While the Apple Watch is somewhat water resistant, that doesn’t mean it’s completely waterproof. Here’s how to protect your Apple Watch from water damage if it goes for a dunk that it can’t quite lift.
You probably already know that electronics and water never go well together. However, with newer smartphones and other devices, manufacturers are making their newer products waterproof, or at least water resistant, meaning you can accidentally expose them to water without much else.
The Apple Watch falls into this category. While it’s not completely waterproof, you can wear the smartwatch in the shower and expose it to other minor water situations, but you might want to take things a little further and that could happen when a disaster strikes.
For example, after watching this video an Apple Watch waterproof test, ScotteVest CEO Scott Jordan decided to get his own Apple Watch for a dip and discovered that he wasn’t experiencing the same excitement as the unit shown in the video, and soon found himself trying to save his new wearable from certain destruction.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a similar situation, here’s how to protect your Apple Watch from water damage.
Don’t Panic, Act Fast
When you find out your Apple Watch is making a dunk it can’t handle, it’s easy to panic and endure its cries without doing anything; The faster you act, the better your chances of recovering your Apple Watch. Here are some immediate steps you should take.
Skip rice
It’s an age-old story that we all know very well. We’ve been told that putting our submerged appliances in the rice will help absorb the water and help the drying process, but it doesn’t actually work that well.
Image Credit: Scott Jordan
A cell phone repairman says he tells customers to only put their device in the rice so they don’t “try to charge it to turn it back on. Trying to charge your phone because it won’t turn on after dropping it in water is a surefire way to short-circuit the board and make it stop working again.”
Instead, she recommends putting your soaked tools in a food dehydrator. Actually the mechanic says he does it in his shop. “If he brings a phone that has just fallen into the water, we throw it for free for 1-2 hours, then let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Usually they either come back or after that the battery needs to be replaced to get it working again.”
So, if your Apple Watch has had a little too much to drink, toss it in a food dehydrator for best results. Otherwise, you’d better let it air dry in a cool, dry place.
Getting it to Work Again
If you leave your Apple Watch to air dry, leaving it for at least 24 hours is recommended, but even then, I recommend letting it dry for a few days to make sure all the water is clean. remove it from there before turning it back on.
Try turning on the Apple Watch after making sure it’s completely dry. If it opens, you’re good to go. If not, giving it a boost by charging can give the battery a head start that we hope will power up later.
If it still won’t turn on, your best bet is to take it to Apple or an authorized repair shop and have them look at it. AppleCare covers accidental damage, but you’ll likely have to pay a $69 deduction for the Apple Watch Sport.
