[Wear OS General] bernarbernuli:
What is known about water protection on Ticwatch Pro 3 and Ticwatch E3.

I. What does Mobvoi say?

That it has IP68 resistance and is suitable for swimming in pools. Having IP68 resistance implies that it is protected against dust (no dust would enter under any circumstances) and against water (it can be fully and continuously submerged to a depth and for the maximum time determined by the manufacturer). When Mobvoi's support team has been asked how long the watch can be in the water, they have replied that it has no time limit for swimming in a freshwater pool. They have also expanded on the information about use in activities where it is in contact with water: It can be used for swimming, handwashing (exposure of the watch to soap should be minimized), sweating or when it rains. Avoid placing it under hot water, soap, detergent and seawater. In addition, they mean that it is not suitable for showering, diving, water-skiing and activities in deep water and/or high speed water movement (waves, waterfalls, high pressure water guns...).​

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So, and as far as water protection is concerned, you can submerge it (i.e. you can wear it swimming in a freshwater pool) but it is not protected against short range high pressure, high temperature jets, e.g. when showering, as water could enter the internal components if it is receiving jets of water directly. When swimming in a pool it clearly specifies swimming, that implies that it would not be protected when diving in a freshwater pool beyond the depth that the watch would be when swimming, i.e. less than one meter deep. Among the 100 sports modalities available in TicExercise app, the only aquatic modality available is swimming.​

II. What about Ticwatch Pro 3 Ultra?

This model, in addition to having IP68 resistance and is suitable for swimming in a pool, has MIL-STD-810G military certification. This means that according to performance tests created by the U.S. Department of Defense, the watch can also withstand harsh environmental conditions. Mobvoi has not reported what tests it has passed, therefore, I consider it to be more of a marketing move than actually providing ruggedness to the watch. It should be known that it is sufficient to pass only one of the 29 tests to obtain MIL-STD-810 certification, so it could for example have passed the test on sudden temperature changes, but not have passed the test on resistance to rain, to give an example.​

III. What are the adverse effects if water gets into the watch?

The least protected parts that prevent water from entering the watch are the microphone hole on the right side, the speaker holes on the left side and above all the barometric sensor hole at the bottom of the watch. It seems that the hole is protected by a felt membrane, which can retain water, but not for a long time and not under a lot of pressure. There is practically no possibility of water entering through the joint that joins the body with the back cover where the sensors are, since it has an adhesive sealant around the circumference.​

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The case that if water enters very probably the internal components will be affected, probably condensers oxidize and start doing strange things like:​

Flashing battery indicator on the FSTN display even though the watch is fully charged.

Battery discharging very fast

Heart rate and oxygen sensors randomly stop working.

Starts vibrating non-stop.

It constantly decalibrates, and you have to continually unlock it when the screen turns off.

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IV. What possible solutions are there?

I think that if the sensors are failing because water has reached the internal components I think there is practically no solution, other than replacement, however, here are some solutions that have been described and have worked for some users:​

Drain the speaker hole on the right side, to do this press and hold the bottom button, then from the menu select "Speaker Drain", Repeat 2-3 times, you might see some water droplets coming out of the speaker holes.

Enter Ship Mode, to do this you must enter bootloader mode by simultaneously holding down the 2 buttons until you feel a vibration, about 8 seconds and it will reboot into that mode. Once inside, select "Enter Ship Mode" with the lower button and accept with the upper button. "Ship mode" is a low power state that prolongs battery life and protects the battery when there are extended periods of non-use. It seems to be used by the manufacturer in the stage prior to sale and shipment to the end user. You exit this state by pressing and holding the top button. Eventually it will restart.

Another possible solution is to drain the battery completely and then recharge it. This may cause the sensors to start working again.

Most of the time, only the back cover of the watch is affected, as this is where the heart rate sensor and barometric sensor are located. A solution would be to replace the back cover, however, no replacement parts are being sold for Ticwatch (at most the replacement battery), you could look in the second hand market for the same broken model that is sold for replacement parts, however, it is always a risk as it could also be damaged the replacement back cover.

If you can still take advantage of the warranty period, and you have purchase invoice, you could request replacement to Mobvoi directly. I have read from users who generated a request, if they accept the return, Mobvoi provides you with an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) label, you send it in, and a few days later they will replace the watch. It is important to say when generating the return request that you only swam in a pool, that you did not shower with it.