A Detailed Look at How the Apple Watch Functions in Water

Apple is cautious with its Apple Watch and doesn't market the device as waterproof, instead giving it a water resistance rating of IPX7. Apple says it's fine to wear the watch in the rain or while washing your hands, but the company doesn't recommend submerging the device.

Many Apple Watch owners have tested Apple's water resistance claims, coming to the conclusion that the Apple Watch is more water resistant than Apple claims. It's survived submersion in a bucket, laps in a pool, lengthy swim tests, and even a 10m dive with no damage.

applewatchwater

Image via Craig Hockenberry

iOS developer Craig Hockenberry of Iconfactory has followed up each of those tests with a thorough look at the Apple Watch's ability to function in water, which he's compiled into a detailed report that's well worth a read.

Hockenberry wears his Apple Watch while swimming in both pools and the ocean with no discernible damage. Because other reports have already proven the Apple Watch can function in water, Hockenberry goes deeper and looks at how well the watch works while it's in water, how it can be used while swimming, how accurate the data tracking is for water-based activities like swimming, and how to keep the Apple Watch in good condition after using it in salt water and chlorine.

The Apple Watch's capacitive touch screen doesn't work while the device is under water, nor does Force Touch. This is a problem when using the Workout app, as it can't be accessed in the water, and occasionally, water can activate a swipe on the display, swapping from the timer to the calorie view. A workout can only be started before getting into the water and ended after getting out, leading to some inaccuracies.

You have to start the workout before getting in the water and stop after you've gotten a chance to dry off.

For an ocean swim, this screws up your timing: you don't really start swimming until after you get beyond the surf break. If there's heavy surf, this can take several minutes. Workout data is being collected while you're standing and waiting for waves to clear.

Hockenberry postulates that Apple recommends customers don't use the Apple Watch in water "because of the erratic behavior it causes" when the screen is wet, rather than out of concern for how well it holds up in water. As he suggests, it's possible water activity tracking will improve upon the release of WatchOS 2 if native swimming apps are allowed, but it is not clear if Apple will approve swimming apps as they encourage users to wear the Apple Watch in a way that Apple does not support.

Hockenberry's full, detailed report on how the Apple Watch functions in water can be read over at his site, Furbo.org.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
ipad pro 2024

Gurman: New iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models With M5 Chips to Launch Later This Year

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:06 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...

Top Rated Comments

decimortis Avatar
127 months ago
"Many Apple Watch owners have tested ('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/05/06/consumer-reports-apple-watch-test/') Apple's water resistance claims.."

Brave souls. I salute your quest to push the limits of expensive technology.
I won't even test the Scotch-guard on my sofa.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
127 months ago
I've never understood why people wear watches in the shower. Is it that difficult to take off prior to showering?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iJon Avatar
127 months ago
I've already had my Apple Watch replaced once about a month or so after I had it. I rarely take off my Watch and wear it in the shower each day, but only had this problem once. After washing my hands during the day at a clients, I noticed my Watch wouldn't come back on. Upon further inspection, it looked like water got underneath the screen in the top right corner.

Apple promptly replaced it and it's been fine since. I still wear my watch in the shower and other places, but it happens again I'll have to come to realization that the Apple Watch just isn't on par water resistance wise compared to mechanical watches I've worn in the past.

In case anyone is wondering, below are what a water damaged Apple Watch looks like.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
127 months ago
In case anyone is wondering, below are what a water damaged Apple Watch looks like.
The trick is disabling the undocumented 'lava lamp' feature. :p
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Trik Avatar
127 months ago
I wore my Apple Watch white water tubing this weekend with no troubles other than my friends who thought I was crazy. But I had to have my fitness credit for all my efforts to "paddle" the tube from one side of the river to the other. I burned over 840 calories! Could you imagine if that didn't get recorded? In this case, thank goodness for Apple under promising on water resistance and over delivering.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
luckyblue Avatar
127 months ago
Nobody cares weird man.
... uh... this is a thread about whether it should be worn in the water. I thought it might help to share my experience. Isn't that what these boards are for?

Care to classify what you mean by weird? We're you picked on as a kid? Not sure what would drive you to try and bring someone down for no reason.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)