How to get water out of an iPhone speaker

Quick answer: Unplug any cable, then hold the iPhone with the bottom speaker facing down and tap it gently against your palm to let water run out. Play a low tone around 165 Hz at full volume for 30 seconds to shake drops off the speaker grille, then leave the phone somewhere dry with moving air. Don’t use rice, a hair dryer or compressed air.

Why the speaker sounds muffled

The speaker sits behind a fine mesh grille at the bottom edge. Water clings to that mesh and to the cavity behind it, damping the sound until it evaporates or is pushed out. Recent iPhones are rated IP67 or IP68 (resistant to submersion for up to 30 minutes), so a splash or a quick dunk usually leaves only this surface water, not damage. Water resistance isn’t permanent, though, and liquid damage generally isn’t covered by Apple’s warranty.

Step 1: Apple’s drying steps

These come from Apple’s support page for liquid-detection alerts, and they apply to the speaker too:

1. Unplug the charging cable or accessory, and don’t plug it back in until everything is dry.
2. Tap gently against your hand with the connector (and speaker) facing down to remove excess liquid.
3. Leave it in a dry area with some airflow, like in front of a fan blowing cool air.
4. Wait at least 30 minutes before charging. If you see the liquid alert again, leave it for up to a day.

Apple’s list of things not to do: no external heat (no hair dryer), no compressed air, nothing pushed into the port (no cotton swab, no paper towel), and no bag of rice. In a real emergency, the alert lets you override and charge anyway, and wireless charging still works once the back of the phone is dry.

Step 2: Shake the drops out with a low tone

A loud, low frequency moves the speaker cone a long way, and each movement pushes on the water caught in the grille. With the speaker facing down, gravity takes the drops out. This is what water eject apps and Apple Watch’s built-in feature do. The usual frequency is about 165 Hz.

1. Turn the volume all the way up.
2. Hold the iPhone speaker-side down.
3. Play the tone for 30 seconds. You’ll often see a fine spray or drops on the surface below.
4. Wipe the edge dry, rest a minute, and repeat if it still sounds muffled.

You can play the tone from the free online tone generator (choose the 165 Hz preset), but that needs the phone’s browser and a working connection.

Step 3: Check it worked

Record a short voice memo and play it back, or play a song at medium volume. If the speaker is clear, you’re done. If it still sounds muffled after a day of drying and a few rounds of the tone, the speaker may have damage or debris; contact Apple Support.

Which method should you use?