iPhone Water Damage & WaterKickFrequently Asked Questions

Yes, the core features are 100% free — no in-app purchases, no subscriptions, zero ads, no account required. It is a non-profit project built by an indie developer known as Mizunuki Ojisan (水抜きおじさん). The free tier unlocks unlimited access to the 165Hz eject sound and basic diagnostics. An optional one-time Pro upgrade adds Deep Clean and Full Sweep modes if you want more.

Any iPhone running iOS 17 or later — that covers every model from iPhone XS (2018) onward, including iPhone 15 and 16 series. Older devices still work as long as they can upgrade to iOS 17. iPads are not specifically optimized (their speakers have different resonance), but the browser version plays 165Hz on any device.

Nope. Your Apple Watch already has a built-in water eject feature when you turn off the Water Lock. WaterKick is designed specifically for your iPhone's speakers.

Unlimited — run it until the water is fully out. A good rhythm is 2–3 minutes per cycle, up to five or six cycles, tapping the speaker downward between cycles so gravity helps evict residual droplets. Don't skip the basics though: power off, wipe dry, and let the phone rest in a ventilated place for 48 hours as well.

Yes, completely. The sound files ship inside the app, so once installed you can run it with no signal, in airplane mode, or anywhere off the grid. WaterKick makes no network calls while playing — your audio data and personal info never leave the device, which is handy during overseas travel or backcountry emergencies.

Don't panic. ① Get it out of the water. ② Power off immediately. ③ Remove the SIM and case. ④ Wipe the exterior dry with a towel. ⑤ Run WaterKick (165Hz) to clear the speakers. ⑥ Seal it in a container with silica gel and air-dry for 48 hours. Avoid shaking it, using a hot hairdryer, or burying it in rice — all of those make things worse. For the full playbook, see what to do when you drop your phone in water.

Short answer: no. In fact, Apple specifically warns against it. Tiny rice particles and dust can get lodged in your ports and make things way worse. Stick to silica gel packets or just letting it air dry in a spot with good airflow.

Please don't! Using hot air is a huge no-no. It can damage the battery, melt the internal water-resistant seals, and cause serious problems. A quick blast of cool air near the charging port is okay, but your best bet is always just letting it air dry naturally.

Newer iPhones, like the iPhone 16 series, have an IP68 rating, which means they can technically survive in up to 6 meters of water for 30 minutes. But here's the kicker: that's for a brand-new phone. The seals that keep water out wear down over time. If your phone is more than a year old, it's best to assume it's not as water-resistant as it used to be.

Unfortunately, Apple's standard one-year warranty doesn't cover liquid damage. However, if you have AppleCare+, you're in luck. It covers accidental damage, so you can get it repaired for a service fee (unlimited incidents since September 2022). Some carrier insurance plans might offer similar coverage, so it's worth checking.

165Hz sits inside the resonant band of the iPhone's speaker driver, so the diaphragm moves with maximum displacement and pushes air hard enough to break the surface tension holding water droplets in place. Apple Watch's Water Lock release tone relies on the same principle, and 165Hz has emerged empirically as the sweet spot for the small mesh geometry of iPhone speakers — larger home or car speakers use lower frequencies.

Many YouTube water-eject clips use arbitrary 440Hz or 1kHz tones that don't hit the speaker's resonance, plus they interrupt with ads and give you no volume or duration control. WaterKick offers a precise 165Hz single tone and a 165–500Hz Full Sweep mode, exact playback timing, speaker selection (earpiece vs. bottom), and optional haptic vibration — all tuned for iPhone speaker geometry.