All Apple Watches are water-resistant, but not waterproof. That means you can wear them while you are exercising, in the rain, or washing your hands. However, you should not wear an Apple Watch in the shower or while swimming in the pool. Here’s everything you need to know about how waterproof your Apple Watch is, and what you should do if it gets wet.

What’s the Difference Between Waterproof and Water-Resistant?

A device that’s labeled water-resistant won’t get damaged from being immersed or dipped in shallow water for a short period of time. However, a waterproof device is impermeable to water, and it won’t get damaged no matter how long it stays underwater.

It’s easy to think that the water-resistance rating describes the depth of water the watch can be used in. This is not true. Water resistance rating numbers actually refer to the static pressure (measured in depth of meters) that your device can handle.

So, Can I Wear My Apple Watch in the Pool?

The Apple Watch Series 1 has a water resistance rating of 30 meters. However, this only means that it can repel light splashes of water. You can wear the Apple Watch Series 1 during exercise, or when raining or as you wash your hands, but you cannot swim with it and expose it to soapy water and cleaning liquids, like shampoos or perfumes. These liquids may cause damage to your watch’s water seals and, consequently, diminish water resistance.

All Apple Watches from Apple Watch Series 2 to Apple Watch Series 5, on the other hand, have a water resistance of 50 meters. This means you can shower or swim in the pool with any of the newest Apple Watches, but it’s not recommended to dive or water ski with them. After swimming, you’ll also need to gently rinse your Apple Watch with warm tap water, and dry the band completely.

How to Water Lock Apple Watch

When you begin a swimming workout on the Workout app, it will automatically turn on the Water Lock feature and lock your screen. To activate the swimming workout, open the Workout app and scroll down to Pool Swim or Open Water Swim. Then tap start, and wait for the three-second countdown to finish.

Water Lock also helps you get water out from the speaker holes on the side of the watch, which helps prevent water from causing any long-term issues.

Although your Apple Watch automatically turns Water Lock on when you start the Workout app, watchOS 5.0 (found on the Apple Watch Series 4) lets you manually turn on Water Lock anytime using Control Center. All you have to do is swipe up on the watch face to open Control Center. Then tap Water Lock, which is the button that looks like a water drop, and you’ll be able to lock your Apple Watch and take a dip into the pool.

How to Get Water Out of Apple Watch

When you’re done swimming, you’ll need to unlock your Apple Watch screen and get the water out. To unlock it, just turn the Digital Crown, and keep turning it until your Apple Watch says it’s unlocked. If you have any water in your speaker holes, this will clear it out.

If you want to be more careful and make sure all the water is out, you can repeat the process manually. First, swipe up from the bottom of the watch face to activate Control Center. Then tap Water Lock and turn the Digital Crown to unlock the screen. Finally, start clearing out the water from the speaker.