Galaxy S4 got wet - 0% battery - only buzzes, will not charge

[AC Question]

I used my phone during a half-marathon today. Most of the time, I had it in a zipped pocket in my running belt. A few times, I took it out to take pictures, etc. It did not get dunked in water, but it got a little bit wet (I splashed some water on me, which got on the phone). I did power down and reboot the phone a couple of times after the race because it was acting goofy - the big home button at the bottom wasn't working at all, and the screen was flickering some. When I plugged it into my charger when I got home, it did not take the charge and went to 0%. After plugging it in back to the charger, it does nothing except vibrate some when pressing the power button. I took the battery out and now have both the battery and phone buried in a box of rice. Every 2 hours, I take it out and plug the charger back in to see if it does anything. A couple times, it flickers and starts to reboot then flickers off again. Is my phone dead? I suspected the charging port got wet and that is my problem. I really don't want to get a new phone. Please help!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! There's probably a water exposure sticker on the battery and on the phone's interior--it's usually a small oval sticker that turns a solid color if it's been exposed to water. Do you see anything like this?

Review this guide: http://forums.androidcentral.com/am...ow-s/477140-guide-oh-no-my-phone-got-wet.html

 

[flowurchil]

I don't have a tiny philips screwdriver, so i can't take apart the phone to see the sticker on the inside of the phone. I did take the battery out and the sticker on it is white. The sticker inside where the battery goes (in the phone) is pink.

 

[B. Diddy]

That's what I mean--the one that's pink probably means there's been significant water exposure.

Water damage can be pretty widespread and irreversible, if you didn't get to it right away. It's especially bad if you tried to turn it on, or plugged it in while still wet. That's how circuits get shorted and burn out.