Fix: ‘Moisture Detected’ Message won’t Go Away in Galaxy S8

Along with many other features that the S8 possesses, it comes with an IP68 Water resistant rating. The IP68 rating on the phone means that it can handle to be in 1.5m of water for a period of 30 minutes with no side effects. However, recently there have been many reports of the “Moisture Detected Can’t Charge” error which can be seen on many devices which were not even submerged in water at any point in time. This message doesn’t go away even after rebooting the phone or trying to air dry it.

What Causes the “Moisture Detected Can’t Charge” message on S8?

After receiving numerous reports from multiple users we decided to investigate the error and devised a set of solutions which eradicated the error for most of our users. Also, we looked into the reasons due to which this error is triggered and they are listed below.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the nature of the problem we will move on towards the solutions. Make sure to implement these solutions in the specific order in which they are provided to avoid any conflicts.

Solution 1: Checking for Moisture

If the phone was submerged in normal or saltwater at some point in time then the error can be persistent unless the charging port is cleaned. It is recommended that you try to vacuum (not blow dry!) the phone’s charging port and if trying the solutions below don’t fix your problem, take it to the local Samsung Customer Care center for service.

Solution 2: Checking For Software Updates

In some cases, it was seen that the problem was caused due to a system update. Developers often provide fixes in such cases therefore, in this step, we will be checking to see if an update to the software is available. For that:

1. Drag down the notifications panel and tap on the “Settings” icon.

   

2. Inside the settings, scroll down to the bottom and click on the “Software Updates” option.

   

3. Tap on the “check for updates” option and wait for the phone to check if any updates are available.
4. If updates are available, tap on the “Download Updates Manually” option and wait for the downloading process to end.

   

5. Once the update is downloaded your phone will automatically be restarted and the updates will be installed after which your phone will boot up normally.
6. Plug in the charger and check to see if the issue persists.

Solution 3: Identifying the Issue

It is possible that the charging port might have been damaged permanently due to which this error is seen. To make sure that it is not a hardware issue we will be running the phone in safe mode. For that:

1. Press and hold on the “Power button” until the list of options appears.
2. Press and hold on the “Power Off” option in the screen and tap on the “Safe Mode” option.

   

3. The phone will now be restarted in safe mode and you will see “Safe Mode” written in the lower-left corner of the screen.
4. Connect the charger and check to see if the issue persists.
5. If the issue goes away it means that the problem is not with the hardware and it is a software issue. Here you can try to diagnose which application was causing the trouble.
6. Drag down the notifications panel and tap on the “Settings” icon.

   

7. Tap on the “Applications” button and tap on any application.

   

8. Tap on the “Uninstall” button and then “yes” on the prompt that appears.

   

9. Try to charge the phone and check to see if the issue persists.
10. If the issue doesn’t go away continue to delete applications until it does and boot out of safe mode after fixing the error message.

Solution 4: Deleting USB Cache

Over time cache can be corrupted and it might cause issues with important system functions. Therefore, in this step, we will be clearing the cache from USB Settings. For that:

1. Pull down the notifications panel and tap on the “Settings” icon.

   

2. Inside the settings, tap on the “Applications” option and then on the “Menu” button in the top right corner.
3. Select “Show System Apps” from the option and scroll down until you see the “USB Settings” application.

   

4. Tap on the “USB Settings” applications and then on “Storage“.
5. Inside the Storage settings, click on the “Clear cache” and then on the “Clear Data” option.

   

6. Now restart the phone, try to charge it and check to see if the issue persists.

Solution 5: Wiping Cache Partition

If the cache of any system application or third-party application is corrupted then the phone might face issues while trying to charge. Therefore, in this step, we will be wiping the cache partition. For that:

1. Press and hold the “power” button and tap on the “Switch off” option.
2. When the device is completely turned off, press and hold the “Volume Down” and the “Bixby” key. Then in the same instance also press and hold the “Power” button.
   

   

3. When the green Android logo is shown, release all the keys. The device might display “Installing System Updates” for a while.
4. Use the volume down key to highlight the “Wipe Cache Partition” options and when it is highlighted press the “Power” key to select it.
   

   

5. After the wiping process is completed, highlight the “Reboot System Now” option by pressing the “volume down” key and press the “power” button to select it.
   

   

6. The phone will now be restarted normally, check to see if the issue persists.