What is Water Eject?
Water Eject is a speaker cleaner sound. When your phone gets wet, small droplets stick to the fine mesh over the speaker. They block the opening, so calls, music and ringtones sound quiet, muffled or crackly. Shaking the phone rarely gets them out because surface tension holds the water in place.
A low, loud tone solves this. It forces the speaker cone to move back and forth over its full range more than a hundred times a second. Each movement pushes a puff of air through the mesh and knocks the droplets loose. Apple built the same trick into the Apple Watch, where turning off Water Lock after a swim plays a tone to clear the speaker. This water eject sound brings that to any phone with a web browser.
The four clean modes
Different speakers, and different kinds of blockage, respond to different sounds. Start with Standard and move on only if you need to.
| Mode | Sound | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 155 Hz sine wave, pulsing | Water in the main (bottom) speaker. The right first choice for most phones. |
| Deep | 130 Hz sawtooth wave, fast pulse | Stubborn water that Standard did not clear. Harsher and louder. |
| Ultra | 16 kHz steady tone | The small earpiece speaker at the top of the phone, which cannot play low notes. |
| Dust | 180 Hz triangle wave, rapid pulse | Dry dust, lint and pocket fluff rather than water. |
The pitch slider lets you move the tone between 100 Hz and 300 Hz. If you hear the speaker buzz noticeably louder at one point, that is its resonant frequency, and it is the most effective place to leave it. For anything outside that range, use the frequency generator.
Water eject for iPhone and Android
The tool is a web page, so it behaves the same on every device. A few things differ by phone:
iPhone and iPad
iPhones have two speakers: one at the bottom edge and one in the earpiece. Run Standard for the bottom speaker, then Ultra for the earpiece. Silent Mode must be off. See the iPhone water eject guide, or set up the Siri shortcut.
Android phones
Works on Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco, Realme, Vivo, Oppo, Motorola and Pixel. Raise media volume, not ring volume. More in the Android water eject guide.
What to do, and what to avoid
Do
- Unplug the charger straight away.
- Dry the outside with a soft cloth.
- Run the eject sound with the speaker facing down.
- Leave the phone in moving air for a few hours.
Don't
- Put the phone in a bowl of rice.
- Use a hair dryer or leave it in direct sun.
- Push pins, toothpicks or cotton buds into the speaker.
- Charge it while the port is still wet.
If water got into the charging port as well, read how to dry an iPhone charging port. If the phone was underwater for more than a few seconds, follow the steps in how to fix a water damaged phone before you do anything else.
When sound will not be enough
The eject tone only clears the speaker opening. It cannot dry the inside of a phone. If the screen flickers, the phone gets hot, it will not charge once dry, or it will not switch on, power it off and take it to an authorised service centre.
Frequently asked questions
What is Water Eject?
Water Eject is a sound that pushes water out of a phone speaker. It is a low tone, usually between 130 Hz and 180 Hz, that makes the speaker cone move back and forth as far as it can. That movement shakes the droplets sitting on the speaker mesh until they fall out. This page plays that sound directly in your browser.
Does the water eject sound really work?
It works for water that is sitting in the speaker grille and on the mesh, which is what makes a phone sound muffled after a splash, rain or a quick dip. Apple uses the same idea on the Apple Watch to clear its speaker. It cannot dry the inside of a phone, so it will not help a device that was soaked for a long time or has stopped working.
How long should I play the sound?
One run is 60 seconds and the tool stops by itself. Most phones need one to three runs. Wipe the speaker with a dry cloth between runs. If the sound is still muffled after five runs, leave the phone to air-dry for a few hours and try again.
Is it safe for my phone speaker?
Yes. The tone is ordinary audio at a volume your speaker is built to play, the same as bass in music. Keep each session short and let the speaker rest for a minute between runs. Do not hold the phone against your ear while it plays.
Why is there no sound on my iPhone?
Check that the Ring/Silent switch (or Silent Mode in Control Centre) is off, turn the volume up with the side buttons, and disconnect Bluetooth earphones or speakers so the tone plays from the phone itself. Then tap the button again.
Which mode should I use?
Start with Standard. If the speaker still sounds muffled, try Deep, which is a harsher 130 Hz wave that moves the speaker cone more. Use Dust for dry lint and fine dust, and Ultra for the small earpiece speaker at the top of the phone.
Do I need to download an app?
No. The tool runs in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Samsung Internet on any phone, tablet or laptop. Nothing is installed and nothing is uploaded.
Does putting a wet phone in rice help?
No. Rice does not pull water out of a phone any faster than open air, and dust and small grains can get stuck in the charging port and speaker holes. Apple specifically advises against it. Air-drying and the eject sound are safer.
More answers on the FAQ page, and the physics is explained in how it works.