Phone broken, wet or stolen on holiday in Tenerife: what to do

Act on the cause. Wet phone: keep it off the charger, don't heat it and skip the rice. Cracked screen: stop using shattered glass and back up. Lost or stolen: lock it with Find My or Find Hub, ask your network to block the SIM and report it to the police. In an emergency, dial 112.

Get it out, wipe the outside and keep it off the charger. Then follow the manufacturer's guidance:

• iPhone: Apple says to tap it gently against your hand with the charging port facing down, then leave it somewhere dry with airflow; a fan blowing cool air into the port may help. Don't use an external heat source or compressed air, don't push cotton buds or paper into the port, and don't put it in a bag of rice. Allow at least 5 hours before charging with a cable or connecting an accessory.
• Liquid warning: if an iPhone XS, XR or later shows a liquid-detection alert when you plug in, unplug it. Apple says to wait at least 30 minutes before trying again, and that drying can take up to a day. Once the phone is dry, a wireless charger still works.
• Samsung Galaxy: for a water-resistant model that has been in dirty water or liquids such as sunscreen or soapy water, Samsung says to rinse it in clean water for 1 to 3 minutes to remove residue and salt, wipe it, and dry it completely before connecting a charger. No compressed air, heat or chemical cleaners, and nothing inserted into the charging port.

Water resistance is not permanent. Apple says it can decrease with normal wear, that its ratings come from controlled laboratory tests, and that liquid damage is not covered under its warranty, although consumer law may give you rights.

Bring the phone in if it won't switch on, the liquid warning keeps returning or it spent time under seawater. Our water damage phone repair guide explains what happens when we open and clean a wet phone.

Protect your fingers first. Apple's safety guidance says not to use an iPhone with cracked glass, as it may cause injury, and to stop using it if you suspect damage to the phone or its battery, as that may cause overheating. Keep it in a case or a zipped pocket until it is repaired.

Back up while the screen still responds. On iPhone, connect to Wi-Fi, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud › iCloud Backup › Back Up Now. On Android, open Settings › Google services › All services › Backup and turn Backup on (menu names vary between phones).

What a repair involves depends on:

• The model: screen assemblies differ between models and generations.
• Part availability: whether a screen for your model is in stock or has to be ordered.
• Hidden damage: a bent frame, a swollen battery or liquid under the glass changes the job.
• The part used: on recent iPhones, Settings › General › About shows the parts and service history, and a display replaced with a non-genuine part can appear as an unknown part. Ask which part will be fitted.

We can't promise a time or a price before seeing the phone, so call or visit for a quote for your model. Our iPhone screen repair guide covers what we check before fitting a new screen.

Calima is Saharan dust brought to the islands by easterly winds, as Spain's state weather agency AEMET describes it. During episodes the Canary Islands Government issues pre-alerts for suspended dust at ground level, and south Tenerife has been among the areas covered. Beach sand is the everyday version of the same problem.

Apple says to clean an iPhone straight away if it comes into contact with dirt or sand: unplug it, switch it off and wipe it with a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth, keeping moisture out of the openings and never using compressed air. Apple warns against pushing cotton buds or paper into the port, and Samsung says not to insert any object into it. Apple also notes that dust resistance, like water resistance, can decrease with normal wear.

Debris in the charging port is one of the causes Apple lists when an iPhone won't charge. If the cable only works at an angle or the phone stops charging after a beach day, bring it in rather than digging at the port with a pin. A1 repairs charging ports.

Apple designs iPhone for ambient temperatures between 0 and 35 °C, and Samsung gives the same 0–35 °C range for Galaxy devices. Both warn against leaving a phone in a parked car on a hot day or in direct sunlight for long periods. When an iPhone gets too hot, charging slows or stops, the screen dims, the mobile signal can weaken, the camera flash may be disabled and a temperature warning can appear.

If that happens, Apple says to turn the phone off, move it somewhere cooler away from direct sunlight and let it cool down. Samsung adds: unplug the charger, close running apps and wait until the phone has cooled before charging again. Samsung says emergency calls stay available on an overheated Galaxy, and Apple says an iPhone showing the temperature warning might still make emergency calls.

A phone that overheats in normal use, or a battery that has started to swell, needs checking: Apple advises stopping use if you suspect battery damage. A1 replaces phone batteries; call or visit for a quote for your model.

1. Lock and locate it. For iPhone, use Find My on another device or at icloud.com/find and mark it as lost: Lost Mode locks it with your passcode and suspends Apple Pay cards. For Android, use Google's Find Hub at android.com/find to ring, lock or, as a last resort, erase it. Apple advises not to remove a stolen iPhone from your account, because that turns off Activation Lock.
2. Block the SIM with your network. Otherwise the SIM can be used in another phone for calls and data. Your home network can do this while you are abroad: EE, for example, takes reports 24 hours a day on +44 7953 966 150. Ask for the handset to be blocked by its IMEI too; Spain's cybersecurity institute INCIBE says operators need the IMEI and the police report for that. Dial *#06# on your phone now to find the IMEI, and keep a note of it.
3. Report it to the police. You can make a report, called a denuncia, in person at a Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil station; take your passport or another ID. The Policía Nacional also has an online form in English, French and German for incidents without violence, intimidation, known suspects or witnesses, but it has no legal validity until you sign it at the station you chose within 72 hours. The Guardia Civil's online form needs a Spanish digital certificate or Cl@ve login, so most visitors will find the Policía Nacional form or an in-person report easier. Violent crime must be reported in person.
4. Tell your insurer. Travel insurers usually want a police report: the UK government says you may need one for insurance purposes, and EE says you need a crime reference number to claim. With AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, you can file a claim with Apple; keep the iPhone in Find My until the claim is approved.

In an emergency, call 112. It is free across the EU, and the Canary Islands' 112 service answers in English and German as well as Spanish. The Guardia Civil's own emergency line is 062.

If you have a spare or replacement phone that is unlocked, a Spanish prepaid line can get it back online. A1 Computers sells tourist SIMs and eSIMs on the Orange network, each with a Spanish number, no contract and hotspot allowed: Tourist 100 (100 GB for 28 days, €20), Tourist 250 (250 GB for 30 days, €35) and Tourist 300 (300 GB for 30 days, €45), IGIC included at the time of writing. Current prices are in the SIM shop.

Spanish law (Ley 25/2007) requires ID for every prepaid line: a passport, a national ID card from any country, a DNI or an NIE. If your passport disappeared with the phone, one of the other documents works. The eSIM QR code is emailed once our team has checked your ID during online order hours (Mon–Sat 10:45–21:00, Sun 10:45–13:30 Tenerife time); a physical SIM is collected at Local 4. Not sure whether your own plan works here? Read roaming in the Canary Islands.

A1 Computers is a family-run phone, tablet and laptop repair shop at Local 4, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Av. de los Pueblos 20, 38660 Costa Adeje. Walk in without an appointment: Monday to Saturday 10:45–21:30, Sunday 10:45–14:00. Staff speak English and Spanish.

We repair cracked screens, batteries and charging ports, open and clean water-damaged phones, carry out board-level micro-soldering and recover data where possible. Prices depend on the model and the damage, so call or visit for a quote for your model: phone 922 71 35 82 or 600 340 340, or WhatsApp 641 780 077. Our Google rating was 4.7/5 from 467 reviews in August 2026.

For other iPhone faults, see iPhone repair in Costa Adeje. Directions and opening hours are on the visit map.