Fix My Speakers

Eject water from your phone speaker

One tap plays three short tones that shake water and dust out of the speaker grille.

This tool needs JavaScript to play sound. Until it is enabled, use the manual method:

  1. Take the case off and hold the phone with the speaker pointing down.
  2. Tap it gently against your palm several times.
  3. Dab the grille with a dry cloth and leave the phone in moving air for a few hours.

High-volume, low-frequency tones played at maximum for long periods can damage small speakers.

How it works

Three steps, about a minute in total.

Dropped your phone in the sink, the pool or the rain? Water that gets into the speaker opening sits on a fine mesh in front of the speaker. It blocks the sound, so calls and music turn quiet, muffled or crackly, and anything left behind when it dries can keep the mesh clogged.

This tool does what a smartwatch does after a swim. It plays low tones at full volume, which make the speaker cone move a long way back and forth. That movement breaks up the water on the mesh and throws the droplets out through the grille. Hold the phone with the speaker pointing down and you can often see them land.

It clears the speaker only. Water deeper inside the phone needs drying time or a repair shop.

Water leaving a phone speaker while the tone plays.
  1. Get readyTurn the volume to maximum, take the case off and hold the phone with the speaker pointing down over a cloth.
  2. Play the toneA low sweep makes the speaker cone move far enough to break up the water and throw it out through the grille.
  3. Listen, then stopPlay a voice memo. If it is still muffled, run one more cycle and let the phone dry. Three cycles is the limit.

Which mode to use

Fix all runs every mode once with a single tap. Pick one mode if you already know the problem.

ModeSoundLengthUse it when
Fix allEject water, then Vibrate, then Clear dust80 s in totalYou are not sure what is wrong, or you want one tap to clear water and loose dust together.
Eject waterSmooth sine sweep, 165 to 110 Hz2 × 30 sThe speaker is muffled, quiet or crackly after getting wet.
VibrateRough square sweep, 60 to 45 Hz2 × 30 sEject water helped but the sound is still dull. A different shake moves stubborn droplets.
Clear dustBuzzy sawtooth sweep, 440 to 165 Hz1 × 20 sThe speaker is dry but has faded over weeks. Brush the grille first, then run this.

Is it water, or something else?

The tone only helps when water is the cause. These signs tell you which problem you have.

Signs of water in the speaker

  • The sound changed suddenly, right after a splash, rain, a shower or a drop in water.
  • Voices sound as if they are coming through a cloth.
  • There is a crackle or buzz that was not there before.
  • One speaker is clearly quieter than the other.

Signs of a different problem

What the tone can and cannot do

It can

  • Break up the film of water sitting on the speaker mesh.
  • Throw droplets out through the grille when the speaker points down.
  • Shake loose dry dust and lint after brushing.
  • Work on the bottom speaker and the earpiece, one at a time.

It cannot

  • Remove water from the charging port, the screen or inside the phone.
  • Clean off salt, sugar or soap left behind when a liquid dries.
  • Repair a torn speaker cone or a corroded contact.
  • Do more by running longer. Three cycles is the useful limit.

Why a wet speaker sounds muffled

A few drops are enough. The speaker itself is usually fine.

A phone speaker is a thin cone sitting in a small chamber, covered by a fine mesh and then the grille you can see. The mesh is there to keep dust out, and it does the same to water: droplets bridge the tiny holes and cling there by surface tension.

With the holes covered, the cone cannot push air freely. High notes are lost first, which is why voices sound dull and far away. If water is touching the cone itself, it moves unevenly and you hear a crackle or buzz as well.

Left alone, clean water evaporates in a few hours and the sound returns. The trouble comes with pool water, sea water, soap and drinks, which leave a film on the mesh when they dry. Clearing the water while it is still liquid is easier than cleaning off what it leaves behind, and that is the job this tool does.

The same thing happens to the earpiece at the top of the screen. If callers sound faint after the phone got wet, run the tool again with the top edge pointing down.

How to use it on your device

The tone is the same everywhere. What changes is where the speaker is and which volume control to use.

iPhone

Make sure the phone is not in silent mode and raise the volume with the side buttons. Clear the bottom speaker first, then turn the phone over and run it again for the earpiece. If a liquid warning appears when you plug in a cable, unplug it and let the port dry. More in how to eject water from an iPhone speaker.

Android phones

Press a volume button and raise the Media slider, not the ring volume. Switch Bluetooth off so the tone does not play through headphones or a car. Phones with a speaker on the bottom edge and another in the earpiece need one run for each. See how to fix an Android phone speaker.

Earbuds and AirPods

Take them out of your ears first. Lay them mesh-down on a cloth, use a moderate volume and run Clear dust or Eject water once. Their drivers are tiny, so expect a smaller effect and let them air-dry before they go back in the case. See how to clean AirPods and earbud mesh.

Tablets, laptops and Bluetooth speakers

Any device with a browser can play the tone. Tilt it so the wet speaker faces down. Larger speakers move more air, so half volume is usually enough. For a Bluetooth speaker, connect it, then open this page on your phone and play the tone through it.

Getting the best result

Most disappointing runs come down to volume, the case or the angle.

Before and during

  • Wipe the outside of the phone dry first, including the grille.
  • Turn the media volume all the way up. Half volume barely moves the cone.
  • Take the case off. Many cases cover part of the grille and trap water.
  • Point the wet speaker straight down, a few centimetres above a cloth.
  • Hold the phone still. Hard shaking can push water further inside.
  • Dab droplets off the grille as they appear. Do not wipe across the holes.

Afterwards

  • Play a voice memo or a podcast. Speech shows muffling better than music.
  • Compare both speakers with the left and right sound test.
  • Still dull? Leave the phone in moving air for a few hours, then test again.
  • Do not charge by cable until the charging port is dry.
  • Skip rice, hair dryers and compressed air. They do not help and can do harm.
  • If one speaker is still silent the next day, follow the phone speaker checklist.

Water resistant is not waterproof

A rating describes what the phone survived in a lab when new. It says nothing about how the speaker sounds afterwards.

RatingWhat it is tested againstWhat it means for the speaker
No ratingNothingTreat any liquid as serious. Switch the phone off, dry it, and use the tone only once it is working normally.
IPX4Splashes from any directionRain and sweat are fine for the phone, but drops still sit in the grille and muffle the sound.
IP67Immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for 30 minutesThe inside stays dry after a short dunk. The speaker chamber still fills and needs clearing.
IP68Immersion deeper than 1 metre, to a depth and time set by the makerThe best protection on phones, with the same limit: water in the grille has to come out or dry out.

Ratings are tested in fresh water. Seals wear with age, drops and repairs, and no rating covers salt water, soap or hot water.

From the guides

Plain, step-by-step help for wet, dirty, quiet and faulty speakers.

Common questions

Short answers about what the tone does, how long to run it and whether it is safe.

See all questions about the tools and water damage

How long should I run the water eject sound?

Each cycle lasts 30 seconds and the tool runs two by default. If the speaker is still muffled you can add one more, up to a limit of three per run. After that, stop and let the phone air-dry, because anything the tone can reach has already moved.

What volume should I use?

For the water eject tool, turn the media volume to maximum, since the cone has to move a long way to break up the water. For the tone generator, do the opposite: start low and raise it slowly.

Does it work on Android and iPhone?

Yes. The tools run in any current mobile browser and nothing needs installing. On an iPhone, make sure the phone is not in silent mode. On both, disconnect Bluetooth headphones first or the tone will play through them.

Does the sound really remove water?

It removes water from the speaker itself. A low, loud tone makes the speaker cone move far enough to break the film of water on the mesh and throw droplets out through the grille. It does nothing for water elsewhere inside the phone, such as in the charging port.

Is it safe for the speaker?

For a short run, yes. It asks no more of the speaker than loud music does. The risk is long, repeated use: high-volume, low-frequency tones played at maximum for long periods can damage small speakers, which is why the tool stops on its own and limits each run to three cycles.

What if nothing comes out?

You will not always see droplets. A thin film can break up into a mist too fine to notice, or the water may already have drained. Check that the volume is at maximum, the case is off, Bluetooth is disconnected and the speaker is pointing down. If the sound is still muffled after three cycles, leave the phone in moving air for a few hours.

Can I use it on AirPods or other earbuds?

With care. Take the earbuds out of your ears, place them mesh-down on a cloth and use a moderate volume. Earbud drivers are tiny, so the effect is limited, and they need more drying time than a phone. Never run a loud tone through earbuds while wearing them. See the guide to cleaning AirPods and earbud mesh.

What if only one speaker is quiet?

Use the stereo sound test to confirm which side it is. Then run the water eject tool with that speaker pointing down, and clean its grille with a soft dry brush. If it is still quiet the next day, follow the phone speaker checklist.

More tools

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Guides by problem

Thirteen guides in four groups. Each group has one to start with.