Myth Put to the Test

Can YouTube save your phone from water damage?

Water damage ranks among the most common smartphone issues, alongside cracked screens, defective batteries, and malfunctioning buttons.(Bild: Sheviakova – stock.adobe.com)

Millions of smartphone users turn to YouTube for help when their devices get wet. Special videos there promise to remove the water from the devices. But can that really work?

A momentary lapse of attention in the bathroom or a sudden downpour is all it takes for a smartphone to get wet—and in the worst case, stop working. This actually happens more often than you might think: According to a Statista survey, water or moisture damage ranks among the most common smartphone issues, alongside cracked screens, defective batteries, and malfunctioning buttons.

But what should you do if your device took an accidental dip and no longer works as it should? If hundreds of thousands of YouTube users are to be believed, a video might be the solution...