Apple Admits Tattoos May Impact Watch’s Performance

Photo Gallery Follows the Text

Earlier in the week we reported on a Reddit user who had difficulty using the Apple Watch due to a tattoo on his wrist. Some were skeptical that a dark colored tattoo could effect the watch’s performance, especially since the issue was brought up in a Reddit forum, but Apple has officially admitted that tattoo ink could hamper some functions of the coveted watch. It appears as if tattoos were hampering the watch from using any of the features connected to the heart rate monitor. Since the watch uses LED light to monitor heart rate people speculated that tattoos caused the light to be reflected in a manner that confounded the watch.

News of what is being called “tattoogate” by many on social media marred the launch of the long awaited accessory so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Apple didn’t respond to the concerns with a major public statement. Instead they merely updated a section of the support section on their website to acknowledge the trouble caused by tattoos.

“Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance,” Apple says. “The ink, pattern, and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings.”

The support page goes on to explain that the watch can be connected to other devices, such as Bluetooth chest straps, that will allow the user to use the heart rate functions. But who wants to do that? The whole point of having a smart watch is that it should be able to do everything.

It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will be able to find some sort of software fix that will allow people with sleeves to get the full functionality of their Apple Watch. Apple fans tend to be incredibly loyal, as you can see in the gallery below, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the tattoo issue will be enough to get them to jump ship to another product.

We wonder if any of the people showing off their Apple tattoos in the following gallery have been able to use their Apple Watch. What do you think?