How to Eject Water From an Apple Watch (2026)

After a swim, shower or sweaty workout, your Apple Watch can clear water from its speaker so sound isn’t muffled. It’s quick — here’s how.

The quick steps

1. Open Control Center — swipe up from the bottom of the watch face (or press the side button on newer models).
2. Tap the Water Lock icon — it looks like a water droplet.
3. The screen shows a droplet and the touchscreen is now locked (so taps don’t register underwater).
4. When you’re ready, turn the Digital Crown (the round dial on the side). The watch plays a series of tones that vibrate the speaker and push water out, then unlocks the screen.

That’s it — you’ll often see a few droplets emerge and hear the tones change as the speaker clears.

Water Lock turns on automatically for swims

If you start a pool or open-water swim workout, the Apple Watch enables Water Lock automatically, so the screen won’t mis-trigger while you swim. You just turn the Digital Crown to eject the water and unlock when you finish.

Use it after any water exposure

It’s worth running Water Lock’s eject function after showering, washing up or a heavy sweat session too — not just swimming — to keep the speaker clear and sound crisp.

How water-resistant is the Apple Watch?

Modern Apple Watch models (Series and Ultra) are rated for swimming (up to 50m / 5 ATM); the older Series 1 and earlier were only splash-resistant. A few notes:

• It’s designed for shallow-water activities like swimming, not scuba diving or high-velocity water sports (unless you have an Ultra rated for it).
• Avoid soap, shampoo and perfume on the watch — they can affect seals and water resistance over time.
• Water resistance isn’t permanent and can diminish with age; rinse with clean fresh water after seawater or pool use.

For more Apple Watch tips, see our Apple Watch workouts beginner’s guide.

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