Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and its Classic version offers a Water Lock mode that solves ghost entry issues while swimming and also prevents liquid damage.
Samsung packs the Galaxy Watch 4 duo with a Water Lock mode that lets users take their watch for a swim, but it does more than its name suggests. Before diving into the do’s and don’ts here, it’s worth understanding the smartwatch’s resistance levels to liquid exposure. Samsung claims that most of its wrist-worn wearables can survive under five feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
However, the Galaxy Watch 4 and its Classic sibling have a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO 22810:2020, something Samsung markets as 5 ATM of pressure. When it comes to ingress protection, the Galaxy Watch 4 duo offers standard IP68 protection against dust and water. But some security practices should still be kept in mind.
One of them is the Water Lock mode. The main purpose of this feature is to prevent accidental touch on the screen by completely disabling touch sensitivity. Ideally, users should activate this mode before jumping in the pool, taking a shower, or embarking on a sweaty workout. To enable it, just follow this path on the Galaxy Watch 4: Settings > Advanced Features > Water Lock. Once the water lock toggle is enabled, it also disables the wake-up gesture, which typically lights up the screen when the wearer raises their wrist. In addition, always-on display mode is also disabled.
It does more, but stay alert
But there’s more to Water Lock mode than meets the eye. After the feature is turned off after long pressing the power button, it automatically activates a water ejection mode. This beeps over the built-in speaker to ensure that the vibrations push out any water lodged in the cavity. Apple already offers this feature under the same name for its smartwatches. And finally, users are advised to shake the Galaxy Watch 4 to ensure that any remaining liquid is removed from the surface and crevices of the smartwatch. Water Lock is a great feature, but there are still a few security measures that users should be aware of.
Samsung advises users to dry the Galaxy Watch 4 with a soft piece of cloth after exposure to liquid. Just like Apple, Samsung also warns users against wearing it while scuba diving or any activity involving high-pressure, high-velocity water movement. High pressure can adversely affect ingress protection, while salt water can lead to chemical damage over time, so this should also be kept in mind. Samsung claims that the Galaxy Watch 4 and its Classic variant have “passed military specification testing (MIL-STD-810G)and that they can withstand drops of up to 4.9 feet. However, such events can still impact the laptop’s water resistance over time.
Source: Samsung (1, 2)
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