Should I trust the water resistance?

[thecautioners]

My daughter has a first gen SE, bought soon before the SE2 was announced but not soon enough to be able to return the SE. Kid is about to start a few weeks of summer day camp that will involve daily visits to our town’s little aquatic center. Nothing crazy, 3 bigger slides and one not as big, I think she does them all. Should I advise her to take her watch off before going to the water park? What about a regular pool? I know, “water resistant to 50 meters,” but I worry. I swim in pools with my Ultra but I guess I just trust it more than an SE that has seen better days, she’s almost 11 and this poor watch is a little beat up from kid life but it’s not cracked anywhere.

Thanks! 🏊‍♀️🌊

 

[cubodado]

I was advised that water resistance is Ok, but you should rinse chlorine & expecially salt very soon. It is easy to scratch the screen in the pool, so a screen protector can be a good option. Should be taken off for rinsing.

 

[jz0309]

My daughter has a first gen SE, bought soon before the SE2 was announced but not soon enough to be able to return the SE. Kid is about to start a few weeks of summer day camp that will involve daily visits to our town’s little aquatic center. Nothing crazy, 3 bigger slides and one not as big, I think she does them all. Should I advise her to take her watch off before going to the water park? What about a regular pool? I know, “water resistant to 50 meters,” but I worry. I swim in pools with my Ultra but I guess I just trust it more than an SE that has seen better days, she’s almost 11 and this poor watch is a little beat up from kid life but it’s not cracked anywhere.

Thanks! 🏊‍♀️🌊

well, you just never know. Do you have AC+? if yes, don't worry, if no, are you prepared to buy her a new AW later in the summer? Kids that age play, they're not going to pay attention to their watch on the wrist ...
There was a post here a couple or so months ago where someone was reporting a damaged SE due to swimming ...

If it were me, a 2+ year old AW (?) on a young teen going into a pool regularly, I'd say no, but that's just me.

 

[BenGoren]

Suppose the watch dies. Then what? Will you buy your daughter a new watch? Do you have AppleCare or some other extended warranty that you trust to make you whole? Or will she simply be without a watch for the foreseeable future?

If you won’t be more than annoyed if the watch dies — as should be the case if you’ve got AppleCare — then there’re all sorts of reasons she should wear it while having fun at the water park.

But if it’d be a big deal if the watch dies … first, don’t risk it; have her leave the watch at home on swim days. Second, figure out how to get to the point of not worrying about a dead watch. This likely means budgeting now for a replacement — and your one-and-only required feature for her next watch should be an active AppleCare+ plan on auto-renew monthly subscription.

As to the direct question … I’ll bet you a cup of coffee that the watch will be just fine at the end of the summer. But I won’t bet you lunch. You’re still within the design specifications from your description, but you’re also pushing those limits.

b&

 

[thecautioners]

I did have AC+ on it and then I forgot to update my payment card so we lost coverage 😅 if the watch dies she will just be without a watch until I can afford a replacement which won’t be the end of the world. Her main device is her phone, my main reason for giving her the watch is so she has a means of communication/tracking/emergency services when she does not have her phone on her, like during school or running around at camp. Uvalde did a number on me and I got the watch out of anxiety because I wanted her to have an easy and discrete way to call 911 if she doesn’t have her phone with her.

I thought I saw that AC+ doesn’t cover water damage, though? I’m usually a huge proponent of AC+, I just blanked and accidentally lost coverage.

 

[jz0309]

I did have AC+ on it and then I forgot to update my payment card so we lost coverage 😅 if the watch dies she will just be without a watch until I can afford a replacement which won’t be the end of the world. Her main device is her phone, my main reason for giving her the watch is so she has a means of communication/tracking/emergency services when she does not have her phone on her, like during school or running around at camp. Uvalde did a number on me and I got the watch out of anxiety because I wanted her to have an easy and discrete way to call 911 if she doesn’t have her phone with her.

I thought I saw that AC+ doesn’t cover water damage, though? I’m usually a huge proponent of AC+, I just blanked and accidentally lost coverage.

I can totally understand your reasoning for getting her the AW, and I suppose that same reasoning would apply to summer camp.
AC+ does cover accidental damage, I would assume that includes water damage but have not had to use it for that.

 

[lclev]

I have owned several Apple Watches. I swim a mile 3-5 times a week since 2018 using an apple watch to track my workout. I have used a Watch 4, 5, 6, 7 and currently the Ultra. None of my watches ever had any issues with water. You can turn on the water lock feature before getting in the water - which I always do. The water lock feature basically locks the screen from accidental presses while in the water. Expelling the water is done to clear out the speakers so you don't have a gurgling sound if you play music or take a phone call.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210931

 

[JCCL]

My dad has been using his Series 5 for swimming workouts for 4 years now. No problem. I have mine also whenever I am in the pool, no problem, and so does my wife.

You don't see a lot of people complaining about it, of course there are going to be a few exceptions or duds, but for the most part their water resistance is very good. I would say it is most likely for an Apple Watch to get smashed on daily use than it is to have the water seals failing.

Just use the device however it serves you best that is within reasonable use, most likely it will be OK.

 

[Howard2k]

I rarely swim but don’t hesitate to keep the watch on when I do. Just ensure it is rinsed it afterwards.

50M relates to static pressure. You could certainly break that threshold with aggressive movement even at the surface of the water, but you’d be unlucky if it failed.

 

[Tdude96]

My daughter has a first gen SE, bought soon before the SE2 was announced but not soon enough to be able to return the SE. Kid is about to start a few weeks of summer day camp that will involve daily visits to our town’s little aquatic center. Nothing crazy, 3 bigger slides and one not as big, I think she does them all. Should I advise her to take her watch off before going to the water park? What about a regular pool? I know, “water resistant to 50 meters,” but I worry. I swim in pools with my Ultra but I guess I just trust it more than an SE that has seen better days, she’s almost 11 and this poor watch is a little beat up from kid life but it’s not cracked anywhere.

Thanks! 🏊‍♀️🌊

Maybe I'm worrying about nothing or being over-cautious, but I'd advise against wearing it to the water park based solely on the presence of the water slides, unless it's on a breakaway band of some type.

 

[hagjohn]

I never trust it but that is just me.

 

[0339327]

My daughter has a first gen SE, bought soon before the SE2 was announced but not soon enough to be able to return the SE. Kid is about to start a few weeks of summer day camp that will involve daily visits to our town’s little aquatic center. Nothing crazy, 3 bigger slides and one not as big, I think she does them all. Should I advise her to take her watch off before going to the water park? What about a regular pool? I know, “water resistant to 50 meters,” but I worry. I swim in pools with my Ultra but I guess I just trust it more than an SE that has seen better days, she’s almost 11 and this poor watch is a little beat up from kid life but it’s not cracked anywhere.

Thanks! 🏊‍♀️🌊

I wore my various Apple Watches under many environments and never had an issue. I stopped with AW SE as the software bugs for notifications became too annoying, but the Watch still works (I gave it to my brother).

 

[boss.king]

My daughter has a first gen SE, bought soon before the SE2 was announced but not soon enough to be able to return the SE. Kid is about to start a few weeks of summer day camp that will involve daily visits to our town’s little aquatic center. Nothing crazy, 3 bigger slides and one not as big, I think she does them all. Should I advise her to take her watch off before going to the water park? What about a regular pool? I know, “water resistant to 50 meters,” but I worry. I swim in pools with my Ultra but I guess I just trust it more than an SE that has seen better days, she’s almost 11 and this poor watch is a little beat up from kid life but it’s not cracked anywhere.

Thanks! 🏊‍♀️🌊

The water resistance should be fine, but bear in mind resistance can fail over time as seals etc wear. As others have mentioned, it’s best to rinse it off after swimming to get the chlorine/salt etc off the seals. Also use the water eject feature to get any water out.

Basically, if she treats it well, there’s no reason it should fail any time soon.

 

[HDFan]

I would worry about water slides. Friction against the slide itself when descending and the pressure which happens when hitting the water at high speed.

 

[Brandon42]

I thought I saw that AC+ doesn’t cover water damage, though? I’m usually a huge proponent of AC+, I just blanked and accidentally lost coverage.

As I understand it, water damage would be accidental damage subject to the deductible. So it is covered just not as a free warranty repair.

 

[BenGoren]

I should add: it’s not like I think there’s a high chance the watch will die this summer at the water park. Rather, you should consider that there are all sorts of ways for a watch to die, and a great many more of them are more likely when on the wrist of somebody as active as a middle school student at summer camp at a water park … and, if not then, it’s not at all unreasonable to recognize that, though quite durable, these things aren’t indestructible.

I’m encouraging you to assume that the watch will die someday in some circumstances, that it could happen at any time and would almost assuredly pick a particularly inconvenient time to do so … and that, if you figure out now, today, what you’ll do when the time comes, it won’t be anywhere near as inconvenient nor stressful.

Were I you, I’d immediately set aside $300 (or $250 if money is tight) in a self-insurance fund. Something happens to the watch, I’d buy a new SE (with cellular unless money is tight) and absolutely check the box for the $2.50 / month AppleCare+ ongoing never-ending subscription. That way, worst case, so long as the watch isn’t actually lost, you’re out $70 and you’re off and running again.

Yes yes — it’s statistically cheaper to self-insure. But right now you’re experiencing the mental cost of self-insurance: worrying about what you’ll do if something happens. AppleCare+ is, far and away, the cheapest way to eliminate that worry.

b&

 

[marspark]

I agree with some of the replies here. If you are with apple care, go for it. Otherwise, think twice

 

[thecautioners]

Thanks for the feedback! Well, on the upside, I might be getting a chance to start over, this time with Apple Care for good… I seem to have broken the watch and T-Mobile is as stumped about it as we are. The watch is on my ex-in law’s tmo plan, my phone is on my own; I apparently broke everything when I tried to pair the watch to my phone as a family watch. I am okay at tech and I couldn’t figure it out. T-Mobile corporate location worked on it for quite a while and ended up needing to refer us to their tech support line. If tech support can’t get it working we’re going to have to get a new watch. It was previously paired to an iPhone 8 and cellular worked with no issues. When what I wanted to do failed, I said okay and tried to pair it with the iPhone 8 again. No dice and now everyone’s at a loss 😅

I’m definitely going to be sure to keep AC+ this time so I’ll feel a little better about summer camp.

 

[HDFan]

and T-Mobile is as stumped about it as we are.

did you try Apple Support? It is generally better than carrier support.

 

[thecautioners]

did you try Apple Support? It is generally better than carrier support.

We did not, the original issue was a T-Mobile problem. My ex was handling it last night and spent over an hour on the phone with T-Mobile before the watch battery died and we threw in the towel, haha. Before that she spent a long time in a T-Mobile corporate store trying to figure it out.

At least this way I can use family setup like I want to, the original watch is on another plan and couldn’t be connected to my phone on my plan.

 

[Myslewski]

My daughter has a first gen SE, bought soon before the SE2 was announced but not soon enough to be able to return the SE. Kid is about to start a few weeks of summer day camp that will involve daily visits to our town’s little aquatic center. Nothing crazy, 3 bigger slides and one not as big, I think she does them all. Should I advise her to take her watch off before going to the water park? What about a regular pool? I know, “water resistant to 50 meters,” but I worry. I swim in pools with my Ultra but I guess I just trust it more than an SE that has seen better days, she’s almost 11 and this poor watch is a little beat up from kid life but it’s not cracked anywhere.

Thanks! 🏊‍♀️🌊

Proof of age: When you wrote that your daughter had an SE, I immediately thought that she owned one of those 1987, Motorola 68000-equipped upgrades from the Mac Plus, and thought, “Damn, this guy is one cheap dad …”

 

[thecautioners]

Proof of age: When you wrote that your daughter had an SE, I immediately thought that she owned one of those 1987, Motorola 68000-equipped upgrades from the Mac Plus, and thought, “Damn, this guy is one cheap dad …”

LMAO! One cheap mom she does have a MacBook, but it’s a 2017 MBP that I bought used because I’m cheap haha. I bought it before I learned about the butterfly keyboard, I definitely should have researched prior to the purchase.

New SE2 is all set up and it was a painless process. AC+ is active and going to STAY active this time haha I’ve learned my lesson. Camp starts tomorrow and I will not be worried, either about the watch or my kid’s safety.

 

[dannyyankou]

I have a question. A couple days ago, my dad went in a pool with his Apple Watch 6 with the water lock on, and immediately after he came out, he was having issues with his battery draining. He charged it when he got home and it drained immediately. Would Apple give him any issues if it was water damaged, even though they say it's swim proof?

 

[wilberforce]

I have a question. A couple days ago, my dad went in a pool with his Apple Watch 6 with the water lock on, and immediately after he came out, he was having issues with his battery draining. He charged it when he got home and it drained immediately. Would Apple give him any issues if it was water damaged, even though they say it's swim proof?

Apple don't promise it is waterproof/swim proof.
They only promise to repair/replace it if is not, and it is still in warranty/AppleCare.

People sometimes confuse a warranty with a promise.

If you don't have a current warranty or AppleCare and it is water damaged, you will likely be buying a new watch, unless you are very lucky with the Apple rep.

The only other possibility is: if (and only if) the battery shows less than 80% health, and there are no signs of water damage, you can get a battery replacement (which is actually a whole watch replacement) for $79 (U.S.)

 

[dannyyankou]

Apple don't promise it is waterproof/swim proof.
They only promise to repair/replace it if is not, and it is still in warranty/AppleCare.

People sometimes confuse a warranty with a promise.

If you don't have a current warranty or AppleCare and it is water damaged, you will likely be buying a new watch, unless you are very lucky with the Apple rep.

The only other possibility is: if (and only if) the battery shows less than 80% health, and there are no signs of water damage, you can get a battery replacement (which is actually a whole watch replacement) for $79 (U.S.)

They don't promise it's swim proof, but they promise it's water resistant up to 50 meters. He was in a shallow pool, so if water got inside, that's a failure on Apple's end.