What to Do if Your AirPods Get Wet

The AirPods are fantastic, and they can make your life so much easier. They allow you to enjoy high-quality sound no matter where you are because they can block outside noise. You can listen to your favorite podcast and learn new things while doing some repetitive task. They allow you to bring your favorite music with you when you go jogging.

However, you should take good care of your AirPods, as they are small and fragile. Everyone warns you that you shouldn’t use liquids around them. Even if you are super careful, sometimes you can’t avoid certain situations.

What Happens When the Airpods Get Wet?

There’s no universal answer to this question. Everything depends on how wet the earbuds get, or, to put it in other words: it depends on how lucky you are. Maybe you were jogging outside, and it suddenly started raining. A few drops of rain probably won’t damage them, if you react on time. The goal is to prevent water from getting inside.

Of course, accidentally dropping your AirPods in the bathtub or into the sea is an entirely different situation. If they get soaked, the chances are that they will be damaged. You may have heard stories of AirPods that survived machine washing, but that happens rarely, and those people were super lucky.

Remember that the AirPods aren’t officially waterproof, and Apple always warns its users that they should protect them from water. You shouldn’t even clean them with a wet cloth. However, if this situation happens, there are some things that you can do and try to repair them. We’ll explain everything in detail.

What Should I Do?

The first rule is that you shouldn’t panic. You have to react quickly, and if you start panicking, you will be losing precious time. Your first idea would probably be to let the water out somehow, but you will then realize that it is impossible to open the AirPods.

You should dry them with a towel or absorbent cloth. You could then try to get the water out by shaking the earbuds. Do that for a couple of minutes until you get out as much water as possible. After that, put them in some dry place and let them dry for at least two to three days.

In the next couple of days, you shouldn’t turn them on by any means. You have to be patient because if you turn them on before they’re entirely dry, you might damage them even more. Give them a chance to dry on their own, and maybe they will start working again.

You might even use a blow dryer to dry your AirPods faster. It will get the exterior dry in a matter of minutes, but it might not be that helpful with water inside the earbuds. Also, if you don’t have a dry cloth or towel nearby, cotton swabs can help as well.

What About the Charging Case?

If your AirPods were in their charging case when they got wet, the chances are that the case protected them. However, the charging case might be damaged, and you should try to repair it.

Take the AirPods out of the case and close it. You should use silica gel to surround your charging case and let it dry for a couple of days.

You’ve probably heard that many people used rice to dry their devices, but we wouldn’t suggest that. Some scientists believe that rice can speed up the corrosion process, and we’re trying to avoid that by any means necessary.

You shouldn’t attempt to use the charging case to charge your AirPods for at least a couple of days. It could be very dangerous if it isn’t entirely dry.

Additional Ideas

You could try to reset your AirPods. Go to your iPhone Settings and then to Bluetooth settings. You will see all the devices connected to your iPhone, and you should scroll down until you see your AirPods. Click on Forget this device sign next to them.

Now you can try to pair them with your iPhone again. Of course, you can do this only if your AirPods are working.

What If They Are Not Working?

If you are lucky, your AirPods will start working again as if nothing happened. But if they got soaked in the water, the chances are that they won’t be able to turn on or that the sound quality will suffer. The only thing you can do is to test them and see what’s happening.

The good thing is that if only one AirPod stopped working, you can buy one and replace it. It often happens because water doesn’t enter both sides equally. However, if both stopped working, you will probably need to buy a new pair of AirPods.

Dry at Last

The best strategy is not to let your AirPods get wet. However, if you’re reading this article, maybe it’s too late for that. The most important thing is to be patient and give your AirPods plenty of time to dry.

Has this ever happened to you? What happened to your AirPods? Did they start working again, or you had to replace them? Let us know in the comments section below.