News Mobile Smartphones How does the Apple Watch water lock feature actually work? And does it really help? By Christine Persaud July 18, 2026 11:30 am EST Christine Persaud for Engadget There are many smartwatches that are water-resistant, but rarely is anything fully waterproof. That said, you can safely swim (in freshwater sources) with one that meets an IPX8, IP68 (or higher) rating. But there's still risk of damage if the watch isn't dried out after submersion, which is why features like the Apple Watch's water lock are really handy. With water lock activated, the Apple Watch not only disables the screen so pressure from water doesn't inadvertently trigger an unintended action, but it also ejects water from inside the device to help it dry faster.
It's a useful and underrated feature of Apple Watch that every smartwatch should have, especially those that are rated to be safe to wear while swimming. I use this feature often with my Apple Watch Series 11 , and I love that it's automatically triggered any time I hop in a pool or wade in the ocean. It works while scuba diving as well if you have the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or Apple Watch Ultra 3 , all three of which are safe for deep diving (standard Apple Watches are not). How Apple Watch water lock works Christine Persaud for Engadget To manually turn on water lock, which is available on all Apple Watch models from Series 2 and onward, press the side button to open the Control Center.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2213629/how-apple-watch-water-lock-feature-works/
It's a useful and underrated feature of Apple Watch that every smartwatch should have, especially those that are rated to be safe to wear while swimming. I use this feature often with my Apple Watch Series 11 , and I love that it's automatically triggered any time I hop in a pool or wade in the ocean. It works while scuba diving as well if you have the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or Apple Watch Ultra 3 , all three of which are safe for deep diving (standard Apple Watches are not). How Apple Watch water lock works Christine Persaud for Engadget To manually turn on water lock, which is available on all Apple Watch models from Series 2 and onward, press the side button to open the Control Center.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2213629/how-apple-watch-water-lock-feature-works/