My Apple Watch burn my wrist

I wear 2 watches... That burn above the other bracelet is from my apple watch (series 5).

Apple support also gave me some spiel about it being some contaminant or badly cleaned watch (it was like 2 weeks old at the time so lord knows what they think I'm doing to get it so messy), or nickel allergy..

The other watch (The Omega) I rarely take off and I've never had a problem with it.

So I now suspect Apples' "reasons" are BS because I think they know or at least deeply suspect what causes it.

If I were to hazard a guess.. This is something related to the intense green light on the rear of the watch.. I suspect this because if I turn off the heart monitoring feature (Settings / Privacy / Health) this problem does not occur. I think some people under some specific circumstances are affected - they get what amounts to a burn from this light. Is the light staying on too long? , is it too bright?.. or is it just a sensitivity that some people get? - I don't know. But I think Apple should level with people and say - not tell them it's because it's an allergy / or contaminants. Some prominent warning on the packaging.. Because if people knew this could happen, or had a family history of illnesses caused by exposure to light .. the might think twice about buying this.

Same happened to me.

I have come to the conclusion that this is due to the intensity of the green lights at the rear of the watch. It's basically a form of sunburn but not caused by the sun obviously. I have written to Apple and asked that they display this prominently on the documentation for the Watch.

Since any kind of light based burn puts you immediately in mind of skin cancer it's quite concerning.

When I called support they made more fuss about it being a nickel allergy .. which it clearly isn't - I wear other watches (in fact I wear more than 1 at a time, and they are made of steel and I've had no problems). I don't think Apple want people to dwell too much on it being based on the intensity of the light on the rear.

If you like your Apple watch, as I do for its other features.. you can of course turn off the heart monitoring (its under settings / privacy / health), and it no longer burns. They need to stop vacillating on this and come clean.

Apple also make suggestions around the tightness of the band.. this is because (i think) that the natural movement of the watch spreads out the dosage any one area gets. But that isn't really a solution.. because the documentation also says that for the ECG to work the watch must be "snug"

• "Make sure that your Apple Watch isn't loose on your wrist. The band should be snug and the back of your Apple Watch needs to be touching your wrist."

So they want it loose, but snug...

Yep, thats all we can surmise.. since we can't look at the source code and understand exactly under what circumstances the lights come on.. but I'm fairly sure this is light related. I have turned off the heart-rate "feature" and I don't get burns anymore. Shame that it's one of the features they make such a song and dance about.

I you look around the internet for other "sports" watches with heart rate monitors that use lights to achieve this you'll find other watch vendors have had similar issues. It's possible you and I (and all the others) are somehow sensitive to this light.. but only under specific circumstances. Maybe sweat beads somehow focus the light and thats why you never noticed it before. frankly I am just speculating... but the bottom line is.. people are affected by its, and I think Apple should alert people to it (but I guess that might make people uncertain if they want to subject themselves to it).

I do not think it is an allergy as it occurred suddenly and has not recurred on the other wrist. I have had the watch for over a year now. I never had this problem until late November. This was after I started wearing it at night in bed. I think possibly I may have slept partly on that arm and therefore on the watch. I was interested in the heart rate data that I saw happening at night as it was lower than I realized. I started wearing it more at night to see what the heart rate readings were. I wore the watch on my left wrist for about 11 months before this happened but only once or twice a week at night. After experiencing this burn, I started wearing it on my right wrist so as to let it heal. I still wear it at night but nothing similar has happened. I called it a 'burn' because it has acted like a burn in that the damaged skin is apparently more than skin. It apparently goes deeper below the skin. I thought it would heal within a week but it is still sore and red. It is now about 5 weeks since it first occurred. There is no cause other than the watch that could have done it as I wear the watch virtually all the time except when I am charging it. The 'burned' spot is directly under the location where the magnetic charger connects. I don't know the science of how that works but it somehow burned that location on my wrist. I will probably see my family doctor next week and get his opinion. Thanks for your help.

Great comments. My 'Apple' burn occurred after I started wearing the watch to bed almost every night. I did not initially wear the watch in bed but after about 6 months or after I got it I started wearing it occasionally. I found the data interesting as I was not previously aware how much my heart rate dropped when I was sleeping. So at some point I started wearing it every night. I was wearing it on my left wrist. Occasionally in my sleep I sometimes end up with my left hand under my pillow. I am pretty sure that somehow this triggered the 'burn'. I think perhaps restlessness caused the watch to 'light up' and that's when I think the burn probably occurred. I had worn the watch many, many times at night with no sign of a problem until this happened. I do not know how the watch works but the effect on my wrist reminded me of the way a microwave works. It seemed to me that the watch 'cooked' an area about the size of a penny. It must have fairly deep as it stayed red and would blister up and peel and then do it again. Even now, 3 1/2 months after the burn I have a small scab in that area about 1/4" diameter.

Your comment about the contradiction of wearing it 'loose but snug' is spot on. One of the intermittent problems I have with the watch is when I am running and using the Apple run app. If the watch is not quite snug, it will not pick up my heart rate. I sometimes have to stop and pause the watch so I can tighten the strap up another notch. If it is at all loose, the vibration and impact from running causes the watch to move around on your wrist and then it will not read your heart rate bpm. When I am finished with my run, I loosen it back up as it is uncomfortably tight while running.

I strongly suggest you turn off the heart rate feature (settings / privacy / health). If the blister keeps coming back I suggest you show a doctor, because that’s not right.

Hi, so it appears that although many people are having the same problem it's not enough people for them to do something about it. So a third party recommendation was suggested. So i have a friend who does embroidery and custom designs and asked her what she could do. She has a machine whereby she attached thin cloth to it and once done, it has adhesive on one side of the cloth that you peel off. You can cut it just to fit the circle or enough to cover the whole back of the watch, which i choose to do. Of course my cut outs will be neater the next time. It charges well and provide the readings i want. so i am now happy with my apple watch:)

[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]

Christian, I finally called Apple Support. They took my comments seriously and asked me to take a series of photos of my wrist with and without wearing the watch and also photos from different angles of the watch itself. They also asked me to forward any photos I had of the burn itself and any medical records I had. Three to four weeks ago another spot popped up on my wrist and did not go away. This was a smaller spot about 1/4" diameter in the same location as the original burn which was about the size of a penny. I finally realized it was some sort of skin condition when it persisted. I showed to my doctor and they burned it off with liquid nitrogen. I still have a scab on my wrist from the liquid nitrogen. They said they will mail me a box to ship the watch back to them. I should add that part of the need to ship the watch back is a problem with updating the software. I have been unable to update the software for a few months.

Customer service told me to wash the band and grommet with water. It seemed to work.

I notified them also, sent pictures. Said same thing, allergic to nickel probably. I switched wrists now it is marked.

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Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

We want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your Apple Watch. We recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here: Get Support

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

We want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your device. We recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here: Get Support.