What to do after showering or swimming with your Apple Watch and getting it wet

Did you drop your Apple Watch in water, swim with it, take a shower, or get wet while washing your hands? For the most part, your watch should be fine. But still, here are a few things to do and some information related to the water resistance of your Apple Watch.

Apple Watch water resistance

All Apple Watch models have some level of water resistance.

Apple Watch 1st Generation (Standard, Sport, Edition) and Apple Watch Series 1 are splash and water resistant with an IPX7 rating. They can be used during light rain, hand washing, sports and similar activities. However, Apple recommends that you do not submerge this watch in water. This means that you cannot swim or shower with these models.

Apple Watch Series 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and Apple Watch SE are water resistant up to 50 meters. This makes this new watch suitable for shallow water activities such as swimming, showering, etc. However, it would be best if you did not use it during intense water activities such as scuba diving, water skiing, etc. etc.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is water-resistant to 50 meters and dust-resistant to IP6X, making it suitable for swimming, showering, surfing, and more. However, it should not be used for snorkeling, water skiing, etc. d.

Is Apple Watch water resistance a permanent feature?

Unfortunately no. Although the Apple Watch has good water resistance, this feature is not permanent. Whether your Apple Watch will survive submersion or submersion in water depends on several factors such as the age of your watch, the type and temperature of the water, past repairs, stress on the watch, and more.

Therefore, you must take care of your Apple Watch and protect it from water damage. Always remember that water damage is not covered by the warranty, so you will have to pay to repair a water damaged Apple Watch.

What to do after your Apple Watch has been dropped or wet

Follow these tips to keep your Apple Watch from getting damaged by water or other liquids like sweat, etc.

1. In most cases, your watch is fine

As mentioned above, all Apple Watch models have some kind of water seal. So, you can go even if your watch gets very wet while washing your hands or something like that.

Nothing special needs to be done other than wiping off the liquid. If you have swum with it, be sure to rinse it with fresh water, as most pools mix chlorine, salts, and other chemicals into the water.

However, if you think the watch has been under water for a long time, be sure to drain the water from the speaker grilles.

2. Forcefully remove the water from your Apple Watch.

Apple Watch (Series 2 and later) has a waterlock feature, as well as a built-in option to play sound that forces water out of the speaker grilles.

Before you can swim or shower with your Apple Watch, you must turn on Water Lock by going to Control Center and tapping the water drop icon. This locks the Apple Watch screen and renders it insensitive to touch, preventing accidental data entry while you’re in the water. Then, once you’re done swimming or showering, simply turn the Digital Crown to drain the water.

Even if you have not turned on the water lock, you can play a special sound to push water out of the speaker grilles. Here’s how:

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the Apple Watch face to open Control Center. If you’re inside an app, press and hold the bottom of the screen before swiping up.
2. Touch the water lock icon. Now your Apple Watch display will not respond to any touch. At the top of the screen, you will see a blue water drop icon.
3. Finally, turn the Digital Crown to drain the water. Your watch will make a sound and push the water out of the speaker. Once this is done, the water block feature will automatically turn off and the Apple Watch display will be responsive again.

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3. Temporarily turn off your Apple Watch.

If something isn’t working properly, turn off your Apple Watch. After that, wait a while before turning it back on.

4. Don’t put your wet Apple Watch on the charger.

Don’t charge your Apple Watch when it’s wet. If you’ve just finished a sweaty workout and want to charge your watch, take a few seconds to give the bottom of the charging port a good wipe down before putting the watch on the charging puck.

5. Remove the Apple Watch band.

On Apple Watch (except Series 7), there is a hidden connector behind the watch band that is used for diagnostic tasks by technicians.

This slot is carefully covered, but if you think your Apple Watch has been under water for a long time, you should remove the watch band and dry any water that may be in this strap slot. This will prevent water from getting inside this special hidden connector.

6. The Apple Watch band may not be water resistant.

Even if your Apple Watch is splash and water resistant, the band might not be.

The sports strap (included) is water resistant. But other bands, like the leather band or the Apple Watch bands you get from Amazon, may not withstand repeated exposure to water.

So be sure to wipe any water or sweat off your watch bands and let them dry.

Note. Many watch bands made from leather, fabric, etc. can give off an unpleasant odor if they are frequently wet and not properly dried.

7. Do you use an Apple Watch case?

If you’re using an Apple Watch case or case, consider removing it after your watch gets wet. This will ensure that any water that may have entered the case quickly evaporates without staining.

Here are some things to do after your Apple Watch gets wet or after you’ve finished swimming, showering, or doing water sports with your watch. If you have other tips please share them with us.