Over the past few years, wearables like the Galaxy Watch series have been designed to handle water exposure at different levels. The Galaxy Watch 5 could certainly take a drizzle or two, but at what level? This guide will help you determine how water-resistant your Galaxy Watch 5 is and what you can do with the Samsung Water Lock.
The Galaxy Watch 5 is definitely water resistant. Not only does it require pouring running water over it, but the watch can also be completely submerged without being damaged at all. In fact, Samsung has exercises in the Samsung Health app that is specifically designed for swimming exercises. So what can the Galaxy Watch 5 take?
Galaxy Watch 5 waterproof IP rating and meaning
The Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro both have an IP68 rating, which breaks down into two variants.
The first number indicates the level at which it can resist solid particles such as dust and debris. The second number represents the level of fluid resistance. So, in the case of the Galaxy Watch 5, the dust resistance rating is 6 and the water resistance rating is 8, both of which are very high in the spectrum.
IP68 is generally accepted as a very good rating and will allow you to swim with the watch and not have any problems if you do it for a certain amount of time. At an IP68 rating, you can submerge your watch in water for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 metres. Samsung doesn’t specifically say you can swim with the watch – and we don’t recommend it – but the company does offer multiple swim exercises specifically for the Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro.
A different rating that the Galaxy Watch 5 uses for water usage is 5ATM, which indicates how much water pressure it can be exposed to before the water starts rushing into the nozzles, causing damage to the watch. The 5ATM rating gives you 50 meters of depth before the Galaxy Watch 5 starts experiencing problems.
Both ratings refer to water resistance, although they can give you insight into different aspects of it. For example, an IP68 rating lets you know the watch can withstand 1.5 meters of depth for a certain amount of time, while a 5ATM rating lets you know the maximum depth you can reach before causing damage to the device. One is about time, while the other shows you the extremes you can go to.
Can I swim with the Galaxy Watch 5?
With all the technical information out of the way, whether or not you want to swim with your device is up to the judge. Do you take the rounds with the Galaxy Watch 5, or do you relax in the pool for hours on end?
If it’s the latter, we don’t recommend taking your watch with you. However, the 1.5-meter rise for less than 30 minutes is – according to Samsung and the rating mentioned – perfectly fine.
Anything less is fine too. You can wash your hands with the Galaxy Watch 5 or even reach into an ocean pool to grab a seashell – as long as you run the watch under fresh water afterward. Just don’t go snorkeling or free diving with the Galaxy Watch 5, as that will definitely end up with a damaged watch.
Lock water and clean Galaxy Watch 5 after use
If you decide to take a few rounds in the pool or even in the ocean, there are a few actions you should take before and after your plunge. First, you need to know how to use the Galaxy Watch 5 water lock to ensure that it remains water-resistant. Water Lock is a feature that turns off touch recognition on your watch, preventing water from activating fake touches on your device. When this is active, you will not be able to interact with the screen of your Galaxy Watch 5.
The added benefit of this feature is that when Water Lock is turned off, the Watch 5 undergoes a process that pushes all the water out of the device’s built-in speakers via low-frequency sounds. The bass forces air and water from the grills of the Watch 5 headphones, ridding the device of fluid.
Here’s how to activate Water Lock on the Galaxy Watch 5:
- On the Galaxy Watch 5, Swipe down from the watch face.
- Swipe left until you see a file water drop symbol. Click on it.
- You will see a faint water drop symbol appear on your main watch face. This means that the water lock is active.
- After swimming, deactivate it by pressing the Home key for two seconds.
- You should hear and feel some loud vibrations.
You may want to run your device under warm water before turning off Water Lock, which will remove any contaminants from the screen and all over the watch body. Next, disable Water Lock, and you are good to go.
NB: You don’t have to turn on Water Lock to protect your device. The feature basically protects against fake touches. If you forget, don’t worry. You can turn the feature on and off again to activate the water expelling sounds.
In the end, it all comes down to good judgment. Before swimming, make sure you know how deep you are going and how long you are going to be. Make sure Water Lock is activated and clean your Galaxy Watch 5 afterwards. Following these instructions will ensure that your Watch 5 and 5 Pro will last you for a good while.
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