Can you swim with your Apple Watch? The short answer is yes. Since the Series 2 release, any Apple Watch has been suitable for swimming.
However, if you are a swimmer or diver looking to track your laps and descend into the watery depths, a dedicated swimming smartwatch fitness tracker is required. But in the meantime, let’s go over all you should know about Apple watches and their water-proof and-resistant capabilities.
Are Apple Watches Waterproof?
Apple Watches are water resistant rather than waterproof. This means they are resistant to sweat, splashes from hand washing, and light rain. Swimming is also allowed.
Water resistance has been of a quality that allows swimming in shallow water since the Apple Watch Series 2. Water Lock is a feature on Apple Watches that prevents water from accidentally activating the touchscreen.
Howerver, water resistance does not protect against water pressure, so if you plan on doing any serious underwater swimming or diving, leave the Apple Watch at home.
How to Swim With Your Apple Watch
Water resistance is becoming increasingly common in electronic devices, including the Apple Watch. You can wear your Watch in the shower, while swimming in a pool or lake, and while running until you sweat. In fact, the Watch can expel any excess water that has gotten into the works as well as keep it out.
Your Watch (Series 2 or later) will automatically lock its screen if its activity monitor detects that you’re swimming or if you tell it you’re starting a swimming workout, thanks to a feature called Water Lock. This is to prevent unintentional taps.
Meanwhile, there’s a quick way to protect your Watch from water damage before you take a shower or jump in the pool if you want to ensure Water Lock engages.
To access the Command Center, swipe up from the bottom of any screen.
Scroll up or down by rotating the Digital Crown or flicking your finger across the screen until you see the water drop icon. Tap it.
The screen then stops responding to taps or swipes.
When you get out of the water, rotate the crown of the Watch. The Watch will beep several times, expel any water that may have entered the speakers and microphones, and reactivate the screen.
Please keep in mind that the Watch is only water resistant, not waterproof, which means it cannot withstand lower depths (as in scuba diving) or higher force (as in water skiing). Furthermore, Apple warns that substances such as soapy water, lotions, and sunscreen, as well as environments such as steam baths and saunas, can eventually wear out the water-resistant seals on the Watch. Finally, make sure your Watch band is water resistant; not all are.
So have fun swimming, but don’t be careless.
Apple Watches and Their Water Resistant Capabilities
#1. Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch 1
Water Resistant Capabiliites: Very Minimal
If you want to go swimming with one of the earlier Apple Watch models, you’re out of luck: they’re not very water-resistant. If you own one of the first (called Series 0) or Series one models, which were manufactured until mid-2018, you’ll have to work extra hard to keep it dry.
While it should be fine to wear while doing the dishes or washing the car, you should never submerge it. If you do submerge it accidentally, make sure to dry it as soon as possible to avoid damage. Water on the screen is a far less serious problem than water in the ports or speaker.
#2. Apple Watch 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Water Resistant Capabilities: Up to 50 meters
While smartphones and most electronic devices use an IP rating for water resistance (with IP 7 being submergible), some watch manufacturers use a depth rating. When you purchased your Apple Watch from the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 Series, it was water resistant up to 50 meters. Most devices will eventually lose their water resistance due to the effects of daily wear.
If you have an Apple Watch Series 2 (introduced in 2016) or Series 3 (introduced in 2017), it is probably not as water resistant as it once was. Wearing it while swimming should be avoided, but you should be fine wearing it while showering, cleaning, or performing other tasks that require you to have your hands in water for a few seconds. The problem may be prolonged submersion.
If you have a Series 5 or 6 (introduced in 2019 and 2020, respectively), you should be fine to continue wearing it while participating in water sports. It should be suitable for water sports such as swimming, snorkeling, or an all-day river float. There are several dedicated apps for swimmers on the App Store, but the Apple Watch (Series 2 and above) works well for swimming, with features that can guess what stroke you’re doing and measure your rate of exertion.
Regardless of model, Apple recommends avoiding contact with potentially damaging liquids such as bug spray, acidic substances, perfume, or shampoo and conditioner, so try to rinse it off after contact with anything other than fresh water.
#3. Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch SE 2
Water Resistant Capabilities: Up to 50 meters
You’re in luck if you bought an Apple Watch SE or the newer Apple Watch SE 2. While you will lose some health features when compared to the top models, you will not have to sacrifice water resistance: both Apple Watch SE models are rated to 50 meters. So go ahead and swim or soak in a hot tub; they should be able to withstand all but the most extreme water activities.
#4. Apple Watch 8
Water Resistant Capabilities: Up to 50 meters
The Apple Watch 8 is water resistant to 50 meters, as are most older models, but because water resistance deteriorates over time, the newer the watch, the better the water resistance. The Apple Watch 8 also has a number of improvements over previous models, though these do not significantly improve its water resistance.
#5. Apple Watch Ultra
Water Resistant Capabilities: 100 meters
The Apple Watch Ultra has twice the water resistance of other Apple Watches, at up to 100 meters, making it the best choice for serious divers. It even has a diving sensor, so you can see how far you’ve sunk, the temperature of the water, and how long you’ve been underwater. It also works with the Oceanic+ app, which adds extra diving tools like undersea GPS tracking and a diver’s logbook. This will be more than most people require, but it’s fantastic that Apple has finally included a serious diving option.
What You Should Know
Apple watches, unlike most electronics, including iPhones, iPads, and all other tablets and smartphones, do not use the IP water resistance rating. Instead, they employ the standard depth-based rating method for watches.
However, being rated to 50 meters does not imply that you should dive to that depth – it simply means that in lab tests, it was able to withstand the amount of pressure found at that depth (which is approximately 4.5 times the amount at the surface).
Outside of the Apple Watch Ultra, which is designed for divers, there’s really no reason to test that yourself, as it could damage your watch. If you need a smartwatch for scuba diving or freediving, get one that also functions as a dive computer, like the aforementioned Ultra, or another brand, like the Garmin Descent.
It’s also worth noting that Apple Watches aren’t built to withstand repeated high-energy impacts. Swimming in a pool or the ocean is fine, but avoid wearing it for more extreme sports such as water skiing or surfing. It’ll probably be fine for a few times, but too many high-velocity impacts could cause the water resistance to deteriorate, eventually ruining your watch.
What Is the Apple Watch Ultra?
The Apple Watch Ultra is specifically designed to withstand extreme activities. It has an upgraded case with more robust controls, as well as a water resistance rating of 100m.
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