Can I Shower With My Apple Watch? (Explained)


Can I Shower With My Apple Watch?

Ever wondered if you can shower or swim with your Apple watch? Water-resistance wears off with time. Apple is well aware of this condition and it knows that watches can not be resealed that is why you are given instructions on how to take care of the Apple Watch for it to not be destroyed by water. Exposing your watch to substances like soap, shampoo, detergents, lotions, perfumes affects the water resistance of the Apple watch as it negatively affects the water seals and acoustic membranes on the device. To answer the question, can I shower with my Apple watch?

You should not shower with your Apple watch on though the Apple adverts on this watch suggest that you can shower or swim with it on but it is not recommended to do so. Apple watches are not weatherproof so you should not shower with your Apple watch. The Apple Watch is water-resistant but not waterproof. People tend to misunderstand the two words, being water-resistant and being waterproof.

Waterproof means a device is completely sealed and water can not get in at even certain depths but water resistance is a feature that wears off with time and it does not mean water can not get in your device. 

When you are showering, things like applying soap, soapy water, and shampoo are mostly involved in the act of bathing. These things can damage your Apple Watch and have a negative effect on the water-resistant feature of your Apply watch and eventually, the water resistance will wear off. When you see that you are about to do activities involving water, make sure that the water Lock feature is turned on on your Apple Watch. 

Always keep in mind that your Apple Watch is water-resistant but not waterproof meaning your Apple watch can be worn during exercise as sweetness does not have an impact on the watch, when walking in the rain and when washing hands although it’s not much recommended. 

Can I go swimming or take a shower with my Apple Watch?

The Apple Watch Series 2 and first-generation Apple Watch are said to be resistant to water and splashes of water and some liquids. What is bad is submerging your Apple watch series 1 and Apple Watch of the first generation in water as they are not waterproof.  Submerging them in the water would cause the water to penetrate into the case of the watch and short wire it and damage the Apple Watch. 

Apple Watch Series 2 and the new kinds of Apple Watches can be used for rather some activities that require you to be in shallow waters like swimming in a pool or ocean. Having known this information, it is also important for you to know that you should not use these newer versions for Scuba diving or in waters where there is a high velocity and that require you to be submerged below shallow depth.  

The newer versions of the Apple Watch and the Apple Watch Series 2 say showering with the Apple watch is okay but it is not recommended due to the presence of soaps, shampoos, lotions, conditioners, and perfumes which are bad for the Apple Watch as they negatively affect the water seals and acoustic membranes. When it comes to cleaning the Apple Watch, you should clean it using freshwater with the aid of a dried lint-free cloth when it comes in contact with another form of liquid apart from freshwater. 

The most important thing you should know is that water resistance is not a permanent condition and it wears off with time. The problem with this is that the Apple Watch can not be rechecked or resealed for water resistance. Here are the following factors that may affect the water resistance of your Apple watch and should at all costs be avoided:

  • The act of dropping your Apple Watch or subjecting it to any form of hard and sudden impacts. Dropping Apple Watch or subjecting it to other impacts.
  • Your Apple Watch exposure to soap or soapy water especially when showering.
  • Exposure to perfume, solvents, detergents, acids or acidic foods, lotions, sunscreen, hair dye, insect repellent.
  • Your Apple watch’s exposure to high-velocity water for example when water skiing.
  • The act of wearing the Apple Watch in the sauna or steam room.
  • Be careful in the brands that you use like stainless steel or leather bands. 

What should I do if my Apple Watch gets wet?

In the situation that your Apple Watch gets in contact with splashes of water, take a non-abrasive lint-free cloth and then wipe it using the cloth. Avoid using hear, any form of spray, or compressed air. Make sure to clean your Apple Watch and then let it dry, plus the band and your skin when you just finished working out. If you were swimming, after the activity makes sure to rinse gently the Apple Watch Series 2 and if it’s a newer version, with clean and warm tap water. If they were exposed to fresh water, make sure you let it dry thoroughly. 

If you ever find yourself in a situation that your Apple Watch has gotten wet and you can hear some muffled sounds from your speaker, here are the steps you can follow to fix this: firstly, make sure that you do not place anything into the openings like a microphone or speaker ports and do not do the mistake many people do of shaking the watch to remove water. 

Secondly, give your watch ample time to charge overnight which helps in speeding up the evaporation process. In the case that you own an Apple Watch Series 3, measurements from the barometric altimeter may be less accurate if water gets into the air vent (for example, during swimming). Normal altimeter performance returns after the water has evaporated.

Apple Watch Series 2 and newer

The good thing about an Apple watch is that it automatically locks itself when start indulging yourself in swimming activity. The screen is automatically locked in a feature called water lock. This is done so to avoid the person accidentally tapping the Apple watch. In the case that you are done with your swimming workout, you can turn the digital crown with the aim of unlocking the Apple Watch’s screen. Clear any form of water from your Apple Watch before you unlock it. You might find yourself feeling some water on your wrist or worse still hearing some distorted sounds, if this is the case then you can do the manual way of clearing the water from your Apple Watch, by swiping up on the bottom of the watch face and when you visit the control center and then you select water lock and then the digital crown is turned to unlock the screen and then you can go ahead and then clear the water from the speaker. 

Apple Watch Series 1 or earlier

The first step is to see if any water comes out of the watch finding out if there is water in the microphone or speaker by putting the Apple Watch side down on a non-abrasive lint-free cloth. Water that enters the speaker might lead to distorted sounds and it will have poor sound until the water evaporates. 

The IPX7 is the rating these Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple watch of the first generation possess which is under the IEC standard 60529. The newer versions plus the Apple series 2 are equipped with a water resistance of 50 meters which is under the act of the ISO standard 22810:2010. 

Remember and keep in mind not to indulge yourself in any activities involving water without turning on the Water Lock. You can choose to wear your apple watch when sleeping or in the morning hours. Just to add to that, although you can still shower with your Apple Watch, please do not. 

Further information on why you should not wear your Apple watch when showering. 

Water resistance wears off with time 

Apple is well aware of this condition and it knows that watches can not be resealed that is why you are given instructions on how to take care of the Apple Watch for it to not be destroyed by water. Exposing your watch to substances like soap, shampoo, detergents, lotions, perfumes affects the water resistance of the Apple watch as it negatively affects the water seals and acoustic membranes on the device.  If you are stubborn enough to shower with your watch, just make sure to turn on the water lock.  This feature locks an Apple Watch’s screen to avoid accidental taps while swimming and during other water-based activities. To manually activate this feature:

1. Switch on your Apple watch and then select the control center by simply swiping up on the faces of your Apple watch. 

2. Make use of your fingers and then scroll to the water lock icon and it’s easily noticeable as it looks like a water droplet. 

3. Press on the icon with the aim of putting the water lock feature into activation. You will notice a blue water droplet appearing in the center of the watch face when you activate this important feature.  

4. The last step comes when you are done with your showering activity, be civilized and turn off the water lock feature by turning the Digital Crown until the blue teardrop fills the circular icon. A number of sounds will be made once the watch is unlocked with the aim of clearing water from its speakers. 

Conclusion

Although you can do it, make sure not to wear your apple watch when showering. This is because when showering you expose the watch to soaps, soapy water, shampoos, detergents, and the likes which can negatively affect the Apple watch. The Apple Watch is water-resistant but not waterproof, it is still vulnerable to being damaged with water that is why it is recommended not to wear the watch when showering.

Eddie Mcfarren

Eddie Is no stranger to technical writing after spending years in Networking, IT Infrastructure management, and online content marketing. He is an avid researcher, Software and apps dev tester who spends hours solving problems behind the scenes. Get in touch with him via social media and you can email him via contact@gawkygeek.com

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