Slow-motion video shows the Apple Watch protecting its circuits from water damage
Worried that water is going to fry your Apple Watch? The first-generation Apple Watch and the Series 1 models are splash and water-resistant but they should not be submerged.. Starting with the Series 2 model, the timepiece can be used for swimming in a pool or the Ocean. But do not wear your Apple Watch while scuba diving, water skiing, or if you're involved in any activity where there is high-velocity water that can power its way into the device.
Watch the Apple Watch expel water in slow-motion
Series 2 through Series 5 Apple Watch models should not be submerged beyond a shallow depth. This might change a bit with the Apple Watch Series 6 according to TF International's Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst, who knows what Apple CEO Tim Cook is having for breakfast before the executive has decided, says the upcoming Apple Watch will have improved water resistance. The Series 5 timepiece can survive in water as deep as 50 meters.
What brings all of this up today, besides constant rain in the south, is a video taken by The Slow Mo Guys. Just as the name of their YouTube channel suggests, the guys (Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy) use slow-motion videos to explain technology and science. In their latest video, the guys show how the Apple Watch ejects water to protect the circuits inside the device. As the video explains, the Apple Watch (again, Series 2 and later) goes into Water Lock mode when wet thus blocking any touch inputs from working. This prevents any accidental interactions with the watch, and also allows the device to expel water from the speaker. You can even activate the feature in advance if you know that you are going to be submerging the device. Keep in mind that the Water Lock does not improve the device's water resistance. To enable the feature, go to the Control Center and tap on the water-drop icon.
To turn off Water Lock and push out the H2O, you simply turn the Digital Crown. At 2000fps, you can see the water bubbling out of the speaker. Some of the water gets trapped by the speaker and gets sucked back into the watch. So the Apple Watch stops the process for a short period of time to allow the water to collect before the vibrations push the liquid out again. This takes place for 10 cycles before the vibrations stop.
We expect to see the Apple Watch Series 6 unveiled in September with a native sleep-monitoring app and a pulse oximeter. The latter measures the oxygen saturation in the user's blood to make sure that the red stuff is flowing throughout his or her body. Speaking of life-saving features on the Apple Watch, fall detection did its job according to Omaha's KETV (via AppleInsider). Lsast month, 92-year old farmer Jim Salsman had climbed a 21-foot ladder to prevent a grain bin from getting attacked by pigeons. But the wind blew the ladder by 2-feet causing Salsman to fall. After hitting the ground he was in severe pain and no one was around to help him.
Not aware of the fall detection feature on this timepiece, Salsman screamed into his watch, "Hey Siri Jim Salsman, hurt bad on the farm." But the watch was well ahead of him and after detecting the fall, it called emergency services with the location of the incident. The farmer ended up with a broken hip and other fractures; he remains in the hospital but still considers himself lucky.
The fall detector is activated when it detects that the watch user has taken a hard fall. If the injured person doesn't respond to prompts, it will contact help and people on the user's emergency contact list. Those 65 and older have the feature on by default while younger users can enable it manually.
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