Apple Watch Sapphire screen damage

[goldmac2006]

I am talking about the screen not the stainless. There is a type of fungus, not mold, that eats lens and their coatings.

Lens fungus:

That makes sense, I heard about that before. And it does have that purple color as well. When the OP started this thread he said that the marks grew over time on his Apple Watch screen and back.

 

[yustas]

It looks like hard water stains on a glass.

 

[goldmac2006]

It looks like hard water stains on a glass.

Another objection. But the Watch is in a case when he wears it to clean up or do chores. @Valentin_92 was your Apple Watch submerged in water before?

 

[Jackbequickly]

What ever it is, Apple should replace the Watch. Being out of America, not sure how Apple’s warranty should work, but Apple should do the right thing and replace.

 

[Valentin_92]

I don’t know how well this might work in Bulgaria, but this would be my suggestion:

Contact Apple Support by phone directly, explain the situation and politely demand to be escalated to a specialist. You need to get past the first tier of support. You can argue that your watch being past the warranty is irrelevant because you believe there is a manufacturing defect and they need to honour EU consumer laws. If you manage to get your case escalated to a specialist, you can share your photos and hopefully get a reasonable response.

If this doesn’t work, please try sending a concise email to Tim Cook’s email address (just Google what this is) mentioning the issue and the poor customer experience you received. With any luck, you’ll get a response back from an Apple Executive Relations representative who will personally look into your case.

Good luck.

That's a good point. Thank you.

 

[Valentin_92]

Another objection. But the Watch is in a case when he wears it to clean up or do chores. @Valentin_92 was your Apple Watch submerged in water before?

I use case only when I need it let say for 2 hours in about every 10 days or so when doing some cleaning or maintenance around the house/car and there is a risk of scratching the watch. When I'm done I clean the case and the watch separately only with water (no soap). I don't use case when doing workouts and always wash the watch after I finish because my wrist is sweaty. I've been in a pool with the watch twice back in August but the damage had already been quite visible (it starter in March) so the pool was not a factor.

 

[azhava]

Another objection. But the Watch is in a case when he wears it to clean up or do chores. @Valentin_92 was your Apple Watch submerged in water before?

It would be hard to believe that water could do that to his screen. Our water here is so hard that all homes have salt systems to soften it or all your faucets/fixtures would quickly be ruined with mineral deposits. My AW8 spent hundreds of hours (some with a case, some without) submerged in the lake and swimming pools, and it never looked like OP's.

 

[Mr.Fox]

Hi all, this is my Series 9 Apple Watch stainless steel with sapphire glass. Unfortunately, you can see how my screen looks like. The problem is, I don’t know how this has happened. First, I noticed small blue mark at the top of the screen back in March but I thought that I hit the screen in my bed during sleep.

However, this blue mark got bigger in the past few months and recently second mark has appeared at the bottom of the screen. There is even a blue mark on the back of the watch. There are also many water spots/stains on the screen which I cannot remove. I haven’t hit the watch on a wall or something or doing anything wrong to damage it but you can see the results. Usually I do daily some basic exercises for about 10-15 minutes and then I wash it with normal water just to clean the sweat. I cannot imagine that washing it with water could to this damage, having the fact that the watch was designed to swim with it.

My question is, how common is this kind of problem especially on a sapphire screen being used lass than a year? Is there anyone having these blue marks and permanent water spots on the watch and how do you deal with them? What can I do in my situation? It’s still under a warranty, bought in October 2023 from Apple reseller in Bulgaria. Any advice and help are welcomed. Thank you.


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It takes a lot of effort to scratch a sapphire crystal. Sapphire crystal can only be scratched with a diamond or other hard abrasive, otherwise it is either a sapphire crystal with external anti-reflective coating or NOT a sapphire crystal at all.
Wash them in running water with soap and water.

 

[goldmac2006]

I use case only when I need it let say for 2 hours in about every 10 days or so when doing some cleaning or maintenance around the house/car and there is a risk of scratching the watch. When I'm done I clean the case and the watch separately only with water (no soap). I don't use case when doing workouts and always wash the watch after I finish because my wrist is sweaty. I've been in a pool with the watch twice back in August but the damage had already been quite visible (it starter in March) so the pool was not a factor.

Valentin, I do the same within the times that I clean my Apple Watch. I never used a case on my gold SS S6 as I do not have a bumper for it yet but I did use one on my S1. I do wipe down my watch after using a case and after workouts. Here is something that differs from your case: I use clear cases and they are made out of TPU and they do get grimy easily, I only wear it when using CNCs and lathes. I did swim with my S6 twice during pool parties (the pool is a saltwater treated pool) and never seen ANY marks, I clean it after and use a silicone band.

 

[Mr.Fox]

What happens if you clean it with an isopropyl alcohol wipe? What happens if you clean it with water and hand soap, dry thoroughly and polish with micro fiber cloth? I suggest trying these. My watch gets that look from sweat, I wash it in the sink with hand soap, eject water, dry thoroughly and it looks good as new.

you'll wipe off some of the anti-reflective coating. Don't ask stupid questions. Learn chemistry.

 

[Valentin_92]

It takes a lot of effort to scratch a sapphire crystal. Sapphire crystal can only be scratched with a diamond or other hard abrasive, otherwise it is either a sapphire crystal with external anti-reflective coating or NOT a sapphire crystal at all.
Wash them in running water with soap and water.

It's definitely not a scratch because the surface is smooth. I guess the curvature of the screen is a weak point and these marks are inside the glass.
You can actually see that when looking the display in color you can not see these marks, but when just checking the time when the screen is dark (I don't use raise to wake) the marks are quite visible. So in my opinion, despite what Apple Care says, it actually affects the usage of the watch.

 

[goldmac2006]

It would be hard to believe that water could do that to his screen. Our water here is so hard that all homes have salt systems to soften it or all your faucets/fixtures would quickly be ruined with mineral deposits. My AW8 spent hundreds of hours (some with a case, some without) submerged in the lake and swimming pools, and it never looked like OP's.

That is like Flint water crisis which disproportionately put 1000s of Michigan residents at risk when there was a mistake in remodeling the water purification system which leaked lead all over it. I am luckily that the pipes in where my house is NEWER and it is okay to use the sink water to shower with my AW. I still use bottled/purified water for drinking and to clean my AirPods.

It's definitely not a scratch because the surface is smooth. I guess the curvature of the screen is a weak point and these marks are inside the glass.
You can actually see that when looking the display in color you can not see these marks, but when just checking the time when the screen is dark (I don't use raise to wake) the marks are quite visible. So in my opinion, despite what Apple Care says, it actually affects the usage of the watch.

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The curved edges are bezels so definitely it can be an obvious point for these caveats that y'all hypothesized. One thought it is lens fungus on the front glass; which is removable easily if its not under the glass and it is on the top surface layer, but if not removed or the glass is not replaced for a long time, chances is that the spot can be eating through the anti-reflective coating. But it can only be fungus if it grew a lot bigger and blocks any part of the screen, as Valentin did not see any obstructions to any full-screen apps only when on non-full screen colored faces/apps. Still as it does not affect the pixels or LCD, these are streaks.

 

[JCCL]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but were you able to fix it. My ultra 1 has developed some stains that look like water stains except that they don’t go away, no matter how you clean it. I do swim with it from time to time(probably 10 times per year), but it shouldn’t look like this from water. It’s hard to capture in a pic but hopefully you’ll be able to make it out.

 

[goldmac2006]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but were you able to fix it. My ultra 1 has developed some stains that look like water stains except that they don’t go away, no matter how you clean it. I do swim with it from time to time(probably 10 times per year), but it shouldn’t look like this from water. It’s hard to capture in a pic but hopefully you’ll be able to make it out. View attachment 2494908

Hey there! As an Apple Watch Ultra user, you’re entitled to a free water and depth seal check at an Apple Store or by sending it to an Apple repair center if it’s not cracked in any way.

I’m curious, how long did you have the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra? And what kind of activities did you enjoy with it? Did you go fishing, boating, backpacking, sailing, or take it for a dip in a pool or lake?

Also, do you use Water Lock, Depth, or dive gear? Lastly, is your Apple Watch covered by AppleCare?

If it’s still in perfect condition, I recommend checking it out and seeing if you can take it to Apple for a free checkup. You can find more information on how to do this at this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118571

 

[goldmac2006]

By the way, I wanted to add something to our OP comment above. 😊 @Valentin_92 , I’ve been using cases for my Apple Watch Series 6 again since I started going back to CNC milling and lathes for my afternoon Tuesday machining class. Mine is a polycarbonate one that attaches as one piece and doesn’t cover the back. It doesn’t require me to remove the strap to install it on and off, so it’s a different story compared to yours. It’s easy to put on and off - you just push it out a bit harder from your fingers. It came with the blue striped sport band, which is only 4 quid ($6) from the shop.

I only use it once a week when I have to machine parts in the machine shop every Tuesday at school. I put it on Monday night before school. I take it off after school.

Since it’s a single plastic piece, it’s quite easy to clean it. I use a fine brush and a glasses cloth with lens cleaner to wipe down the case and my Apple Watch before and after putting the case on and off. I don’t have any problems seeing weird marks on my watch, whether it’s on the stainless steel or the sapphire crystal. Even when I get coolant and chips around me from these HAAS machines 😜

 

[jz0309]

Hey there! As an Apple Watch Ultra user, you’re entitled to a free water and depth seal check at an Apple Store or by sending it to an Apple repair center if it’s not cracked in any way.

do you have a source for that? Support document or such? Never heard of this service

 

[nxt3]

do you have a source for that? Support document or such? Never heard of this service

There is a link at the bottom of the comment you responded to

 

[jz0309]

There is a link at the bottom of the comment you responded to

Oopsie, missed that.

Well, this “test” needs to be carefully considered, cause if it fails it is destructive and it is up to the owner to get a replacement, outside of warranty and AC+.

 

[goldmac2006]

do you have a source for that? Support document or such? Never heard of this service

There is a link at the bottom of the comment you responded to

Bruv pay attention to the context of it man… also the ultra cannot be really abused in any way.

But it’s good to do it especially if you went fishing 🎣, hiking or mountain biking 🚵 in it a lot.

 

[JCCL]

Hey there! As an Apple Watch Ultra user, you’re entitled to a free water and depth seal check at an Apple Store or by sending it to an Apple repair center if it’s not cracked in any way.

I’m curious, how long did you have the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra? And what kind of activities did you enjoy with it? Did you go fishing, boating, backpacking, sailing, or take it for a dip in a pool or lake?

Also, do you use Water Lock, Depth, or dive gear? Lastly, is your Apple Watch covered by AppleCare?

If it’s still in perfect condition, I recommend checking it out and seeing if you can take it to Apple for a free checkup. You can find more information on how to do this at this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118571

I only swim in a pool when I’m at our beach house. Don’t do anything extreme at all.

I do have AppleCare+ but doubt they’ll cover the screen stain. They look like oil marks but seem to be on the exterior side only. Challenge is, here we only got third party service providers.

 

[goldmac2006]

I only swim in a pool when I’m at our beach house. Don’t do anything extreme at all.

I do have AppleCare+ but doubt they’ll cover the screen stain. They look like oil marks but seem to be on the exterior side only. Challenge is, here we only got third party service providers.

AASPs? Did you check them out?

Got it. I mentioned earlier that my S6 never got anything like that even I swim in it. I swim with my watch during the summer in my cousins house.

 

[JCCL]

AASPs? Did you check them out?

Got it. I mentioned earlier that my S6 never got anything like that even I swim in it. I swim with my watch during the summer in my cousins house.

I will check with them. Problem is I also don’t want to be without my watch so have been procrastinating a bit. I doubt they’ll cover it as here they always turn you down for cosmetic damage, although with AppleCare+ there’s always a way around that (although I wouldn’t want to do that, don’t have it in my to damage a perfectly working device intentionally).

 

[goldmac2006]

I will check with them. Problem is I also don’t want to be without my watch so have been procrastinating a bit. I doubt they’ll cover it as here they always turn you down for cosmetic damage, although with AppleCare+ there’s always a way around that (although I wouldn’t want to do that, don’t have it in my to damage a perfectly working device intentionally).

Do you have an extra AW in hand? I seen a few folks had their old Apple Watch Series 7, 8 or 9s that were still in good condition and multi paired it with their iPhone. 📱 It will be time to charge it and put it on once it is time to bring that ultra to !

Also another way to make use of your straps or not break move streaks.

If not, pause your rings prior to sending the watch to Apple. Have a backup ready from unpairing the ultra.

 

[JCCL]

Do you have an extra AW in hand? I seen a few folks had their old Apple Watch Series 7, 8 or 9s that were still in good condition and multi paired it with their iPhone. 📱 It will be time to charge it and put it on once it is time to bring that ultra to !

Also another way to make use of your straps or not break move streaks.

If not, pause your rings prior to sending the watch to Apple. Have a backup ready from unpairing the ultra.

Nope no extra watch, I usually sell my old tech when replacing it. Have regretted it on a few occasions like this one, but seems like a waste to have functioning devices abandoned in a drawer.

 

[goldmac2006]

Nope no extra watch, I usually sell my old tech when replacing it. Have regretted it on a few occasions like this one, but seems like a waste to have functioning devices abandoned in a drawer.

👌🏻 had you scheduled for service at an AASP?