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Can You Shower With An Apple Watch 7?

By: Author Jason Kendell

Can You Shower With An Apple Watch 7?

If you have an Apple Watch Series 7, you may be tempted to test its water resistance properties. The Series 7 has “Water Resistant” mentioned its listed features, so I initially didn’t think twice about keeping my watch on for showering.

However as I later found out, wearing your Apple Watch for showering or for swimming may not always be a good idea.

See also: Should you wear your Apple Watch all the time?

Can you wear an Apple Watch Series 7 in the shower?

Showering with an Apple Watch 7 is not recommended. Wearing it a few times in the shower will generally not harm your watch, however, the chemicals contained in soap and shampoo can damage the seal and water-resistant capabilities of your watch over time.

As a result, regularly showering while wearing the watch can decrease its lifespan. 

Each Apple Watch series is water resistant to some degree. The stronger the seal, the more resistant the watch is. 

Apple uses special glue to seal its watches. The products we use when showering can gradually dissolve the glue for the seal. That’s the biggest problem when showering with an Apple Watch. 

Water alone can’t really cause damage to the watch, since the pressure of the water in the shower is not that high. Steaming hot water can also affect the seal though. 

You have to be mindful of the band of your watch. If it’s a metal band, showering is not recommended at all as it may lead to the band rusting. 

Apple Watch official water capabilities

With all this talk about water resistance, 

many users mistake water resistance for waterproofing. All Apple Watch Series are water resistant, but none is waterproof. 

Water resistance means that the watch will be able to withstand water pressure to a certain extent. The water will not penetrate into the watch as long as the water pressure limit is not exceeded. 

However, the watch is not fully protected from water and the resistance weakens over time. 

These are the water capabilities of all Apple Watch Series: 

  • Apple Watch Series 1 can be submerged up to 1 meter underwater for 30 minutes.
  • Apple Watch Series 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 can withstand 30 minutes under 50 meters.
  • Apple Watch Ultra, Series 7, and Series 8 can go for 30 minutes under 100 meters. It has IP6X dust-resistant rating.

The bands that are not water resistant are the Classic Buckle, Leather Loop, Modern Buckle, Milanese, and Link Bracelet Bands. 

Unlike Apple Watches, truly waterproof watches are  completely protected from water penetration. It has a much higher water pressure limit. The entire watch is made out of impermeable materials. If it’s not otherwise damaged, the water protection normally won’t weaken over time.

What does Water Lock mean on the Apple Watch?

If Apple doesn’t recommend showering with the watch, what is the Water Lock for? 

The Water Lock is primarily for screen protection on the watch. Its other purpose is to help you clean the water off the watch. 

Every Apple Watch has a screen that’s immune to water damage. However, when wet, the watch can mistake the water droplets for finger touches on the screen. 

Water Lock prevents this. It locks the screen and disables any taps and touches. So, when the screen is wet, it stops the watch from accidentally entering or opening something. 

Water Mode can also make the phone vibrate in order to push out any trapped water that you are not able to remove with a soft cloth.

To activate Water Lock on an Apple Watch, open the Control Center and tap the Water Lock option. By doing this, you will lock the screen so it will not respond to any contact. 

After activating the Water Lock, you will be directed to your home screen. Then, you can simply hold the Crown Button down to make the watch vibrate and push water away.

Can you shower with Apple Watch 5 or 6?

Judging from the official Apple documentation, it seems that Apple Watch Series 5 and 6 can handle the water pressure in the shower. Does that mean you can shower with Series 5 or 6? 

The answer still remains the same. While the water pressure won’t damage the watch, the showering products might. 

In case you already showered with your Apple Watch 5 or 6, you don’t need to worry as long as this isn’t a recurring thing. Extended exposure to soap and shampoo, however, can decrease water resistance properties. 

Showering with Apple Watch 4 or earlier versions

What about the older Apple Watch Series? Can you shower with Apple Watch 4 and earlier versions?

Apple Watch 2 and newer versions all have enough water resistance to handle water pressure from a shower. Only Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch 1st Generation can’t handle a shower. 

But again, soap and shampoo will likely cause damage to the seal over time. 

Can you wear Apple Watch in a hot shower?

Since the shower products are the problem, can you shower with an Apple Watch if you don’t use soap and shampoo?

There is still something you need to be careful of when showering with an Apple Watch, even if you don’t use any products.

Besides soap and shampoo, high water temperature in the shower may also affect your watch’s seal. 

Cold water won’t do any damage to the watch and iwon’t weaken the water resistance. 

Warm water should be fine as long as it’s not steaming hot. When water gets to its steaming point it can dissolve the superglue on the seal.

So, if you are showering with warm water but the shower is not steamy, your Apple Watch should be fine. 

Can you swim with an Apple Watch?

Some users may be afraid to swim with their watch after finding out that showering with it is not recommended. Is swimming with an Apple Watch any different than showering with it?

I personally don’t like swimming with my watch as I’m afraid I might hit something. The few times I actually swam with it were fine though, the water didn’t cause any issue.

Water-resistant Apple Watch Series are designed more for swimming than they are is for showering. They’re built to resist water pressure but not soap and shampoo. 

You can swim with an Apple Watch in pools, lakes, and ocean. You can’t deep dive, water ski, or go river kayaking with the watch. Even though it’s shallow, high-velocity water produces a level of pressure that the watch can’t handle. 

Except for the Apple Watch Series 1 and First Generation, you can swim with any Apple Watch version. 

Each model has a specific limit on how deep and how long you can submerge it into water. 

With Apple Watch Series 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, you can swim in waters as deep as 50 meters for 30 minutes. With Series Ultra, 7, and 8, you can go as deep as 100 meters for up to 30 minutes. 

Apple Watch seal damaged from showering

In case you’ve been showering with your Apple watch for a while, chances are the seal may be damaged. What to do if your Apple Watch seal comes off? 

If the seal on your Apple Watch is loose, avoid getting it wet by all means. Water will penetrate inside the watch and corrode the battery. Take the watch to be resealed and have the repari shop check if battery needs replacing. 

If the seal is completely off, never try to re-seal the watch e.g. with superglue by yourself. Take it to an Apple repair shop so they will service both the seal and the battery.