RIP Apple Watch, screen fell off after swimming😔

My Apple Watch S6 came apart during my last swimming session. Anyone else had this happen?

Were you in a hot tub or something? Looks like the glue completely separated.

Dani said:
Were you in a hot tub or something? Looks like the glue completely separated.

Maybe you were swimming too hard. Anything can get water damage over time, even rocks!

Has the battery swollen?

Do you know why the screen came off? Did it show any signs of issues before?

Vail said:
Do you know why the screen came off? Did it show any signs of issues before?

This happened to my Series 5. It can be caused by a few things:

  • A damaged seal from things like too much salt, chlorine, isopropyl alcohol, or soap. It could also be from past repairs, especially from third-party shops.
  • A swollen battery. This is common in Series 3-5 and some S6 models, or it could be from age or heat. Apple might fix it for free if it’s a known defect.

@Timber
This is true, but only if there’s no water in the watch.

Sadly, Apple’s warranty doesn’t cover water damage without AppleCare+, which is a joke given what they claim the watch can handle in normal use.

@Conn
They market their watches as waterproof, but won’t cover water damage. That’s crazy.

Zahari said:
@Conn
They market their watches as waterproof, but won’t cover water damage. That’s crazy.

I know. They say it’s water-resistant, but that’s a big difference.

Conn said:

Zahari said:
@Conn
They market their watches as waterproof, but won’t cover water damage. That’s crazy.

I know. They say it’s water-resistant, but that’s a big difference.

When they make commercials for diving with your watch, with a pre-installed diving app, I’d consider it waterproof.

@Zahari
No watch is ‘waterproof’—they’re just rated for a certain depth and time under water.

@Conn
Doesn’t matter what you think of it…

@Timber
Thanks for the info. That’s a bummer. Did you swim in pools with it a lot?

Vail said:
@Timber
Thanks for the info. That’s a bummer. Did you swim in pools with it a lot?

Not with that one, no. I did shower with it and it took a lot of heat abuse. I had one with a bad battery and got a free replacement.

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

If your warranty is still active, take it to Apple and tell them you were jogging when the screen fell off. Don’t mention swimming or rain. I got my S8 replaced for free when the battery swelled and popped the screen out.

@West
It’s crazy that they can deny water damage when they include a ‘swimming’ workout. That should be illegal.

This happened to my S6 too! It first happened last year, so I took it to Apple and got a ‘new’ one under AppleCare. Same thing happened again in October 2024.

In the end, I decided to just get a Series 10 (though, honestly, it’s not much different to me).

The adhesive degrades over time, which can loosen its water resistance after a few years.

Wow! Sorry to hear about that. I’ve gone into the ocean with mine for years. Did the battery expand and push the screen off?