How to Eject Water from Apple Watch

Dealing with water damage on your Apple Watch can be annoying and even dangerous if not addressed quickly. Fortunately, Apple has built in a useful water eject feature to try clearing any water from inside your Watch when needed. In this guide, I’ll walk through exactly how to easily eject water from an Apple Watch in just a few simple steps.

While Apple Watches are somewhat water resistant, they are not fully waterproof. Exposing them to liquids can still cause issues over time. If your Watch gets significantly wet, has condensation inside, or you notice fogging or issues functioning, it’s wise to try ejecting any accumulated moisture right away. Catching and addressing water ingress early maximizes your chances of avoiding permanent water damage.

Activating the Apple Watch water ejection feature is quick and straightforward. All you need to do is access the control center menu. This can be done from the Watch face screen by swiping up with a finger. You’ll notice a small blue water droplet icon in the control center menu – this is the option you need to select to start the water removal process.

Once you tap the water droplet icon, you’ll get a confirmation message. The next step is pressing and holding the side button on the Watch while continuing to view the on-screen confirmation. Hold the side button down firmly until you feel a series of stronger vibrations pulse from the Watch. It will vibrate in three intense bursts – this indicates water is being forced out.

Be patient during this process and don’t stop holding the button prematurely. It usually takes up to 30 seconds for the full water eject cycle to finish. You’ll know when it’s complete as your Watch will display an “unlock” message. It’s normal for some residual moisture to appear on the outside of the Watch as well.

Ideally, you should eject water as soon as possible whenever your Apple Watch is exposed to liquids. But even if it’s been a few hours, give it a try. The eject feature is quite effective at clearing pooled moisture inside before it can cause permanent water damage.

Besides manually activating the eject function yourself, your Apple Watch can automatically trigger it in some cases too. If the built-in moisture sensors detect significant water exposure, your Watch will quickly vibrate and sound alarms to get your attention. If you leave it unchanged for too long, it will automatically activate the water eject process on its own.

While the water eject capability works very well, it’s still best to avoid exposing your Apple Watch to liquids whenever possible. Make sure the crown and buttons are tightly sealed before washing hands or entering rain or water. Over time, repeated water exposure can degrade the water resistance and allow moisture ingress even when seemingly minor at first.

If you do end up with condensation or fogging inside despite your best efforts, run the eject cycle as instructed. Hopefully clearing the moisture quickly prevents any lasting damage. It’s still a good idea to closely monitor function for awhile afterwards just in case. If you notice ongoing issues like screen glitches or camera trouble, contact Apple Support for additional recommendations.

In review, here are the key steps to eject water from an Apple Watch:

1. Swipe up from the watch face to access the control center menu
2. Tap on the blue water droplet icon
3. Press and hold the side button when prompted until you feel 3 strong vibration pulses
4. Wait for the “unlock” message indicating the cycle is complete
5. Repeat as needed until moisture is cleared

Following this easy process as soon as any water exposure happens will help ensure your Apple Watch continues functioning normally. Avoid waiting too long before addressing water ingress issues. Caught early, the built-in eject feature can automatically or manually force out liquid before it causes condensation, fogging or permanent water damage. Monitoring your Watch closely gives you the best chances of quickly mitigating any moisture issues.

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