Apple is advising persons not to put their iPhone in uncooked rice if it gets wet.

The tech giant has published guidance telling users that this popular practice could result in small particles of the grain damaging their devices.

The firm says persons should instead gently tap out any liquid, with the phone connector facing down, then leave it to dry out.

Putting a wet phone in uncooked rice has been popular for years, despite experts warning against it, with tests suggesting it doesn’t work.

In addition to avoiding rice, Apple is also advising against drying a wet phone using an “external heat source or compressed air”.

Foreign objects, such as cotton swabs or paper towels should also not be poked into the phone.

Instead, it says people should leave their phone in a “dry area with some airflow” before reconnecting it to a charger.