Ever noticed a water droplet icon on your Apple Watch control center? Well, it is the Water Lock. Now what is a water lock and why do you need it?
Well, a Water Lock on your Apple Watch prevents accidental screen taps on the display when you wear your Apple Watch in water. And even though the Apple Watch is water-resistant, this Water Lock is also used to eject water from the speakers of the Apple Watch as an additional protection.
How to use the Water Lock on the Apple Watch
- To use the Water Lock on your Apple Watch, open the Control Center by pressing the side button once on watchOS 10 and above. On watchOS 9 and below, swiping up from the bottom of the watch face on the watch face will reveal the Control Center.
- Tap the Water Lock icon, which looks like a water droplet.
- Enabling the Water Lock will block all taps on the screen in order to prevent unintentional actions.
- While in the Water Lock mode, you can still scroll through new notifications or an active workout by rotating the Digital Crown.
- Once the watch is out of the water, I usually dry it with a soft towel before unlocking the Water Lock.
- To disable the Water Lock, press and hold the Digital Crown. Once the watch starts beeping, it means it has started ejecting water, which will also be displayed on the watch screen, and you can release the Digital Crown then.
- On watchOS 8 and below, unlock the Water Lock by rotating the Digital Crown instead of pressing it down.
When to use the Water Lock on your Apple Watch
Whenever you’re subjecting your Apple Watch to water, even if it starts raining and your Apple Watch is water-resistant, I always recommend enabling the Water Lock just as a source of additional protection.
Apart from when I’m caught in the rain, if I accidentally spill water on my Apple Watch, I quickly enable and disable the Water Lock just for the satisfaction of it having ejected any possible water from the speakers.
If you’re someone who wears your Apple Watch during showers, it would be a good idea to use the Water Lock feature, then, of course, during water sports such as swimming, diving, and water surfing.
In case you forget to manually activate the Water Lock during a water sport, the minute you start a water sport on your Apple Watch’s workouts, such as swimming or surfing, the Water Lock will automatically be enabled on the newer watchOS versions.
Wrap Up
Although the Apple Watch is a water-resistant device, enabling the Water Lock just adds an additional layer of protection. More than that, it gives me the satisfaction of my Apple Watch having played a water-ejecting sound to clear the speakers of any possible water droplets clogging them.
Although a simple feature, it is definitely underrated and adds both practicality and peace of mind.
