Should you go swimming with an Apple Watch? Based on my experience, I am going to say no. Those who know me know I was a big fan of my Apple Watch SE before I recently broke it taking it in the water. I learned some valuable information during this experience, and I want to share my experience with the internet so that people understand the capabilities of their device.
While Apple does state you can go swimming with an Apple Watch, you may want to know how my experience went before you try it.
The Dying Breaths of My Apple Watch SE
When it comes to my Apple Watch, I almost never allow it to go near water. Despite the fact that the Apple Watch SE and the Series 9 are rated as water-resistant for up to 50 meters (around 164 feet if you’re American), it always seemed like a bad idea to take the device near water. Perhaps it was comments I read online, or perhaps it’s the old-school heart in me. Either way, I refuse to take my Watch in the shower, let alone swimming.
However, vacation changed things for me. While the new version of watchOS 11 allows you to pause your Activity Rings, I decided not to install the developer beta before leaving for my trip. I figured I could deal with missing a day on my rings, and this turned out to be false. Thus, when I was swimming in the Alleghany river, I decided to wear my Apple Watch SE and begin a swimming workout.
While some folks will tell you that swimming with your Watch is fine so long as you enable Water Lock, this was unfortunately not the case for me. Though starting a swimming workout does enable Water Lock, my Watch survived for about twenty minutes before things went south.
Perhaps the screen turning on while I was swimming should have been my first indication that things weren’t going well, but the last thing I saw was Siri stating “Sorry, I can’t do that for you,” before the screen went black and the Watch died completely.
Siri said goodbye, and my Apple Watch never turned back on.
Trick to Fix a Water Damaged Watch: What About the Rice?
My Apple Watch dying was a major problem, as I adore my wearable. To worsen matters, since I was on vacation, I had few options in terms of diagnosing and repairing the problem. Rice was unavailable for several days, though I personally don’t think this is a viable solution anyway. While I did eventually put the device in a bag of rice, it wasn’t for some time after the incident, and despite the wearable sitting in rice since, it has yet to turn back on.
In my book, rice doesn’t work. In fact, Apple doesn’t even mention trying this when it gives advice for taking care of an Apple Watch that has water in it. So what other options do you have? Since it had been a couple of days, I didn’t have many. Not knowing what else to do, I took the device to my local Apple Store.
The Importance of Apple Care: Taking a Broken Device to the Apple Store
While my experience at the Apple Store was fine, it didn’t solve my problem. Upon arriving at the Store, I told a Specialist my issue and they had me wait to speak with someone. While they told me it would be a thirty minute wait, it was actually about ten minutes despite not even having an appointment. The Specialist that met with me was super friendly and knowledgeable, which was nice enough.
Unfortunately, my device wasn’t under warranty, and there was little they could do.
I did have the option to send the device to a larger facility, but the Specialist informed me that it would take awhile, and odds were good they would only confirm the Watch was broken. Since I already knew that, I thanked them and went on my way.
Remember that Apple Care can be pretty cheap, and in this instance, it would have been super useful.
With Apple being unable to help me, and the rice not doing its job, I decided to say nuts to the whole thing and purchase an Apple Watch Series 9. I already decided I was going to get a new Watch this year, although I was hoping to wait to see what the Series 10 will bring.
Should You Take an Apple Watch Swimming?
Despite all this, do I still think you should take your device swimming? Honestly, no. Remember that Apple states a device is “water-resistant” rather than “waterproof” for this very reason. While Apple can do its best to ensure that your device stays safe in the water, the company can’t guarantee it. If you’re rocking Apple Care, which is only four bucks a month for the Apple Watch, then I think you’re fine.
While some folks may have an experience different from mine, remember that your wearable isn’t waterproof. I will admit that I think the kill shot for my device was when I went too deep underwater, so it’s possible I would still have my Apple Watch SE if I just stayed near the surface. Either way, I’m unable to change the past, and I will admit that I do like my Series 9 a tad more than the SE, though I still wanted to wait for the Series 10.
You may also want to know if your MacBook is water proof.