How the Apple Watch Functions in Water

While Apple hasn’t officially called the Apple Watch waterproof, many Watch owners have tested Apple’s IPX7 water resistance claims and have found that the Watch is indeed capable of withstanding quite a bit of water damage. In fact, we’ve seen various tests from laps in a pool to even 10 meter dives over the past few months.

Now, iOS developer Craig Hockenberry has published an extensive look at the Apple Watch’s ability to function under water.

Hockenberry says that he wears his Apple Watch while swimming in pools and in the ocean and has not found any of these activities to cause any noticeable damage to the Apple Watch. He goes even further to show how accurate the data tracking is for swimming and how to keep the Apple Watch in good condition, especially after being exposed to chlorine or salt water.

According to Hockenberry’s report, the Apple Watch’s touch screen doesn’t seem to work while the device is under water. A workout can only be started before getting into the the water and after getting out. This unfortunately leads to some small 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 your standing and waiting for waves to clear.

Hockenberry also believes that Apple has told customers not to use the Apple Watch in water because of the “erratic behavior it causes” when the display is wet, and not because of how well the Watch itself holds up in water. He suggests that it’s possible that watchOS 2 will help improve on this if native swimming apps are allowed.

You can check out Craig Hockenberry’s detailed report on how the Apple Watch functions in water here. It’s a great read.