Water Lock is stuck on your Apple Watch and the screen won't respond
Water Lock is on and has frozen your screen on purpose — you need to turn it off using the side button, not the screen. Press the Digital Crown button (the small round button below the side button) and hold it for 10 seconds until you see the unlock animation. This drains any water from the speaker and turns Water Lock off.
Water Lock is a feature that locks the screen during swimming to prevent accidental taps while your watch is wet. Once on, you can't use the touchscreen until Water Lock is manually turned off. To unlock it, you press the Digital Crown button (not the screen) and hold it — this triggers a harmonic vibration that pushes water out of the speaker and automatically turns off Water Lock.
Fix-IT-Bot will walk you through each step — just tap, no typing needed.
Skip — I just want a technicianCommon mistakes to avoid
- Trying to tap the screen to unlock it — Water Lock is intentionally unresponsive to taps
- Pressing the side button instead of the Digital Crown — the side button does something else
- Not holding the Digital Crown long enough — you need a full 10 seconds of holding
Signs you need professional help
- The Digital Crown button is broken or stuck and you can't hold it down at all
- You've held the Digital Crown for a full 10 seconds and nothing happened
- The watch still won't respond to anything after restarting it
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