Apple Watch condensation problem

[CoolGuy9890]

Hi guys... I have an Apple Watch and it seems to have some condensation problem. It shows up when I'm outside the house or walking on the street, but if I'm in an air-conditioned place like the house or in the car, it disappears.

Just wondering if anyone else is having the issue. BTW this is the second time this has happened. Apple replaced the watch last march because of the same problem. Apparently the same problem happened again in just 4 months.

I really take care of my watch. I never do workouts or anything physical. I only go back and fourth to and from office.

Here are some photos:

 

[44267547]

Strange. I have a Stainless model as well and have not had this issue. Do you live where you experience high humidity? How long would you be outside with it on? Does it always reappear when you walk outside?

When you say replaced, did Apple replace the screen or give you a whole new Watch?

I would definitely contact Apple. This would annoy me too.

 

[CoolGuy9890]

Do you live where you experience high humidity? How long would you be outside with it on? Does it always reappear when you walk outside?

I live in the Philippines, so it would be relatively humid and outside at around 30-38ºC and 60-70% humidity.
It just reappears slowly when I go outside, and slowly disappears when going back in an air conditioned room.

Usually go outside at least a few minutes every hour. I always wear the watch since I got it last year. I only remove it before going to bed.

When you say replaced, did Apple replace the screen or give you a whole new Watch?

Apple replaced it with a brand new watch. Just concerned about calling them again because they might charge me for it since it is the same problem.

 

[44267547]

I live in the Philippines, so it would be relatively humid and outside at around 30-38ºC and 60-70% humidity.
It just reappears slowly when I go outside, and slowly disappears when going back in an air conditioned room.

Usually go outside at least a few minutes every hour. I always wear the watch since I got it last year. I only remove it before going to bed.



Apple replaced it with a brand new watch. Just concerned about calling them again because they might charge me for it since it is the same problem.

I definitely think the climate you live in might contribute to the condensation, but I think it's also hard to say too. I mean the Watch can get wet and water does not seem to affect the Watch. Don't hesitate in contacting Apple, you paid for a working product and they should assist you in whatever ways possible.

 

[Julien]

Have you put the watch in water to be sure it is water tight? If not put in in a glass of water for 10 to 20 minutes to test.

 

[CoolGuy9890]

Have you put the watch in water to be sure it is water tight? If not put in in a glass of water for 10 to 20 minutes to test.

I never tried to do this... but won't this just worsen the problem? I never tried to do this...

 

[Julien]

I never tried to do this... but won't this just worsen the problem? I never tried to do this...

The whole point is to find out if there is a problem. I'm assuming you are under warranty (or have Care+). If not then you have waited too late to test to be sure the Watch is water tight. Everyone should do this right after they buy an Watch.

The problem is if you are getting water/moisture ingress it will quickly destroy the OLED panel. OELD's are extremely sensitive to moisture.

 

[maflynn]

I wonder if a seal is gone, while I don't live in a particularly humid location, I've had the watch in high humidity - the last heat wave had 90% humidity. No issues with my Apple watch

 

[BarracksSi]

I never tried to do this... but won't this just worsen the problem? I never tried to do this...

Or the opposite -- put it in a small bag of uncooked rice for a day.

If there's moisture inside now, though, it'll probably just collect more again the next time you go from cold, dry, indoor air to humid outdoor air.

This is a rough problem to have. I've had my glasses fog up when going outside, but the situation had to be just right -- very cold indoors and extra-muggy outdoors.

 

[Julien]

Or the opposite -- put it in a small bag of uncooked rice for a day......

Won't matter because if moisture/water can egress that means it is not sealed to specification and moisture/water will ingress right back in.

 

[CoolGuy9890]

The whole point is to find out if there is a problem. I'm assuming you are under warranty (or have Care+). If not then you have waited too late to test to be sure the Watch is water tight. Everyone should do this right after they buy an Watch.

The problem is if you are getting water/moisture ingress it will quickly destroy the OLED panel. OELD's are extremely sensitive to moisture.

Sadly my warranty ended last month and I do not have Care+ for it.

 

[44267547]

I wonder if a seal is gone, while I don't live in a particularly humid location, I've had the watch in high humidity - the last heat wave had 90% humidity. No issues with my Apple watch

But the OP had this occur in two different Watches. Seems highly irregular for a seal to fault and this happen on two separate Watches. This is why I asked him if he was confident Apple indefinitely replaced the Apple Watch versus repairing it.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

But the OP had this occur in two different Watches. Seems highly irregular for a seal to fault and this happen on two separate Watches. This is why I asked him if he was confident Apple indefinitely replaced the Apple Watch versus repairing it.

People have been unlucky enough to get two bad batches in a row so it can happen. However, to prevent Apple merely repairing the watch rather than replace it then just croak the compromised AW by immersing it in a glass of water before exchanging it under warranty. I believe they normally replace water-damaged AW.

Everyone should do the water stress test upon first receiving the AW (while still within the return period) in order to help reduce potential surprises down the line.

 

[Cvx5832]

One of the first things I did with both my SS and Black SS Apple watches was shower with them. I figure if there's a seal issue, better find out now than after warranty.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

One of the first things I did with both my SS and Black SS Apple watches was shower with them. I figure if there's a seal issue, better find out now than after warranty.

You should take it one step further and actually immerse it. A defective seal could be strong enough to withstand showering but not full immersion.

 

[CoolGuy9890]

I have done the water test for about 30 minutes and nothing really happened. The condensation still appears when I'm outside under the sun and disappears when I'm inside an air-conditioned room.

I don't really think this is a water seal issue, but something else.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I have done the water test for about 30 minutes and nothing really happened. The condensation still appears when I'm outside under the sun and disappears when I'm inside an air-conditioned room.

I don't really think this is a water seal issue, but something else.

Emerging from an air-conditioning building can cause condensation on the iPhone but that's because the iPhone isn't actually sealed like the AW. I've never heard of it happening to the AW, but perhaps where you live is different.

 

[CoolGuy9890]

Emerging from an air-conditioning building can cause condensation on the iPhone but that's because the iPhone isn't actually sealed like the AW. I've never heard of it happening to the AW, but perhaps where you live is different.

I've never had the problem on my iPhone. But thats most probably because its always in my pocket and my Apple Watch is always exposed to the elements when I'm outside.

 

[Newtons Apple]

The little round area does not look like moisture to me. Moisture usually shows up as a fogged area and not a single dot like in the images. Just my opinion looking at the images. Almost like a oil drop or maybe some adhesive they use in sealing the watch.

Strange indeed.

 

[Julien]

The little round area does not look like moisture to me. Moisture usually shows up as a fogged area and not a single dot like in the images. Just my opinion looking at the images. Almost like a oil drop or maybe some adhesive they use in sealing the watch.

Strange indeed.

Commented on this thread before but did not look at the pics. That is definitely not what condensation looks like in any way. A conundrum indeed.

Speculation: It almost looks like a small drop of some type of strong solvent got on the crystal and was left on the screen (not wiped or at an angle to run) damaging the oleophobic coating.

 

[CoolGuy9890]

The little round area does not look like moisture to me. Moisture usually shows up as a fogged area and not a single dot like in the images. Just my opinion looking at the images. Almost like a oil drop or maybe some adhesive they use in sealing the watch.

Strange indeed.

Do you think the adhesive they used to fuse the glass will remove due to high humidity?
[doublepost=1470404694][/doublepost]

Commented on this thread before but did not look at the pics. That is definitely not what condensation looks like in any way. A conundrum indeed.

Speculation: It almost looks like a small drop of some type solvent was left on the screen (not wiped or at an angle to run) and damaged the oleophobic coating.

The watch has never gone through any kind of solvents. The closest thing it has gone through is some sweat, but thats in the under side of the watch, so that's an entirely different story.

The problem is behind the glass. I cannot feel anything on the glass, nor can it be rubbed off with a clean cloth.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Do you think the adhesive they used to fuse the glass will remove due to high humidity?
[doublepost=1470404694][/doublepost]

The watch has never gone through any kind of solvents. The closest thing it has gone through is some sweat, but thats in the under side of the watch, so that's an entirely different story.

The problem is behind the glass. I cannot feel anything on the glass, nor can it be rubbed off with a clean cloth.

Are you really sure that it goes away when you are inside? Have you tried a bright flashlight to see if you can spot it. It almost looks like a defect or spot of glue on the back side of your glass.

Also, has it always been there or is this "spot" something new that you just noticed.

I would run it by the Apple store, they might just replace as a factory defect.

 

[fischersd]

@CoolGuy9890 - amazed you tried the immersion test, being out of warranty (I wouldn't have)

Either take it into an Apple store or call up support on the phone - they may have sympathy for you, being only a month out of warranty.

Otherwise, I'd try the rice trick to see if it pulls the moisture out of it.

As to why the immersion test didn't kill the watch? Maybe one of the seals is thin enough that it's like a semi-permeable membrane - water as vapour gets through, but water as a liquid doesn't because of surface tension? (heh - just a thought)

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

@CoolGuy9890 - amazed you tried the immersion test, being out of warranty (I wouldn't have)

Either take it into an Apple store or call up support on the phone - they may have sympathy for you, being only a month out of warranty.

Otherwise, I'd try the rice trick to see if it pulls the moisture out of it.

As to why the immersion test didn't kill the watch? Maybe one of the seals is thin enough that it's like a semi-permeable membrane - water as vapour gets through, but water as a liquid doesn't because of surface tension? (heh - just a thought)

Check out the photos. People are questioning whether it's actually condensation. When I first saw the photos, I looked in the wrong place and assumed that the larger splotches were imprints from the condensation, but it appears that the issue is the very small, sharp circle near the center of the screen. That doesn't look like condensation to me.

 

[fischersd]

Check out the photos. People are questioning whether it's actually condensation. When I first saw the photos, I looked in the wrong place and assumed that the larger splotches were imprints from the condensation, but it appears that the issue is the very small, sharp circle near the center of the screen. That doesn't look like condensation to me.

Yep, I did. The sharp circle looks like either a bubble under the lens or (when you really zoom in) it almost looks like a stone impact on a windshield. This (especially if it disappears) could be caused by imperfections on the coating on the inside of the sapphire, which appear when the condensation appears.
Along the edges, it appears there's something under the glass - that looks more like condensation to me.

Either Apple will take pity as he's just out of his warranty, or he's stuck with it the way it is (again, unless the rice trick draws out the moisture) - but I'd try Apple first!