It’s a safe assumption these days that every smartwatch and fitness tracker can be taken into the shower, rinsed off when you wash your hands, or worn into a pool. Many have swimming modes, or water lock features that suggest they can be used while wet. And yet, people keep finding out that the watch they thought was waterproof isn’t.
For example, this Redditor’s Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (released in 2022) died this year during an ocean swim, with signs of salt corrosion inside. Another Redditor recently lost functionality in their first-generation Apple Watch SE (2020) after swimming. Older watches tend to lose their water resistance over time, and many aren’t intended for use in salt water anyway, if you check the fine print. Smartwatches are a lot less water-resistant than we tend to think they are.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 (GPS, Cellular, 49mm, Black Ocean Band) $779.00 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $779.00 at AmazonIP ratings stand for “ingress protection.” The first number is how well the device resists the entry of dust on a scale of 0 to 6, and the second number is how well it resists water on a scale of 0 to 9. (Here’s more background on how IP ratings work.) Here’s what Samsung writes in the manual for the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which has an IP68 rating: “The device has been tested by submerging it in 1.5 [meters] of fresh water for 30 minutes, leaving it still, without any movement to meet the requirements of IEC 60529. The water resistance is not guaranteed when using the device under conditions that deviate from the standard.”
Water resistance degrades over time
Note that the manufacturer testing I described above is done with fresh water on a presumably brand-new device. There’s no guarantee that the device will be equally water-resistant after a few years of wear; seals can break down over time.
Other device makers agree. “Water resistance isn't a permanent condition and can diminish over time,” says Apple’s support page about water resistance, which gives the IP ratings of each model of Apple Watch. Apple notes that water resistance can degrade as a result of dropping the watch, exposing it to soap in the shower, or using a non-Ultra watch in the sauna. Non-Ultra models shouldn’t be exposed to “high-velocity water (for example, while water skiing).”
You’ll find similar warnings for other watches, so check your device’s manual for specifics. For example, the Garmin Forerunner 265 manual says to avoid pressing buttons while the device is underwater, and to rinse it immediately after contact with salt water or chlorine.
How to avoid water damage
Rinse and dry devices after they come into contact with salt water or chlorinated pool water, and try to keep them away from sunscreen and other substances. If you swim often, especially in salt water, consider upgrading to a watch with better water resistance (like an Ultra instead of a regular Apple Watch). And if you don’t swim often, but you’re on vacation with an older watch that has always seemed fine in the shower, maybe take it off just this once.
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