone plus 20 s of sweep. Repeat two or three times if needed. Leaving it on for an hour doesn't help: once the water is out, the rest is drying in a well-ventilated place.
Does it work on iPhone?
It works in Safari and Chrome on iPhone. The iPhone doesn't have the water ejection feature the Apple Watch has, so the sound has to come from a web page or a shortcut. If there's no sound, turn off Silent mode and turn the volume up.
Does it work on Samsung, Pixel and other Android phones?
It works on any phone with a browser. On Android the speaker is usually on the bottom edge; if yours has stereo speakers, run one round with each end facing down.
Does it get water out of the charging port?
No. The sound only moves the speaker diaphragm. For the charging port, tap the phone gently against your palm with the port facing down and let it dry; don't charge while the phone warns about moisture.
What about wet earbuds or headphones?
You can use it with the earbuds out of your ears: connect them, point the sound outlet down and play at medium volume. Never with them in your ears.
Can this sound damage my speaker?
Not in short rounds: it's a volume the speaker was designed for. The risk is leaving it at maximum for hours, which heats the voice coil, and listening up close, which hurts your ears. If you hear crackling or heavy distortion, turn it down.