Speaker cleaner online: eject water and dust from your phone speaker
Speaker Cleaner is a free online tool that plays a low-frequency sound sweep through your phone's speaker, 150 to 200 Hz by default and 120 to 400 Hz on the Extended setting. The vibration pushes trapped water droplets and loose dust out of the speaker grille, usually within one to three 30-second runs. It works in your browser, with no app or permissions, on Android phones and iPhones.
- Never uses your microphone
- Vivo, Samsung, Redmi, iPhone
- Tested method
Turn media volume to maximum, disconnect earbuds and hold the phone with the bottom edge facing down.
Standard is the default because low frequencies move the speaker furthest, and that movement is what pushes water out. A 150 to 200 Hz sweep is the range a phone speaker can actually play loudly. Dust mode pulses the same 165 Hz tone.
Does your speaker sound clearer?
Ready. Tap Start cleaning.
Two sound profiles are available under the player. Standard is selected by default: it sweeps 150 to 200 Hz, the range where a phone speaker still plays loudly and its diaphragm moves furthest, which is what pushes water out. Extended widens the sweep to 120 to 400 Hz and adds a short 2 to 6 kHz finish to Dust mode; it is worth trying on a small or quiet speaker. We have found no published measurement showing Extended beats Standard, so Standard remains the default. Your choice is remembered on this device.
How to use Speaker Cleaner
Speaker Cleaner works best when gravity helps the vibration, so point the speaker down.
- Wipe the phone dryTake off the case so water can leave the grille freely.
- Volume to maximumThe speaker's diaphragm needs full movement to shift water. Disconnect earbuds.
- Speaker facing downBottom edge down for the main speaker, top edge down for the call speaker.
- Start and repeatLet the 30-second run finish. Still muffled? Run it again, up to 3 times.
To remove water from a phone speaker with Speaker Cleaner, turn media volume to maximum, hold the phone with the speaker grille facing down, and play one 30-second cleaning run. Repeat up to three times. If the speaker still sounds muffled after three runs, let the phone air-dry for 24 hours before trying again. For water only, use remove water from your phone speaker.
The reason is worth stating precisely, because it also explains why the tools advertising 8 kHz "deep cleaning" cannot work for water. A small speaker radiates sound pressure in proportion to the square of frequency, so to stay equally loud, its diaphragm travels about 1/f² as far as the frequency rises: at 8 kHz it moves roughly 2,300 times less than at 165 Hz. Water is pushed out by that movement and by the air it drags through the grille, not by loudness, which is why every built-in version of this feature, Apple Watch included, uses low tones. The full working is on why speaker cleaners use 165 Hz.
How sound pushes water out of a phone speaker
Speaker Cleaner moves the speaker's diaphragm back and forth at low frequency, and that movement pushes water out through the grille. Water trapped in the grille mesh muffles sound because the diaphragm has to push against liquid instead of air. Low frequencies make a small phone speaker move the most, which is why speaker cleaners use tones around 165 Hz. Read more about how a speaker cleaner works.
Apple uses the same idea on Apple Watch: when Water Lock is turned off, "a series of tones plays to clear any water that remains in the speaker" (Apple Support).
Speaker Cleaner works on any phone with a working speaker and a modern browser, including Vivo, Samsung, Redmi, Oppo, Realme and iPhone. It plays sound through the phone's own speaker, so no app, account or permission is needed, and it never uses the microphone.
What Speaker Cleaner can and can't fix
Speaker Cleaner reliably clears water droplets and can loosen light dust, but it can't remove packed lint or repair a damaged speaker.
| What you notice | Likely cause | Will it help? |
|---|---|---|
| Muffled sound right after rain, a shower or a spill | Water droplets in the grille | Yes1 to 3 runs in Water mode |
| Sound slowly getting quieter over months | Loose dust at the grille surface | Partlyclear loose dust from the speaker grille, then use a soft dry brush |
| Grey lint visibly packed into the holes | Compacted debris | Noclean the speaker grill by hand |
| Crackling or buzzing 24 hours after drying | Damaged diaphragm or corrosion | NoService centre |
| No sound at all | Hardware or settings fault | Norun a speaker test first |
Speaker Cleaner removes water droplets and loose, dry dust near a phone's speaker grille because vibration dislodges anything that isn't stuck. It cannot remove lint packed into the grille holes or debris behind the mesh, and it cannot repair a torn diaphragm. A phone speaker that still crackles 24 hours after drying needs a service centre.
SpeakerCleaner Live was built by M. Junaid Masood after his own iPhone 12 Pro Max went into the bath. Rice barely helped. A single run of an early version of this tool made the sound clearly better, and he could see water droplets coming out of the grille. Sound has limits too: a few years of ordinary dust in his Xiaomi 11T needed small tools to clear by hand. Read the full story.
Main speaker vs call speaker
Phones have two speakers, and Speaker Cleaner has a mode for each. To clean the call speaker, use Earpiece mode.
Main (bottom) speaker
- Used for
- Music, videos, ringtone, speakerphone
- Hold
- Bottom edge down
- Mode
- Water or Dust
- Typical problem
- Water after rain or washing
Call (earpiece) speaker
- Used for
- Calls with the phone at your ear
- Hold
- Top edge down
- Mode
- Earpiece
- Typical problem
- Dust and skin oil lowering call volume
Speaker Cleaner vs rice, hair dryer and compressed air
Speaker Cleaner is the fastest safe way to get water out of the speaker itself. Apple specifically warns against rice, heat and compressed air (Apple Support). See why rice is a bad idea.
| Method | What it does | Time | Safe? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker Cleaner | Vibrates water out of the grille | 30 to 90 seconds | Yes |
| Air-drying with airflow | Dries ports and gaps | Up to 24 hours | YesApple's method |
| Bag of rice | Claims to absorb moisture | Hours to days | NoRice particles can damage the phone |
| Hair dryer or compressed air | Heats or blasts water | Minutes | NoApple advises against both |
Speaker Cleaner and rice solve different problems. Speaker Cleaner physically ejects water trapped in a phone's speaker grille in under two minutes. Rice only claims to absorb moisture, and Apple advises against it because small rice particles can damage the phone. Apple recommends air-drying in a dry place with airflow for up to 24 hours.
After a phone gets wet, Apple advises waiting at least 30 minutes before charging it and leaving it to air-dry for up to 24 hours. Running a speaker cleaner in the first few minutes clears the speaker grille, but it does not dry the charging port, so the waiting period still applies.
What to do in the first 24 hours after your phone gets wet
- 0Right awayWipe it dry and tap it gently against your palm, speaker and port facing down.
- 5mFirst 5 minutesRun Speaker Cleaner 1 to 3 times.
- 30mAfter 30 minutesTry charging. Apple says to wait at least 30 minutes before connecting a cable.
- 24hUp to 24 hoursLeave it somewhere dry with airflow. It can take up to 24 hours to fully dry.
Works on Vivo, Samsung, Redmi, Oppo, Realme, OnePlus, Pixel and iPhone
Speaker Cleaner works on any phone with a working speaker and a modern browser (Chrome, Safari, Samsung Internet), whatever the brand. Find the speaker cleaner for your phone brand to see where your phone's speakers sit and which sound settings to check first.
Earbuds sound muffled too? The same idea works on wireless earbuds, played at a lower volume. See the AirPods speaker cleaner guide for the safe steps, and what not to push into the mesh.
When to take your phone to a service centre
Sound can't reverse corrosion. Take the phone to an authorised service centre if any of these happen. Read when to take your phone to a service centre.
- The speaker still crackles or buzzes 24 hours after drying.
- The phone was in sea water, pool water, tea or a sugary drink, which leave residue.
- It still won't charge or shows a moisture warning after 24 hours.
- There's no sound at all, even in a speaker test.
Is Speaker Cleaner safe for my phone?
Yes. Speaker Cleaner plays sound at the level your phone already allows, so the speaker never goes past its normal maximum. A 30-second run is shorter than most songs you'd play at full volume. Water-resistance ratings like IP68 describe lab conditions and can weaken as a phone ages, so even a "waterproof" phone can end up with water in its speaker grille.
We measure how well it works on real phones. See how we test and our before-and-after test results. If your speaker is muffled for no obvious reason, read why your speaker sounds muffled.
Frequently asked questions
Is Speaker Cleaner free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no app, sign-up or permissions.
How many times should I run it?
Up to three 30-second runs. If the sound is still muffled, let the phone dry for 24 hours and try once more.
Should I put my wet phone in rice?
No. Apple advises against rice because small particles can get into the phone. Air-dry it with airflow instead.
Does it work with headphones connected?
No. Disconnect Bluetooth and wired headphones so the sound plays through the phone speaker.
I can't hear anything on my iPhone. Why?
Turn off Silent mode with the switch or Action button and raise the volume. Some iOS versions mute browser sound in Silent mode.