Skip to main content

Bubbling burns and annoying rashes plague some Apple Watch users

Apple Watch Wrist
Giuseppe Costantino/Shutterstock
Wearables bring technology closer to our bodies than any other devices in recent memory. Since wearables are always on your body, they can also accidentally harm you or irritate your skin. The most recent wearable to turn on its users is the Apple Watch. Apparently, a number of users are reporting burns from the device itself, as well as unsightly rashes.

One Apple Watch user named Paula Cerutti told the publication Fusion that she started to feel like something was burning her wrist about an hour into her workout. She figured her Apple Watch Sport was strapped on too tightly, and loosened the band to give her wrist some breathing room. Later that night, Cerutti found bubbling blisters on her wrist where the Apple Watch had been, and the Watch was hot to the touch.

She complained about the incident on Twitter, added a picture, and stated that Apple hadn’t been helpful when she reported the issue.

Other Apple Watch users, including an iOS developer, experienced similar burns and posted pictures of their injuries on Twitter or Instagram. Some are not sure if the Apple Watch is burning their skin or they are simply getting a rash from the friction of the device and the band. Rashes from wearables, especially those with silicon bands, are not uncommon. Fitbit users have had the same problems for years.

Apple has yet to address the issue of burns specifically, though it does mention skin irritation and rashes on its support page for the Apple Watch. The company recommends taking a break from the device and loosening the band to give your wrist more room to breathe. Of course, if the watch itself is burning users, that’s another problem entirely that’s much more serious and can’t be resolved with a simple loosening of the band.

We’ll keep you updated on the story, if Apple responds.

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
The Apple Watch is the best iPhone camera accessory you didn’t know you needed
A person wearing an Apple Watch Series 9, made for the OuttaFocus column.

Photo taken with an iPhone 15 Pro Max controlled using an Apple Watch Series 9. Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Smartwatches and cameras rarely go together very well. We’ve seen smart wristwear with cameras fitted in the past, but the combination wasn’t very successful, and few manufacturers even bother today.

Read more
This Apple Watch X concept is absolutely absurd
The Apple Watch X concept comes from the German design firm Wordsmatter.

Later this year or in 2025, Apple is expected to release the tenth-generation Apple Watch, which could be called the "Apple Watch X" — similar to how the 10th iPhone was named the iPhone X. This release is highly anticipated, and third-party designers are already creating concepts for it. One such design has caught our attention.

Designer Lukas Gehrer at the German design agency Wordsmattr came up with an extraordinary concept. It's a fun design that's quite over the top. The Apple Watch X design looks much like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but with thinner and curved edges. It's made of dark titanium, different from the natural titanium used in the current Apple Watch Ultra and its predecessor. A Space Gray or Space Black titanium Apple Watch has also been long-rumored, but hasn't happened yet.

Read more
I spent five days wearing an Apple Watch clone, and now I’m angry
A person wearing the Huawei Watch Fit 3.

The Huawei Watch Fit 3 really makes me angry. Not because of the way it works or anything it does, but because of its lazy design, which makes it look like an Apple Watch.

It’s not a passing resemblance, it’s not subtle, and no one will need the similarities pointed out to get what I’m talking about. It’s a straight clone, and it’s extremely disappointing. What makes it worse is that the Huawei Watch Fit 3 is actually a very good smartwatch underneath — assuming you can get past its Apple Watch "inspiration."
An undeniable Apple Watch clone
Apple Watch Series 9 (left) and Huawei Watch Fit 3 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more