Are Apple Watches Waterproof? Explained

Sep. 4, 2023

Wondering if your Apple Watch is waterproof? Or, are you planning to buy a waterproof Apple Watch that can survive your scuba diving adventures? Don’t arrive at any conclusions before you know all the basics. In this article, we’ll figure out are Apple Watches waterproof and what to do if your Apple Watch gets wet. Also, we’ve wrapped up the article with some tips to avoid any water damage on your smartwatch. No more waiting, let’s get started right away!

Are Apple Watches Waterproof?

To simply answer this question, Apple Watches aren’t waterproof, rather they are water-resistant. Although most Apple Watches won’t get damaged when exposed to water, the level of water resistance varies from model to model. Therefore, before you take your Apple Watch to swimming, pool parties, or scuba diving, you should know if your Apple Watch has enough water resistance to survive such activities. Also, Apple’s one-year warranty doesn’t cover water damage, so you need to understand the water-resistance ratings on your Apple Watch clearly.

Before we delve into Apple Watch IP ratings, it is important to understand what IP ratings are. To keep things simple, IP ratings denote the level of protection offered by an electrical device. IP ratings contain two different components – the word IP followed by two digits. The first digit denotes protection against solid foreign objects, whereas the second digit stands for protection against liquids. It is noteworthy that Apple only offers IP ratings for dust resistance and all Apple Watch models from Series 8 onwards have an IP6X dust resistance rating (here, X stands that there’s no data available for liquid particles).

Unlike most devices, Apple doesn’t use the IP water resistance rating for Apple Watch and iPhone. Rather, it uses the standard rating method based on depth. For example, starting from Apple Watch Series 2 until Series 8 is rated for 50 meters of water depth.

Note:Water resistance is not a permanent condition and it diminishes with time.

Now that you know whether Apple Watches are waterproof or not, you must be wondering what about Apple Watch bands. Not all Apple Watch bands are waterproof or even water-resistant. Here, are different types of Apple Watch bands and the permissible water activities you can perform while wearing them.Sweat and water-resistant.Water-resistance capabilitiesOcean BandWaterproof. Best for high-speed water sportsSports BandWaterproof. Great for heavy workouts and water activitiesSolo LoopSwimproof and sweatproofBraided Solo LoopAllows the moisture to escape to some extent.Sport LoopAllows the moisture to escape at some extent.Leather LoopNo water-resistanceClassic BuckleNo water-resistanceModern BuckleNo water-resistanceMilanese LoopNo water-resistanceLink Bracelet BandsNo water-resistanceApple Watch Bands and their Water-Resistance

After you’ve come from a heavy workout, shower, swimming session, or other activity, you should clean & dry your Apple Watch. Here’s how to do it the right way:

When you go for swimming, your Apple Watch automatically enables the Water Lock feature that locks the screen to avoid any accidental taps. On the Apple Watch Ultra, this feature is turned on when it’s submerged to a depth of 10 meters or lower.

Since water-resistance isn’t a permanent condition, it can reduce or even diminish with time. Also, there’s no way to check or reseal your Apple Watch for water resistance. To prolong water resistance on your Apple Watch, you should do the following: