If your Apple Watch feels like it’s not responding to your taps, it could be in Water Lock mode. It’s easy to forget to turn off Water Lock Mode after you go for a swim or a shower.
There’s also a bit of confusion about how Apple Watch’s Water Lock feature works. Read on to see how to (and how not to) use it.
Lock your Apple Watch when it’s in the water
Every Apple Watch since Series 2 is water resistant. They are highly resilient to being submerged in water, even with Water Lock off. You don’t need to worry much about ruining the electronics inside.
Still, there’s a good reason to turn on Water Lock. It disables the Apple Watch’s touchscreen so the device doesn’t glitch out when you’re in the shower, having a bath or going for a swim.
“When Water Lock is on, your Apple Watch doesn’t respond to touch on its display. This prevents accidental input while you’re in water,” Apple Support says.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
To turn on Water Lock, just click the side button on your Apple Watch to bring up Control Center. Then scroll down and tap the water drop icon.
With Water Lock on, you can still see your Apple Watch notifications as they come in and scroll with the Digital Crown. However, you can’t type out a response. You’ll need to use Siri if you want to send a text or give someone a call with Water Lock on.
What to do if your Apple Watch is unresponsive
If your Apple Watch won’t respond to your touch, you probably left Water Lock on. It’s easy to forget. To check, look at the top of your Apple Watch screen. If you see a tiny blue water-drop icon, Water Lock is activated.
To unlock the screen, press and hold the Digital Crown for a few seconds. You’ll hear a little bloop bloop noise — your Apple Watch is playing a special frequency that ejects water out of its speakers.
If I’ve been in the pool a while, I usually find a few small droplets spew out the side. Don’t worry. It’s designed to work that way. That’s why the feature’s there!
What you can and can’t do with your Apple Watch in water: No saunas!
Apple designed its smartwatch to remain resilient in all kinds of situations. However, all electronics have their limits. Apple published a list of situations you shouldn’t subject your Apple Watch to:
- Soapy water
- Perfume, detergent, acidic food, bug spray, lotions, sunscreen, hair dye
- High-velocity water (waterskiing, high diving)
- Steam rooms and saunas
The extra-rugged Apple Watch Ultra will fare better in these situations. On the other hand, older models like Apple Watch Series 1 shouldn’t be fully submerged underwater at all.
“If your Apple Watch comes in contact accidentally with soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, perfumes, solvents, detergent, acids or acidic foods, insect repellent, sunscreen, oil, hair dye, or any substance other than water, it should be cleaned with fresh warm water and dried with a lint-free cloth,” according to Apple Support. “Chemicals found in these items could negatively affect water seals and acoustic membranes.”
I should note that I’ve had an Apple Watch since the Series 3 model from 2017 and had no problems with getting it a little soapy or hitting it with aerosol sunscreen. But I can’t say I’m a regular cliff diver, so I can’t be the judge of that.
Water Lock with Apple Watch workouts
Apple Watch is great for tracking your swimming. (Read Cult of Mac’s guides: How to start swimming with Apple Watch and How to optimize your swimming stroke with Apple Watch.)
If you’re at a pool to do some laps, open the Workout app and scroll down to start a Pool Swim activity. Water Lock will automatically enable when you start the workout.
On that note, Apple Watch Ultra can take things a step further. It works as a replacement dive computer when you go on scuba diving outings. The Ultra’s oversize Ocean Band fits over a wetsuit, and the device is water resistant up to (or, more accurately, down to) 130 feet.
Apple Watch Series 10 also offers improved water resistance, though not as good as the Ultra. Apple says it’s good for snorkeling, and the depth gauge can measure down to 6 meters (nearly 20 feet).
Photo: Apple
We originally published this article on Apple Watch Water Lock mode on January 6, 2023. We updated the information.
