Your Apple Watch is water-resistant, not waterproof. The feature you're likely asking about is called Water Lock. This mode prevents accidental touches on the screen while the watch is wet and helps expel water from the speaker after you're done.
When Water Lock is on, "You won't be able to do anything on your watch. And now you can easily go to pool or take a shower with your watch."
What is Water Lock Mode?
Water Lock is a built-in feature on your Apple Watch designed to be used when you are going to be in water, such as swimming or showering. It serves two main purposes:
- Preventing Accidental Input: Water droplets can sometimes register as touches on the screen. Water Lock disables the screen to prevent this from happening.
- Expelling Water: Turning off Water Lock activates the speaker to emit a series of tones, which helps push water out of the speaker cavity.
How to Turn On Water Lock
Turning on Water Lock is a simple process:
- Wake your Apple Watch: Tap the screen or raise your wrist.
- Open Control Center: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or press the side button on watchOS 10 and later).
- Find the Water Lock Icon: Look for the droplet-shaped icon.
- Tap the Water Lock Icon: This will activate Water Lock. A droplet icon will appear at the top of your watch face, indicating that Water Lock is active.
Once activated, the screen is disabled, and you are ready to enter the water.
How to Turn Off Water Lock and Expel Water
After you are done swimming you can take your watches. And turn the water log off. This is how you do it:
- Turn the Digital Crown: Rotate the Digital Crown on the side of your Apple Watch repeatedly.
- Watch the Animation: Keep turning the crown until the droplet icon fills the circle on the screen.
- Listen for the Tones: As the lock disengages, your Apple Watch will make a series of sounds to expel any water from the speaker.
- Screen Unlocks: Once the animation is complete and the sounds stop, the screen will become responsive again.
Using Water Lock with Workouts
If you start a swimming workout on your Apple Watch, Water Lock is automatically turned on for you. When you end the swimming workout, the watch will automatically prompt you to turn the Digital Crown to turn off Water Lock and expel water.
It's important to remember that while Apple Watches are water-resistant, this resistance can decrease over time with normal wear and tear. Water Lock is a helpful feature for minimizing water-related issues during activities.
