In this guide, I tell you everything you need to know about Water Lock on Fitbit. That includes what it is, how it works, how to turn it on, and how to turn it off on your device.
Also, I give you a list of examples of Fitbit fitness trackers and smartwatches that have the water lock mode integrated into them.
Let’s get started.
What is Fitbit Water Lock and What Does It Do?
Here’s the deal:
Unintended taps on Fitbit may alter your settings, as well as your health and fitness data. But you can keep that from happening with Water Lock mode.
Water Lock on Fitbit is a mode designed to freeze the screen and disable the button to keep the fitness tracker from accidental taps and touches.
With this mode active, you can go to the shower or in a swimming pool without worrying about the device operating itself.
Even with the mode on, smartwatches such as Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa should still get important notifications such as tracking alarms, messages, incoming calls, and tracking information.
Which Fitbit Devices Have Water Lock?
Look:
Fitbit has designed, overhauled, and improved an array of fitness trackers and smartwatches over the years.
But you won’t find the Water Lock feature on all of the brand’s fitness trackers or smartwatches.
If you’re in the market for a Fitbit device that can prevent accidental taps and touches when in water, you should consider the following options only:
- Fitbit Charge 5
- Fitbit Sense
- Fitbit Versa 3
- Fitbit Inspire 2
- Fitbit Ace 3
These Fitbits are good for swimming because, while it’s unclear what their IP rating is, they can stand up to water pressure that goes up to 50 meters deep.
They also have a decent battery life, lasting about 4 to 7 days in the normal smartwatch mode.
How to Turn on Water Lock on Fitbit
I’m of the take that you should have the Water Lock mode activated if you wish to go in the shower or swimming pool with your Fitbit device.
To activate this feature:
- Tap the screen to wake up the smartwatch or fitness tracker.
- Swipe the home screen down to find the Water Lock icon.
- Tap the icon and then tap the display two times.
You should see the Water Lock icon on the screen, which means that your fitness tracker or smartwatch has frozen the screen and deactivated the button, and it’s safe to enter in the pool or shower.
How to Turn Off Water Lock on Fitbit
To deactivate this mode on your Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker:
- Tap on the display to wake the screen.
- Tap the center of the screen two times to deactivate the mode.
If you’re not able to turn off this feature, use a dry towel to wipe the watch and then try again. If doing so doesn’t work, tap the screen twice, but this time do so with a slightly gentle force.
Fitbit Activates Water Lock When Not in Water
There are instances – albeit very rare – when a Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker can go in Water Lock mode when not in water.
If you’re facing this issue, it’s likely because:
- The operating system is obsolete.
- Your Fitbit device has a system glitch.
To fix these problems:
1. Update the Fitbit Operating System
Fitbit works towards release new and regular updates to stay relevant.
The software updates the brand makes to its ecosystem fix bugs, add new features, improve security, and boost user experience.
If your Fitbit device shows that the Water Lock mode is active but you’re not taking a shower or swimming, it’s likely the current OS version is obsolete.
You should update the firmware to the latest version to get the watch back on track. To do this:
- Connect your smartphone to a Wi-Fi network.
- Launch the Fitbit companion app.
- Tap the “Today” tab.
- Go to your profile.
You will see a pink button if there are any firmware updates available to install.
- Install the updates.
- Wait for about an hour for the update to take effect.
Now you should not have a problem with the Water Lock feature on your fitness tracker or smartwatch.
2. Restart Your Fitbit to Fix System Glitch
System glitches are quite common on Fitbit.
For example, your fitness tracker or smartwatch can freeze up because of conflicting apps running in the background or too much cached data.
Such is a potential cause for having the Water Lock function suddenly activating itself even you’re actually not present in a moist environment.
Fortunately, a simple reset should solve the problem.
- Long press the Fitbit button for 10 seconds.
- Release the button as soon as the Fitbit logo appears.
And that’s it.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why Does My Fitbit Keep Saying Water Lock?
It’s possible that your Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker keeps showing the mode when you’re out water because you haven’t turned off the feature.
If you’ve tried deactivating the function but failed, you may have to dry the device first before waking the screen.
Once you’ve wiped visible water from the smartwatch or tracker, tap the middle of the screen twice to deactivate Water Lock on Fitbit.
2. Why is My Fitbit Stuck on Water Lock?
Your Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker is probably stuck on Water Lock mode because of the accelerometer.
The thing is:
An accelerometer sensor can fail for a number of reasons, including system glitches and bugs in the operating system.
Start by restarting the watch to clear glitches. If doing so doesn’t fix the problem, check for firmware updates and update the device’s operating system to the current version.
3. Does the Water Lock Feature Turn on Automatically?
Water Lock mode will turn on automatically on your Fitbit only if you start a swim activity in the companion app.
Otherwise, you should manually activate this feature on the watch to keep the screen and button from accidental operation.
Closing Thoughts
The Water Lock mode isn’t Fitbit’s greatest feature, but it’s a useful function to have nonetheless.
With the button and the screen locked, the watch will not respond to the moves in water, which it can interpret as human contact.
