How is Swimming With the Apple Watch Ultra 2? In this video we dive into how accurate the Apple Watch is when it comes to both open water swimming as well as lap swimming.
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Discover now, finally a swim apple video, i know i am late, thank you❤
How about an apple ultra performance update for swimming after your comments that apple should add tracking some swim drills and be more accurate re their distance calculations. Very often the swimming function misses a lap or two in the totals
Hi Matt. any updates to swim features since you released this video? Thank you
Its been a year to this video, is there any improvement regarding swimming with Ultra?
My Ultra 2 over reads by as much as 30%.😮
I am glad I did not spend the money on apple watch U2.
Thank you for a detailed review
thanks for your answer. Do you also have a AWU2? Can you send me a short video when you are removing water from your Ultra Watch. I’m curious of the ‘bleep sounds’. I have to repeat the sequence many times before the speakers starts to sound a bit normal again. I have also contacted Apple support already. Some investigations of the subject will help me a lot. Many thanks
I have a AWU 2 since september 2024. I use it for running and swimming. I noticed that after swimming it’s very hard to remove all the water from the speaker at once. I have to remove the waterlock several times (5, 6 times)and still the sound of the speaker sounds like crap for example playing music or trying the alarm signal. The alarm is hardly hearable after swimming. What about in case of emergency at the water? Are there others who experience the same issue?
Does watch os 11 solve this problems?
Any experience with apple watches malfunctioning after a while due to saltwater?
My applewatch 8 won't charge anymore after 2 years, and apple service will not open it, so since warranty is ended looking for replacement.
The only dedicated swimmer smartwatch seems to be to Garmin Swim 2 but it's a 5 year old model. Any other suggestions?
Well now I’m not feeling alone with the “wishlist” for the swim workout in the AWU 😅… I hope they include some split time in the action button or in some combination of the three will be a great improvement… thx 4 your video…😊
I bought the ultra 2 thinking it might be good. I like it in some respects but nothing is accurate, it is a toy. Altitude miles off, depth miles off, distance miles off. it is actually rubbish but I am stuck with it as it is the one I bought. Compared to the marketing it is an absolute rip off.
I just got an Apple Watch Ultra and tried swimming laps with it and everytime I get in the water, the screen goes black so I can’t view my progress as I’m swimming. It also wasn’t tracking my laps.. any idea what it could be?
Hi Matt can you wear the apple watch over a wet suit, I know the heart rate will be lost but I find my series 9 switches off and asks for pin code, which is virtually impossible with neoprene cloths on, i need to see time spent in the water for safety
I’ve always had the choice of water lock auto or off ?And drill mode?? And been able to utilise the buttons and crown for pausing etc…With AW🧐🧐
I have done manual splits with my aw’s for years 🧐 I don’t bother with auto splits.
Yes. Thank you for your reviews. I had doubt about buying between apple & garmin but I think for swim bike & workout Garmin is better ?! Your thoughts pls & model suggestion ?
Thaaanks! Finally a comprehensive review of a smartwatch for swimming. I appreciate that.
If you'd like to do more of these, I'd be your fan for life hehe
But seriously now, I think Garmin is still the king when it comes to pool swimming. Even their most basic models are years ahead of competition. Which doesn't even necessarily mean they are close to being perfect. There's a lot o room for improvement.
It's just that, overall, OW swimming and pool swimming seems to be a bit overlooked by smartwatch makers and we (swimmers) kind of suffer with the lack of competition…
hate it no thanks!
question: can you do "laps" while you are swimming . can you push the button for laps ?
How do I get the apple watch ultra 2 to show the temperature when I am in the water?
I used the Ultra watch the entire 2023 season and its strongest performance was in the running department. Swimming? It can be frustrating at times. Lap swimming often dropped freestyle laps for an unknown reason, so badly at first that I would bring my old Garmin 910XT along to keep things honest! In the open water the Ultra worked pretty well. It tracked all of my swims here in Colorado Springs, Colorado at 6100 feet of elevation, as accurately as I needed it to and I was pleased. One other area it didn’t seem to work smoothly in was during a triathlon. Just a few little Sprints. I just couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong between the swim and bike portions. Once again, my 10 year old Garmin 910XT came to the rescue. I find that a little ridiculous. The saving grace of the Ultra (and the prior Apple Watches I have had) is that they are extremely functional for me during business hours. I didn’t want to spend more money on a dedicated sports watch and I found Garmin to be clumsy in my everyday Apple ecosystem. I am also not an Ultra Anything when it comes to distances. I’m just your average 64 yo male who stays fit with Tri stuff.
Overall I’m really pleased with the Apple Watch Ultra. I’ve found an App called “Run Gap” that allows me to share the results with Garmin Connect which is a godsend. It allows to record swims over to Garmin Connect. That was the last issue, leaving Garmin Connect for Apple Health and Workout. That was a major decision. I don’t really care for Strava much but it was a necessary evil to get data transferred. Perhaps in 2024 I won’t renew the paid subscription.
You make awesome videos. I appreciate the time and energy you put into your presentations. I used to live and work in Vancouver, Washington for about 4 years. Really loved it there. That’s one beautiful lake you were swimming in. I used to splash around in Lake Battle Ground I think it was called. Anyways, thanks for all the great information.
Great video! Quick ask… Can you make us a video on how to use the swimming profile on GARMIN watches?
Just got my watch yesterday and heading to the pool to give it a whirl. Haven't ever used the native app for laps so I'm sure there's a learning curve.
Matt, very useful video. I watched dozens of videos trying to find one that can help me maximize my Apple Ultra for open water swimming specifically. Most are promos for My Swim Pro which is a great app but that does not help me to learn all of the ways I can use/customize the existing Apple features. But as you say the watch is not great for medium level or let alone higher levels swimmers. And as you say the touch screen is of no use when you are in the water and unless I do not now something I cannot see how to lap when I am open water swimming…how can I push lap when I turn around for example. Garmin has a pause/start button and a lap button which I use all of the time. Also ts hard to read the small print through foggy goggles to quickly check your total distance as you swim…easy on Garmin Swim 2. And confusing about how to stop the screen from going dark as to get it on you really have to stop swimming for 2-3 seconds to get the screen to light up. Super annoying. Any other tips specifically for open water swimming when I want to 1-see clearly instantly, 2-button for pause, 3-button for lap, 4-get an alert after x hundred meters???. And finally is the only way to stop at the end is to eject water and then stop?
"lets just dive in"… good one!
Hi Matt, I had an Apple Watch 6 and did indoor and outdoor swims with it and it seemed to record laps, breaststroke and crawl no problem. Then I got the Ultra (1) and haven’t had a chance to use it in the pool but did an open water swim with it. Because I was out of swim shape I was just doing the breaststroke. The results – abysmal!! After 30 minutes swimming it had recorded approximately 100 meters!! I tried multiple times over the next few days and got similar results! I took it back to Apple and they tested it and reset it and said it was fine and to try it again outdoors. A bit chilly at the moment so don’t know when I’ll get to try it. I went to the Apple support and the site says that it’s only good for the crawl !! Again Bizarre!! Have you tried the ultra either 1 or 2 with breaststroke outdoors and had issues? I rechecked my watch 6 results and it seems to have recorded everything breast and crawl.
came here to see if i can swim a few meters pathetically in the sea wearing my watch and this man proceeded to flex on my face for 10 minutes straight with his 1000m swims…
I really miss a rest timer, automatic or even manual. I quite agree with your other points, though!
Thank you for your informative video. i have benn using garmin fenix watches and lately apple watch ultra 1 for my competitive master open water workouts. i must say that apple software and hardware is not enough to train open water or pool swim. it can not read heart rate during open water. Also when you pause a workout during open water and resume back, all your data mixes. Lack of interval, rest timers of pool swim is also a problem. i dont understand why apple dont improve software of swim tracking to compete with garmin. As a result, i will sell my apple watch and buy a garmin
Last year i got the AWU 1 and it was complete failure for open water swimming. Distance way off and sometime no tracking at all.
I got a replacement watch but same issue, after i got a full refund since the apple support couldn’t fix the issue. They admitted that it’s under review by engineers but with no timeline on when it can be fixed. I’m curious to know if you tried the AWU 1 last year or this is with new software update.
Hello. I would like a new watch. I now have a Garmin Forerunner 55, but I would prefer a slightly more advanced watch. I was looking at the Forerunner 965, but I'm not sure if I'll buy it because there are rumors going around that the Forerunner 975 will be released as early as March 2024, but I'm not sure. Do you think the Forerunner 975 will be much better or will it make no difference compared to the Forerunner 965.
This was exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you for such a clear video!
Great video! May I ask is the apple watch ultra2 good (safe) enough to swim with it in salt water?
Great video. For someone who can't afford the Apple Watch Ultra 2, are there other watches you can actually go swimming with? Samsung claims you can swim with their watch but they actually won't guarantee from water damage.
I have the Ultra 1 since it's inception and as an open-water swimmer I am really disappointed in the reliability of it's GPS. I have posted many times on numerous forums, talked to Apple support multiple times, escalated the case but nothing has been solved by Apple. 3-4 time out of every 10 swims I get wrong GPS data and thus wrong distance, pace etc. Eventhough I use precision start and wait for the GPS lock the GPS goes crazy, records zigzags, loops etc and adds extra distances. The 7k distance I did was recorded 9k this summer. Other than that the 1k's I do are recorded as like 1.7k. I bought 2 brand new AWU's to test and both of them had the same issue. Other than that, the fact that AWU doesn't support structured pool swim workouts is also a dealbreaker. Eventhough I love my AWU's LTE and Smartwatch features, I recently bought an Epix Pro, and have been quite satisfied with Epix Pro OWS accuracy. Epix Pro GPS hasn't turned me down for the last 3 weeks. Let's see how it goes.
See some of my posts and screenshots here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-ultra-open-water-swim-wrong-distance-faulty-gps-track.2395116/
https://www.reddit.com/r/applewatchultra/comments/14j5wc4/apple_watch_ultra_open_water_swim_gps_problem/
The lack of manual splits is the toughest pill to swallow with the Ultra. The lack of drill mode is frustrating, but I almost understand it. Fully agree with you on the touch screen too. I love my Ultra for 95% of what I do day to day, but the poor swimming implementations are tough.
Hi Matt, will you be reviewing the upcoming Polar Vantage V3? It would be cool to see an in-depth review on your channel. Cheers.
I came looking specifically for something comparing Garmin, I have a 935, to the Ultra 2. I wasn't disappointed. Now I'm looking for something that will tell me whether or not the Ultra 2 will connect to the same apps that my Garmin does, mainly Training Peaks, & Zwift, as well as whether or not it works well with my Garmin Edge & Varia radar on my bike. Thank you.
You can use the crown in swim mode
Have you tried any of the swimming apps?
Nice information.
I haven't swam for exercise in a really long time. Almost a year. I'm going to try a swim workout, hopefully soon. Gotta go buy goggles.
Would love your take on the Apple Watch for cycling. I just picked it up. I live in the country so use a mtn bike on the backroads but kinda still the same. Haha
My Garmin 965 also quite off (number of laps more than the usual ) for lap swim , any help ?