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How to fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem?

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Got "Check port, moisture has been detected... "? Here is the solution to the Galaxy S8 moisture problem!

by in Galaxy S8 How-to Guides 79 Comments

Galaxy S8 moisture problem can occur for any phones, even the phone is not in contact with water!

When you have the moisture problem in Galaxy S8 or S8+, you cannot charge the phone through USB cable.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide explains the causes of Galaxy S8 moisture problem and shows you the solution for such a moisture problem in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

What is Galaxy S8 moisture problem? Isn’t Galaxy S8 waterproofed?

If you Galaxy S8 or S8+ was in contact with water, the USB port (multipurpose USB Type C port) in the bottom (see Galaxy S8 and S8+ layout) may be wetted.

Samsung equipped Galaxy S8 and S8+ with a humidity/moisture sensor to detect moisture buildup in the charging port.

Once the sensor detects the moisture is higher than a preset level,  it will believe you get the Galaxy S8 moisture problem.

When you try to connect this Galaxy S8 or S8+ with moisture problem to the charger, the phone will refuse to charge the battery and you will get a warning as shown below:

Check port

Moisture has been detected. To charge your device, make sure your charger/USB port is dry.

What is Galaxy S8 moisture problem?

Preventing Galaxy S8 or S8+ from charging when moisture is detected in the USB port is a preventative measure to prevent more corrosion.

It is also a security measure.

Please note, Galaxy S8 moisture problem has nothing to do with waterproofing feature in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The USB port is not sealed in Galaxy S8 and S8+. It is safe even if the USB port is immersed in water (less than 1.5m).

But water, especially seawater or swimming pool water may cause considerable corrosion if you do not rinse and dry the port timely.

Does it mean my Galaxy S8 or S8+ is damaged by moisture when I see the check port message?

No, the message simply alerts you that moisture was detected in the charging (USB) port.

Because of the detected moisture, Samsung then prevents you from charging Galaxy S8 or S8+ through the USB port to protect the port.

Whether there are any water damages inside the phone, the sensor is not able to give any information.

Apparently, Galaxy S8 or S8+ will not warn you for any water damages inside the sealed part. You will know such damages (if any) only when Galaxy S8 or S8+ does not work properly.

Can I charge the phone when I get the moisture problem in Galaxy S8 and S8+?

Yes, you can still charge Galaxy S8 or S8+ battery through a wireless charging pad. Please refer to charging Galaxy S8 battery page for more info on wireless charging.

Moisture was only detected in the USB port, not in the battery.  You can safely charge the battery wirelessly.

My Galaxy S8 or S8+ never touched water,  why did I get this Galaxy S8 moisture problem?

Moisture can be built up from the humid air in some regions with proper conditions.

So, a few owners of Galaxy S8 and S8+ may get the moisture problem even if the phone was not in touch with water.

If this is the case, you can use hairdryer (choose cool air if possible) to dry the port.

How to avoid Galaxy S8 moisture problem?

If your Galaxy S8 or S8+ was in contact with seawater or water in swimming pool, you should rinse the USB port with tap water or pure drinking water as early as possible.

After rinsing the charging port, if possible, you can use hairdryer to dry it.

I checked the USB port. It is dry. Why do I still get the Galaxy S8 moisture problem?

First, the moisture sensor in some Galaxy S8 or S8+ may be oversensitive. Some corrosion or even dirt may be detected as moisture.

If this is the case, you can use clean wipes, or tissue, to clean the port. It is better to power off Galaxy S8 and S8+ to do the cleaning work.

The second possible cause of the Galaxy S8 moisture problem is the software/data caching. In this case, you can try to clear USB settings data (read on).

How to fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem by clearing USB settings data?

If you are sure the USB port is dry and clean, but you still get the check port message when you try yo charge Galaxy S8 or S8+, you can try to clear USB settings to fix the Galaxy S8 moisture problem.

To clear USB settings data to solve moisture problem in Galaxy S8 and S8+, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Go to Galaxy S8 applications manager

You can access Galaxy S8 applications manager in Settings —Apps.

By default, USB settings, like other system apps,  are hidden in the app list.

To show system apps, as shown below, in Galaxy S8 applications manager page, tap the menu key (3 vertical dots) to access the menu .

fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem by clearing USB settings data fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem by clearing USB settings data

Step 2: Choose to show system apps

As shown above, in the applications manager menu, tap Show systems apps.

This would make all apps including system apps visible.

Step 3: Find USB settings app

The apps are listed alphabetically.

You can easily find USB settings as shown below.

Tap USB settings to open the App info page for this app.

fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem by clearing USB settings data fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem by clearing USB settings data

Step 4: Clear cache and clear data for USB settings

As shown above, in app info page, tap Storage.

You need to tap clear cache first as shown below.

Then tap clear data. You will get a warning message after tapping clear data as shown below.

Tap Delete to proceed.

fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem by clearing USB settings data fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem by clearing USB settings data

Step 5 (optional):  Reboot the phone.

Now, you can try to reboot Galaxy S8 or S8+.

Then, try to charge the phone through USB port again.

Some snake oils and workarounds for Galaxy S8 moisture problem?

There are some reported workarounds for Galaxy S8 moisture problem.

Some may work only for very special cases. Some may be a kind of snake oil. Some works like a placebo.

#1. Rice jar/bag to dry the USB port

This is NOT recommended.

In the old time, if there is some moisture in the phone, you can put the phone in a rice bag a few days to dry it up.

It did work sometimes.

But for Galaxy S8 or S8+, it is watertight. You cannot use this method to dry internal.

For the charging port, you can dry it with a hairdryer or tissue. Rice bag will not do the magic in this case.

#2. charging through a computer

For some Galaxy S8 or S8+ phones with moisture problem, you cannot charge it when you connect it to the charger with a USB cable.

But if you connect the phone to a PC, “sometimes” you can charge the battery (although very slowly).

You probably should NOT try this. If there is real moisture issue in the USB port, charging the battery through this port may cause irreparable damage to the port.

If you need to charge the phone, try to charge it with a wireless charging pad.

#3. charging through a micro USB cable

A few owners reported that using a micro USB cable with the USB Type C adapter (which can be found in the Galaxy S8 or S8+ box) can bypass the moisture warning.

I am not sure how it works.

#4. Use another USB C cable or even another charger

It is possible that a dirty or damaged USB cable may trigger false moisture warning.

But the charger probably should never cause the issue.

Anyway, it is worthwhile to try another or a new USB Type-C cable.

#5. Reboot the phone with USB cable connected to the charger

This may temporally clear the warning and it may charge your Galaxy S8 or S8+.

But it is again not recommended.

You should check with local Samsung service center if you still get the check port warning (pop up or notification) even after you dry the port and try all the recommendations.

Can you fix Galaxy S8 moisture problem? Do you know how to clear USB settings to solve moisture problem in Galaxy S8 and S8+?

If you have any questions with Galaxy S8 moisture problem, please let us know them in the comment box below.

The community will help you find the answer or solution.

You may also check our Galaxy S8 guides:

In addition to post your thought or questions in the comment box below, you can also reach us in Facebook page.




Comments

  1. My Samsung galaxy s8 always pops moisture detected whenever I connect it to the charger, I am unable to charge my phone and the most difficult quandary out here is that my phones battery is drained out, and because of it I can’t change any setting.

    Reply

  2. I got the same problem with my S8 plus. Never had my phone near the water but just now it wont charge due to this moisture problem. I did everything as suggested, blow dry. Vacuum, used cotton swab, even clear storage from the usb setting, etc but didnt solve the problem. Never had an issue with my previous phones from s3 to s6. S8 sucks Im going back to Iphone or probably try other smart phones. Totally crap.

    Reply

  3. one of the worst phone till date samsung has released I was fool that I switched to samsung my biggest mistake till date selecting samsung over Apple

    Reply

  5. This is rediculous! This is just a way for more money to be taken away from us. I currently pay £60 a month for my phone and contract but now i cannot use my phone or contract because of this issue! I am very angry and annoyed that this has happened because i will still have to pay £60 a month even if i cant use my phone

    Reply

  6. I have the same problem written above and also imo it’s a massive ripoff for us having to buy a wireless pad for it to charge,i’d rather get the wireless pad instead of my charger with the phone then, and buy the charger later on if i’d want(not need! ) one …
    On the second note,if you have enough battery to rape your phone with deleting the data on the usb app setting , switch it on and off it might work on the 8th try.. i’m on 19% so if it doesn’t happen until i’m low on baterry i’m pretty much fucked over until payday, thanks samsung! .|.

    Reply

  8. I’m having the sane problem. As it seems this started happening after the last update, when is Samsung going to take responsibility for this and fix it? Like everyone else said, way to much money for this crap to be happening and Samsung to have their head stuck in the sand.

    Reply

  9. last month i had a trip to thailand and i took my S8 with a waterproof bag to the sea for taking some photos, but the bag had a hole and my phone got wet and the moisture alarm appeared, i used hair dryer several times and the next day the alarm disappeared and i could charge it, but from that day the moisture alarm comes each day for several hours and i should restart my phone several times till it goes away
    is it because of the salt of sea water or something like corrosion or what?
    should i wash the port to remove the salt after one month or change the port or i have to ignore the moisture alarm?

    Reply

  10. Please I’m using Samsung galaxy s8+ and the screen has a lil broken but working , my problem now is that water has entered to the screen so now if you on it nothing appear on the screen and even if it comes then it will be blinking with some lines. Can I dry the phone up in sun to get the moist out from it….

    Reply

  11. hello. the problem is not with the phone detecting moisture problem. it’s with the charger – the Adaptive Fast Charging plug. just today, my samsung s8 plus detected that problem. it really won’t charge my phone no matter how i tried.
    what i did was to connect the cable to my laptop and so it charge – cable charging which is 500x slower. i’m going to try replacing the said adaptor if it will charge normally again.

    i hope this helps.

    Reply

  12. I had the similar problem just now. I put it in front of air-conditioner, heat mode. After 30 minutes, the notification went off and now I can charge S8+ without problem.
    Nice and informative article.
    regards
    Derman

    Reply

  13. This does not work unfortunately…. Nor does anything I found on the internet. It’s a software or hardware issue. Really poor for a so-called flagship. Very disappointing.

    Reply

  14. Thank you very much! After clearing the usb cache it fist started charging slowly telling me to use the original charger.

    After disconnecting a few times it startet fast charging again.
    THANK YOU!

    Reply

  15. I had the same problem that everyone is describing. I tried the ‘clear usb cache data’ solution and had to restart my phone twice and it worked… so fingers crossed it remains working!

    Reply

  16. Good idea, sell a defective product and then recommend purchasing expensive and unnecessary accessories to fix the problem. This is as bad as the iPhone AUX port bull.

    Reply

  17. my phone doesn’t want to charge due to this same moisture thing!! I’ve had enough and tried every single thing! and now my charging port doesn’t even charge when my charger is connected!!!!! BTW the moisture detection is still on and my charger doesn’t even work!!!!

    Reply

  18. My notther and I both bought new s8’s less than a month ago and neither phone has been in contact with water. I’m having the same problem just about every time I try and charge my phone! When my phone doesn’t detect moisture it goes to slow charge and tells me to use the original charger when I’m using the original charger. I’m the only one having these issues. My mother’s phone is charging fine. I don’t think after spending all this money on phones we should have to go spend more money on wireless chargers! Sure, the wireless charger works, but isn’t that beside the point? I haven’t even made the first p payment on the phone. What is being done tho resolve these issues? I’ve tried the hair dryer and it worked but I shouldn’t have to do that every time I charge my phone and like I said if outta not detecting moisture it’s slow charging. Frustrated!

    Reply

  19. I have problems with moisture alarm for sevwral days…and I cannot rwcharge mu s8…please help…I am without my iphone from yesterday and I cant rwcharge it.

    Reply

  20. Honestly, STOP RECOMMENDING PEOPLE BUY THE WIRELESS CHARGER. Absolutely NO ONE wants to do that. It is fucking stupid that they know this is an issue, and instead of patching it and fixing it, they are asking for more money.
    And seriously, advertising as waterproof, when in reality, if your phone is even in humid air it will stop charging through the sub port forever. Yeah, real waterproof if you ask me. I’m thinking about a law suit over this, because it is completely false advertising (they can say the sub port is not included in the waterproof ad, but the sub port is part oof the phone, and therefore makes the phone NOT waterproof unless you want to pay more money) they literally flat out lied and said they are waterproof, specifically so people would take them in the water and then have to purchase a whole new accessory. Absolutely not. I switched the Samsung from Apple YEARS ago, because they have never been the type to do this shit. But now they may habe just lost my business forever. And YOU. Fucking trying to make excuses and cover for them. Fuck you too. This is NOT OKAY no matter how right you try to make it seem.

    Reply

  21. Lol thank you so much for your post, totally summed up how I felt reading all these comments.
    I was going to lose my shit if he recommend buying a wireless charge once more…

    Reply

  22. What the F kind of low, distasteful, just sly Apple-like tactics has Samsung resorted to using? I’m extremely irritated and annoyed especially how
    1) Phone is advertised as WATERPROOF
    2) This whole issue suddenly started happening only after the last software update
    3) ITS 2018… phones from 2005 – or ANY previous phone – were more ‘waterproof’ than this piece of garbage.

    These phones are NOT cheap, and we rely on them for just about EVERYTHING. Getting something like this wrong and resulting in a disabled phone is just completely unacceptable, and carries with it a huge liability for everything from a missed important business email to losses in my stocks because I couldn’t make the trade fast enough.

    It’s seriously so disabling for those who rely on the phone to make purchases, connect with everyone, use it for business activities, etc…. Whoever said class action law suit is seriously on point.

    Reply

  23. So wait. What if i buy the wireless pad or whatever.. and yeah it does charge . Thank you. But heres another problem … will that wireless charge pad allow me to transfer my files between my pc too??

    Reply

  24. . What if i buy the wireless pad or whatever.. and yeah it does charge . Thank you. But heres another problem … will that wireless charge pad allow me to transfer my files between my pc too??

    Reply

  25. My s8 would not charge i took it in and the tech said there was moisture and corrision in the motherborad my phone did not stop working until the charge ran out up until that time it worked fine. Now they want the 200.00 dollar deductible to replace the phone it has never been wet is there anything to do about this because it is misisture would it be covered under the warrenty asto not oay a deductible for a faulty phone

    Reply

  26. So my s8 won’t charge via usb, I already own a wireless charger because well Galaxy… I put it on the wireless and get a circle with a lightning bolt no percentage of charge. I tried to turn on and the repeatedly blinking the start up Samsung screen and vibrate, then shut off. Any idea?

    Reply

  28. Plugged my phone and went to bed.Woke up with moisture alert. Unplugged the phone and now I have a black screen. Phone won’t boot. Won’t charge. I’m on my day2 of 7day trip. I’m going to be borrowing a lot of the wife’s device! No water was in contact with the phone. ..maybe it doesn’t like the dominicain republic humidity…..I’m pissé. All Samsung did was going with me on the chat through some steps and told me to go see a service center. ..I have a feeling the will be telling me in was I’m contact with water when it wasnt

    Reply

  29. I just had this problem with my Note 8 and found this posting. Thanks for writing this up.

    In my case, the old bag of rice trick worked! It took about 1 hour and then the error went away.

    Reply

  30. Okay so I tried the USB setting thing it worked for like 5 seconds and the moisture notification came back on. I have tried everything to get this to go Way. And honestly I am getting pissed and I don’t have the money to get a wireless charging pad nor do I want one. And I don’t have a Samsung center to spend money I don’t have at it is getting old and quick this didn’t happen till the last update my husband has the same phone and doesn’t have the problem I am having and we are in the same environment every day. It need to be fixed!

    Reply

  31. Ever since the last update I’m getting moisture notifications. Phone has never been in the water and notification pops up even while holding phone in my hand or carrying it it the pocket really really annoying, gave shit load of money to have this phone and now can’t even charge it. Disappointment 10/10

    Reply

  32. I cleared the USB data and this worked, so I can now charge my S8+ as long as it is switched on. If it runs out of battery and I try and charge it comes up with the moisture detected error. This is really frustrating as I can’t use a battery pack etc of an evening when out. I can still charge wirelessly but this isn’t always practical.
    Any solutions?

    Reply

  33. My phone note 8 is rooted so out of warranty .. tried everything . Will charge slowly through a Lenovo usb plug . But won’t connect to computer , just says malfunction

    Reply

  34. Ok so I cleared the usb data and rebooted my s8 plus but the moisture alarm didn’t reset but I then turned the phone off and used a cotton swab to clean the port and turned the phone back and the message went away. Thanks for the advice.

    Reply

  36. I have problem.. I came back to home from sea, vacation.. my battery is dead and I can’t charge my phone because of moisture problem.. what can I do?

    Reply

  37. Yep – back to iPhone. It’s a real shame – especially that I look like a fool now after touting how great this phone is, only to look like a complete imbecile when I can’t even charge it. FU Samsung.

    FYI – I cleaned the port, and the message went away for 1 day, then came back. I don’t use my phone in water. I’ve never experienced anything like this with a phone.

    Reply

  39. Yea right – as if I’m going to buy a wireless charging pad. Only thing that would convince me to use that is if Samsung provided me two for my home, one for my car, and one for my office. The fact that they have not patched this obvious software glitch is ludicrous.

    Reply

  40. A factory reset fixed my problem and if you have your phone backed up it won’t be the headache it sounds like. I had Verizon help. If not comfortable I’d suggest getting help from your provider. I actually left Verizon thinking I’d have to file a claim because I was still having the moisture issue. I retried it in my car again and it worked.The main annoyance might be getting some setting back to where you want them…I also didn’t see apps return right away. Phone proformnce is actually much better. I’m guessing phone was cleared of crap that slowed it down as well as solving main issue. Good luck

    Reply

  41. A factory reset fixed my problem and if you have your phone backed up it won’t be the headache it sounds like. I had Verizon help. If not comfortable I’d suggest getting help from your provider. I actually left Verizon thinking I’d have to file a claim because I was still having the moisture issue. I retried it in my car again and it worked.The main annoyance might be getting some setting back to where you want them…I also didn’t see apps return right away. Phone proformnce is actually much better. I’m guessing phone was cleared of crap that slowed it down as well as solving main issue. Good luck(on a side note my phone did not get wet)

    Reply

  42. My S8 never got wet or damp and I started getting the ‘moisture in charging port” message. One of the “fixes” I found online got me another charge then the message came back. My wife has been using the same charger with no issue on an identical phone we bought at the same time. Only difference in phones is that she has never installed an update. I will look into a factory reset, but if this fixes the problem it will be obvious that the issue came from one of the updates. Samsung needs to step up and fix problem. My next step will be to Google “Samsung S8 Class Action Suit” to see if anyone has started one yet. This will be my last Samsung product. Since the problem has been ongoing for at least a year and a fix is not available it is obvious that this is intentional corporate fraud.

    Reply

  43. Hi i just used one trick now my phone is working is fine . I just restarted my phone n plug charging pin when it was rebooting.. later on charging i deleted the usb settings n restarted the phine again .. its working fine now .. no issue of port ..its software bug . Regards

    Reply

  44. Heloo… I’m using samsung galaxy s8plus.. My phone was working very good that suddenly it stoped fast charging nd when I give it power it starts cable charging… When the phone is on it does not give any moisture notification and it starts cable charging but when I switch it off and supply power it shows the notification of moisture present in charging slot and does not charge…. What should I do about it..???
    I’m using original adapter and charging cable

    Reply

  46. Hi. S8 plus Phone 1 week old. As I had a S7 that ultimately wasn’t waterproof. (No longer recognises sd card, SIM and Wi-Fi doesn’t work, so it’s just a camera now, with not much storage space as can’t use sd card) I thought I’d be careful and used a waterproof bag when in the sea. All was fine. Then another day, just paddling in the sea waist high, taking pictures, I didn’t use the case and due to the phones natural slippy hold anyway, and being in water so wet hands, the phone got submerged for like a second or 2, no deeper than 1 foot. Didn’t touch sea bed so not sand.
    2 days later the water moisture issue.
    All the above options work. Reboot whilst charging, although doesn’t repower on, I have to then unplug it, power on, then plug charger in before powers on, then charges. Then once I unplug it the moisture warning returns.
    Also tried usb settings. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t, but warning still returns. Haven’t tried wirelss as haven’t got one and don’t want one. The idea of Android is you don’t carry chargers with you as can charge on any usb cable. Although you have to carry the adapter since samsung decided change the port. Doh.
    I’ve not tried the hair dryer technique as it’s now been a week so clearly isn’t really moisture or it would have dried out itself naturally by now. I live in 30+ degrees so it can’t even be damp.
    Sooooo frustrated. Seller has said I can return it for them to check it and will refund if they agree it’s faulty, but they are in China and it took 2 weeks to arrive when I first purchased it. So if it takes 2 weeks for them to receive it, then time to look at it, then 2 weeks to return it (if they refuse a refund) then I’m 5 or 6 weeks no phone. If they refund then yes, hopefully only 3 weeks, but then still got to source new phone. Or go back to my J7 which I bought when S7 failed to be waterproof. Really I should ditch samsung now and go Huawei H20 Pro. Think I will if I get a refund.

    Question… will a factory reset resolve it? I’ve not seen that mentioned anywhere above or on other forums.

    Thanks

    Reply

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