○ IN BRIEF
- If you see the water drop icon appear when you try to charge your Samsung Galaxy phone, it usually means you’ve got moisture in your USB port.
- Sometimes, the warning can be caused by a bug. Clearing the USB cache is the best way to fix it.
- You can continue charging your phone wirelessly in the meantime, if your phone supports it.
If you see the water drop moisture warning appear on your Samsung phone when you go to charge it, there are two likely causes. One is that you have got water in your charging port and you need to leave it to dry. The other is that you’ve encountered a bug. Let’s take a look at how to fix both.
Dry Out Your Samsung Phone
First up, the water problem. Although many modern Samsung phones are classed as water resistant, that doesn’t make them completely impervious to moisture. If you get water in the USB port, for example, then you still can’t plug a charger into it for safety reasons.
If this is what you’ve done, leave your phone to dry out for a few hours. There are no tricks to this. Don’t put it in a bucket of rice, for example, because that doesn’t work. Just leave the phone somewhere reasonably warm with good airflow. You can dab a tissue into the port to catch any excess liquid if you want to, but otherwise, just wait a few hours for it to dry.
You can charge the phone using wireless charging if you need to do it in the meantime. Most high-end Samsung phones and tablets, like the S24 range, support wireless charging; mid-range and lower devices such as the A54 don’t.
Fix the Moisture Detected Bug
Occasionally you might see the water drop icon appear even when your phone isn’t wet. If this happens it’s likely to be caused by a bug.
Samsung’s own recommended solution for this is to clear the USB cache:
- Go to Settings > Apps, tap the three-line icon, and select “Show System Apps”.
- Hit OK to continue.
- Scroll down until you get to USB Settings.
- Select that, then tap Storage > Clear Cache.
Now try charging your phone once more. In most cases, this should fix the problem. However, if it doesn’t, there are still a few other things you can try.
- Restart your phone. Obviously, this simple trick can fix a whole host of temporary problems. Try restarting with your charging attached as well.
- Attach a different charging cable. Although it’s better to use the original cable, it’s a good idea to try another one to make sure that that isn’t the problem.
- Disable fast charging. Some users report that the moisture warning disappears when they turn off fast charging. It’s not clear if the two are related, or if it simply resets the charging system somehow. Anyway, go to Settings > Device Care > Battery > Charging Settings and disable Fast Charging or Super Fast Charging. Don’t forget to enable it again later, as being able to charge your phone quickly is one of the best ways to deal with poor battery life.
Get Your Samsung Phone Charging Again
The “moisture detected” warning on Samsung phones is annoying, especially as it can appear from nowhere for no obvious reason. Fortunately, it’s reasonably easy to fix and is likely to go away on its own after a while anyway. And do always keep your phone’s software up to date, as a new firmware update is always likely to fix any irritating bugs.