How Apple Watch Water Lock ejects water

Apple Watch does more than survive a swim: it can also push water out of its speaker afterward. Water Lock disables the touchscreen so drops, splashes, or bubbles cannot trigger unwanted taps. When the swim is over, holding the Digital Crown starts a short water-ejection sequence.

The feature does not make the watch completely waterproof. Like most smartwatches, Apple Watch has water resistance rather than permanent, absolute sealing. Devices often carry ratings such as IP68 or similar classifications, but those do not prevent seals and gaskets from wearing out over time.

Removing moisture quickly reduces the chance that it will remain inside the case or cause problems later. Water Lock is available on Apple Watch from Series 2 onward. On newer models, it can activate automatically during water workouts such as swimming or surfing.

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How Water Lock clears the speaker

After the user holds the Crown for several seconds, the speaker emits a series of tones that can sound like an old arcade game. Internally, the speaker and the tiny channels around it use vibration to move water out through the openings.

The process runs through several cycles rather than one brief pulse. The watch pauses to let the water shift, then repeats the ejection. Requiring the Crown to be held helps prevent accidental activation and gives the cleaning routine time to finish.

Water Lock can also be enabled manually after a shower, a run in the rain, or washing dishes. This is useful even when the watch was not submerged, since repeated exposure to chlorine, salt, or soap can be hard on the speaker and seals.

Apple is not alone in using this approach. Samsung and Garmin also offer modes that lock the screen during swimming and help remove water from the speaker. The implementation differs, but the goal is the same: stop a wet interface from registering phantom touches and avoid leaving moisture inside the device.

The Apple Watch Ultra, Ultra 2, and Ultra 3 support a broader use case and are designed for deeper dives. Standard Apple Watch models are not intended for diving. Water Lock cannot make an Apple Watch indestructible, but it can help keep the speaker from staying wet longer than necessary after a swim.