Super slow motion video highlights Apple Watch water ejection feature

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Apple Watch
A new video from popular YouTube channel "The Slow Mo Guys" gets up close with Apple Watch's water lock feature, which plays a series of tones to expel liquid from the device chassis and away from its speaker.

Apple Watch


Available on all Apple Watch models from Apple Watch Series 2 to the current Series 5, Water Lock is a Control Center option that prevents inadvertent touchscreen input when swimming or using Watch near liquids. It also clears water from the speaker cavity after the device is submerged.

Like most speaker systems, the miniaturized mechanism in Watch is designed to propagate acoustic waves through air. When fluids are introduced onto or near the speaker diaphragm, the system is unable to accurately reproduce generated sound, leading to muffled output.

To allow Watch to operate in all conditions, and maintain a clear diaphragm-to-air interface, Apple implemented a unique solution capable of expelling water that might become trapped behind the speaker grille.

Described by Apple as a "series of tones," Watch pulses its speaker at relatively low frequencies. This vibrates the diaphragm and causes water and other liquids to break free of the membrane and be pushed out of the small speaker chamber.





As seen in today's video, the system is quite effective at moving large quantities of water out of the device. That said, the operation can leave some residue behind.

Apple is expected to include Water Lock in a next-generation "Apple Watch Series 6" that should see introduction this fall.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    Scot1Scot1 Posts: 121member
    I have a series 3 and I can find no option that allows me to activate this feature in control centre
  • Reply 2 of 18
    JWSCJWSC Posts: 1,203member
    I loved the bathtub dive!  It made the video.
    iqatedowatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 18
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,759member
    I find the Series 3 water eject was much better than the Series 5 one, the high frequency on the S3 seems to do a better job.
  • Reply 4 of 18
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    Hopefully it isn't a tone that attracts sharks.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 18
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,823member
    JWSC said:
    I loved the bathtub dive!  It made the video.
    Exceptional confidence - a great start to an interesting video.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 18
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    Scot1 said:
    I have a series 3 and I can find no option that allows me to activate this feature in control centre
    Works fine on my 3. It’s a little water droplet icon 💧- enable that before getting wet, then turn the crown when you dry off to eject water. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 18
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,112member
    Wonderful video.  No mention of it, but I assume it works even better if the watch is held so the speakers are at the bottom when it's ejecting water.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 18
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,284member
    fastasleep said:
    Scot1 said:
    I have a series 3 and I can find no option that allows me to activate this feature in control centre
    Works fine on my 3. It’s a little water droplet icon 💧- enable that before getting wet, then turn the crown when you dry off to eject water. 
    You don't need to enable it before it gets wet. Only after. You don't always know when the Watch is going to get wet.

    watto_cobracgWerks
  • Reply 9 of 18
    DoodpantsDoodpants Posts: 49member
    Cool, wrist-mounted squirt gun!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 18
    sirdirsirdir Posts: 187member
    Now, if only it worked. A series 3 became completely death after a while. My current 5 sounds muffled/distorted most of the day (I swim with the watch every day) and I have to yell at it for it to understand me. 
  • Reply 11 of 18
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    Well worth the 5-minute viewing time.  Is it a requirement for clever YouTubers to have a British accent?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 18
    larryjwlarryjw Posts: 1,031member
    sirdir said:
    Now, if only it worked. A series 3 became completely death after a while. My current 5 sounds muffled/distorted most of the day (I swim with the watch every day) and I have to yell at it for it to understand me. 
    If a swim for a while, a single attempt to discharge the water doesn't alway work. So, I lock it, then run the discharge routine again. Sometimes repeatedly until it clears -- which is obvious because the sound is no longer muffled. 

    Sometimes blowing across the speakers helps. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 18
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,404member
    This is INCREDIBLE. :O

    What an amazing product the AppleWatch is: I've had it since Day 1, and can't imagine a day without it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 18
    SteveadeeSteveadee Posts: 13member
    I have a Series 2 and use the lock/clear every day when I shower. I even dragged it higher on my control centre. 
    I also go back to the early Superman comics by calling it the Jimmy Olsen. Zee-Zee-Zee
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 18
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    mike1 said:
    fastasleep said:
    Scot1 said:
    I have a series 3 and I can find no option that allows me to activate this feature in control centre
    Works fine on my 3. It’s a little water droplet icon 💧- enable that before getting wet, then turn the crown when you dry off to eject water. 
    You don't need to enable it before it gets wet. Only after. You don't always know when the Watch is going to get wet.

    Yes, you can — but enabling it beforehand disables the screen so you don't get accidental "touches" while showering for example. I used to use Theater Mode for this but now use the Water mode. Previously it'd hit my media controls and skip radio stations sometimes. 
  • Reply 16 of 18
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    fastasleep said:
    Yes, you can — but enabling it beforehand disables the screen so you don't get accidental "touches" while showering for example. I used to use Theater Mode for this but now use the Water mode. Previously it'd hit my media controls and skip radio stations sometimes. 
    Why would you wear a watch while showering? (serious question)
    Is it in case you fall it can call for help? I just can't imaging wearing a watch in the shower.
  • Reply 17 of 18
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    cgWerks said:
    fastasleep said:
    Yes, you can — but enabling it beforehand disables the screen so you don't get accidental "touches" while showering for example. I used to use Theater Mode for this but now use the Water mode. Previously it'd hit my media controls and skip radio stations sometimes. 
    Why would you wear a watch while showering? (serious question)
    Is it in case you fall it can call for help? I just can't imaging wearing a watch in the shower.
    To control TuneIn Radio or Podcasts or Music, to add stuff to my Reminders via Siri, those would be the most common for me as well as to simply clean it. I've been doing it every day since my Series 0, why wouldn't I? "Can't imagine" — really?
    edited July 2020 cgWerks
  • Reply 18 of 18
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    fastasleep said:
    To control TuneIn Radio or Podcasts or Music, to add stuff to my Reminders via Siri, those would be the most common for me as well as to simply clean it. I've been doing it every day since my Series 0, why wouldn't I? "Can't imagine" — really?
    Fair enough... heh. I guess we all have those 'shower thoughts' that would be convenient not to lose. :)
    That said, I don't even wear my ring in the shower. I guess it is just me.
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