What to do about your Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus that keeps showing “moisture detected” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

Your Samsung Galaxy S8+ has the IP68 rating which means it’s dust- and water-resistant. However, it doesn’t mean that the phone is already invulnerable to water. Being resistant to water doesn’t mean being waterproof, so if you recently used your phone to snap photos underwater and then you’re being warned about moisture in the charging port, then most likely water found it’s way into the port or even further.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus that keeps showing the warning “Moisture has been detected. To charge your device, make sure your charger/USB port is dry.” This warning is pretty straightforward and it specifically mentions the charger port. Maybe that’s where the problem lies but it could also mean that water has somehow messed up with some of the circuits in your phone. So, continue reading as this post maybe able to help you.

Now, before we go to troubleshooting, if you are currently experiencing a different problem, try to visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues owners encountered with their device. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions or troubleshooting guides. If they don’t work, however, and if you need further assistance, contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. All we need is information so we can help you. Don’t worry, it’s free.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy S8+ that shows “moisture detected” error

This is not a simple problem and many have already been bugged by this warning. In this post, we just have to check for a couple of things before I tell some methods that may get rid of this error. While it may seem like a problem caused by water or some liquid, there were cases wherein this warning showed up because the phone got dropped on a hard surface so physical damage might also result to this error. Here’s what I suggest you do about it…

Step 1: Check the charger port for moist or trace of water

First of all, the most common reason why this warning shows is water in the charger port and it’s actually mentioned in the warning itself. It is just right that you check the port to see if it’s wet or not but I know that it might be difficult to tell if there’s moist in it. So, the best thing to do is to get a small piece of tissue and then insert it into the port so it can absorb the moist that’s in there. Leave it there for say a minute or two so that it could absorb all the moist and after which, blow into the port a couple of times or more. If you have a can of compressed air, give it a blast, that’s even better.

Step 2: Check the Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI)

The IP68 dust and water-resistance Ingress Protection means your phone is protected from dust and resistant to water for up to 5 feet for 30 minutes but such protection doesn’t mean it’s already waterproof. Liquid can still find it’s way into your device. In fact, Samsung placed an indicator inside so that technicians can easily determine if the cause of the problem is water or any form of liquid.

You should check it to see if water have gone further into your phone. Remove the SIM tray and look into the slot. You should see a small sticker in there. If it’s white, then your phone is not suffering from liquid damage but if it turned red, purple or pink, then the problem is more serious than we thought. Don’t continue troubleshooting if the LDI got tripped, instead bring the phone back to the store so the tech can check it.

Step 3: Charge your phone

After doing the steps 1 and 2, it’s time to plug the charger in and connect your phone. If the warning still pops on the screen, do the forced restart procedure without disconnecting it from the charger. This will sort of bypass the warning and force your phone to charge but you shouldn’t do this without checking your phone for liquid damage as you know, electricity and water don’t mix well.

If, however, the “moisture detected” warning still shows up, then try the next step.

Step 4: Reboot your phone in safe mode and let it charge

This will temporarily disable all third-party elements in your phone and many of our readers suggested this will allow the phone to fully charge. However, do not also do this if there’s any sign of liquid damage in your phone. But assuming you’ve checked it thoroughly, then follow the steps below to run your phone in safe mode:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
  3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
  4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
  5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
  6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

If the phone charges fine while in this mode, then try resetting all settings in your phone.

Step 5: Reset All Settings in your Galaxy S8 Plus

It’s basically like a reset but none of your files and data will be deleted so it’s safe both for your device and your data. This has a higher probability of fixing the problem so try it:

  1. From a Home screen, touch and swipe up or down to display all apps.
  2. From a Home screen, navigate: Settings > Backup and reset.
  3. Tap Reset settings.
  4. Tap Reset settings, to confirm.
  5. If applicable, enter the PIN, password or pattern.
  6. Tap Reset settings.

But assuming the warning still continues to pop up after this, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone.

Step 6: Backup all your files and data and then reset your phone

You only have to do this if your phone charged while in safe mode because it means that the problem is with the firmware only and not the hardware. A reset will take care of it but you have to backup all your files and data as they will be deleted during the process. After which, disable the Factory Reset Protection and then proceed with the reset.

How to disable Galaxy S8 Factory Reset Protection

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
  3. Tap Accounts.
  4. Tap Google.
  5. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
  6. Tap 3 dot icon.
  7. Tap Remove account.
  8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to Master Reset your Galaxy S8

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If your phone didn’t charge right from the start or after doing all these procedures, then bring it back to the store especially if it has signs of physical or liquid damage.

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