How to fix Galaxy A5 random moisture detected error
Today’s article will address random moisture detected error on Galaxy A5. We include a typical sample case below so if you encounter a similar problem on your A5, follow our solutions below.
Problem: Galaxy A5 keeps showing moisture detected error
Hi! I got the Samsung A5 about a year ago and I never seemed to have any issues with the phone until recently. Last week, I was walking with my phone in my pocket when it was raining really hard and when I got home I got a warning that there was moisture detected in my phone. This, I could understand because the charging port was faced up in my pocket and there were some moments when I had to bend over when I was walking the dog in the rain. I waited a few hours and even took my phone to the local phone store where they said that my phone still could connect to the charger through the plug port, since it still gave a warning that it wouldn’t charge due to moisture and that is should be charging by the end of the day. It was great news for me.
So I went home waited about an hour and thought I would try it again. With luck, my phone started charging and there was no issues. However, 2 days later, I got the warning again, and this time I was more careful to not put my phone in my butt pocket while it was raining outside. I began to panic a little but decided to turn off my phone and then turn it back on. And again, with luck, the warning was gone and I could charge my phone again.
Two weeks ago I was in Australia visiting a friend and the weather was very, very warm and now being back home in the Netherlands, especially this past week, the weather has been very cold (-3/-5). I thought that perhaps it had to do something with the change in climate and that it changed too quickly.
Anyways, I got the message again this morning. I noticed that my phone was a lot colder due to the weather and I decided last night, that I would sleep with my phone under the pillow to keep it warm (this might be where the problem occured). I woke up and checked my phone and I noticed that AGAIN I had the moisture warning, just 3 days from when I received the message before. So I thought okay, maybe I can just restart it and it would go away, no luck, it didn’t work this time.
Okay, so then I decided I would turn the phone off and then back on. So I turned the phone off and read somewhere online that I could plug my phone in when it was off so I did that. Didn’t notice anything and decided to unplug my phone. Now, this is where it got weird.
I tried to turn my phone back on but nothing happened. My phone would not turn on or respond to anything I was doing. I looked online about rebooting to the phone or doing a hard reset just to get the phone to respond, and NOTHING. The phone was just a black screen. At this point, I’m beginning to worry a lot. I grab my old phone because I know that I need a phone for my day. But the issue I have now is that I don’t know where I put the small medal poker to help open the sides of the Samsung phone to get my SIM card and my SD card. About 20-30 minutes later, I think…why not try the Samsung phone again, and with my luck the phone turns on. The moisture warning gone but I have no idea what happened to my phone. I don’t know if my phone is just reacting to the weather changes here from it being semi-cold such as 7 degrees to dropping to -5 degree in just a few days. Maybe sleeping with my phone under the pillow wasn’t the best idea. But getting the moisture warning is starting to really annoy me and I’m not sure what more I can do about it.
Solution: All versions of Galaxy A5 have IP68 certification, which means that they can withstand occasional water splashes (not high-pressure water though) and normal sources of dust. This does not mean though that IP68 certification is perfect. In fact, itās an overrated type of protection in some cases misleading users to do risky behavior to see if it works. Your Galaxy A5 can lose water protection if the case or the phone is damaged after an accidental drop. While Ā you do did not mention other possible reasons for your phone to lose water resistance, we want to make it clear that accidentally dropping a device is one of the common reasons.
Moisture detected warning is a mechanism for water resistant devices to remind users not to charge as the charging port is wet. It usually shows up when the device is exposed to water. We know you got the phone wet by rain so understandably, moisture detected error will most likely keep on showing up if you donāt dry the phone properly. Itās highly possible that thereās traces of moisture in the charging port area at this time. In some cases, residue or foreign objects can trigger the system to display the warning.
There are a few ways to dry wet electronics. See which one is possible in your case to fix the issue.
Shake it out. One of the easiest ways to dry your phone is by gently shaking it out. Before you do so, be sure wipe the outside of the phone with clean, soft cloth to remove as much water as possible. Avoid using drying the lens with a tower to prevent scratching them. If possible, use microfiber cloth to clean the lens.
When shaking out your phone, be careful not to drop it.
Rinse the device with fresh water. In case the phone gets in contact with salt water or muddy water, rinsing it with fresh water is a good idea. Make sure not to shoot high-pressure water into the charging port.
Use a vacuum cleaner. Another way to dry your phone is by using hand vacuum cleaner. This will suck out the remaining traces of water or moisture from the charging port. Be careful not to position the vacuum cleaner too close to the port to avoid generating static electricity, which can be fatal for an electronic device.
Use a can of compressed air. Using a can of compressed air in this situation can be risky if your phoneās water resistance protection has been compromised. Donāt attempt to try this if your phone has previously been dropped, as that might have damaged the integrity of the case. If you are positive that your phone in top shape, then carefully spray with the can straight up to release only air and not the freezing liquid.
Use absorbents. The most common home remedy is by using rice to absorb any moisture. If you plan on doing this, hereās what you want to do:
- Wipe the outside of the phone thoroughly with clean, soft cloth or microfiber.
- Put the phone inside a plastic container.
- Pour in the rice. Make sure it covers the phone completely.
- Seal the plastic container.
- Leave the device in the container for at least 48 hours.
A good alternative for rice is silica gel. You can buy a few packs from your local retailer and put them inside a sealed plastic bag or container. Like rice, silica gel will try to absorb moisture that may be deeply located the port. Be sure to leave the phone in a sealed bag for a couple days.
Use heat. Water naturally evaporates after a few hours but if you want to hasten the process a little bit faster, you can try to put the device near a source of indirect, gentle heat. These locations can vary but they include spots near the back of your powered on television, car dashboard, or back of a computer. DO NOT place your phone near direct heat source like oven, furnace, or in direct sunlight.
Place near a well-ventilated area. Putting the device in an area with good air circulation can also help. If you have a small fan, use it to dry the device for a day or two.
Do the “towel test.” After half a day or more (depending on the drying technique used), place the item on absorbent towels, napkins or other paper. In four to six hours, check for signs of moisture seeping from the unit. If moisture is evident, repeat theĀ vacuum and dry soak efforts.
Get professional help. Should none of the suggestions above help, you should consider letting Samsung or an independent technician dry the phone for you. Repair shops can use professional tools to ensure that the device is thoroughly dried.
Factory reset the device
There had been some few instances wherein moisture detected error pops up even if the phone has been dried properly, or has never been wet at all. To check if thereās a software bug that causes the warning to randomly pop up, we suggest that you return the software settings to defaults. Hereās how itās done:
- Create a backup of your data.
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system updateā will show for about 30 ā 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory resetā.
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes ā delete all user dataā is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system nowā is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.