How to get water out of an iPhone speaker

The 5-minute rescue, step by step

1. Get it out and wipe it. Dry the outside with a lint-free cloth. Take the case off. Cases trap water against the grille.
2. Tap gently, speaker-down. Hold the phone with the bottom edge pointing down and tap it lightly against your palm a few times.
3. Play the pulse. Keep it pointed down at roughly 45° over a cloth and run the 165 Hz pulse above for 60 seconds.
4. Repeat two or three times with a short rest. Wipe away any drops that appear on the grille.
5. Air-dry. Leave it in a dry spot with some airflow (not in a sealed bag) for a few hours.
6. Check both speakers. Run the speaker test at low volume and compare Left and Right.

Where the speakers actually are on an iPhone

Many people panic because one bottom grille stays silent after getting wet. On most iPhone models that's how it was built:

To tell which bottom grille is yours, play the speaker test and put a fingertip lightly near each one: the speaker grille vibrates.

Mistakes that make it worse

• Rice. Apple says small particles of rice can damage the phone. It also doesn't dry faster than open air.
• Compressed air. It can push water further in, past the seals, instead of out.
• Hair dryers and heaters. Heat is hard on the battery and the adhesive seals.
• Cotton swabs, pins or toothpicks. The mesh is thin; poking it can tear it or pack water and lint deeper.
• Charging while the port is wet. Wait for the liquid-detection alert to clear.

Water eject sound for iPhone: shortcut or this page?

Both play the same kind of low tone; this page just skips the setup. iPhone has no built-in water eject button, so people use a Siri Shortcut or a web tone. If you want one tap from the Home Screen, follow the water eject shortcut guide. For the full tool with sweep modes, open the iPhone water eject page.

Speaker water vs "Liquid Detected" alert

They are two separate problems. A muffled speaker means water is sitting on the speaker mesh. Sound can help with that. A liquid-detection alert means the charging port is wet. Sound does nothing there. Unplug, tap the phone port-down, and let it dry before charging, as in Apple's guidance below.

Pool, sea or drink? What changes

IP ratings are tested with fresh water in a lab. Salt water, chlorine, coffee or soda leave residue as they dry, which can keep the speaker muffled or crackly after the water itself is gone. Apple's cleaning advice for those liquids is to rinse the outside briefly with tap water, then dry it. If it still sounds wrong after drying, read the muffled speaker guide or the crackling guide.

iPhone vs Apple Watch Water Lock

Apple Watch has Water Lock built in: when you turn it off, the watch plays a tone to clear its speaker. iPhone has no such setting, which is why browser tools and shortcuts exist. Our water eject tool runs the same 165 Hz pulse with extra options; nothing is installed and nothing is recorded. If the Siri Shortcut plays nothing on your phone, read our Water Eject Shortcut troubleshooting and alternatives.

When to stop and get it checked

A tone only moves loose water on the outside of the mesh. Contact Apple or an authorised repair provider if the speaker is still muffled after 24 hours of drying, it crackles or rattles, the screen shows fog or spots, or the phone gets warm. Not sure what you're hearing? The speaker diagnostic asks two questions and points you to the right check. Our consumer hardware testing methodology explains what these tools can and can't measure.