Early adopters of the Apple Watch, Apple Inc's first new product in five years, are complaining that a number of its key functions are disrupted by their tattoos.
Owners of Apple Watch have found that their inked skin confuses the sensors on the underside of the device.
Users of the watch, which went on sale last week, took to social media yesterday under the hashtag #tattoogate to air their frustration with the flaw.
One anonymous user on entertainment, social networking, and user-generated news website Reddit said the device's locking mechanism, which should disengage when the watch detects it is being worn, failed to work on decorated skin.
"My hand isn't tattooed and the watch stayed unlocked. Once I put it back on the area that is tattooed with black ink, the watch would automatically lock again," the user wrote.
Significantly different
This Reuters reporter, who has a black tattoo on his left arm, also found that the watch locks on tattooed skin and does not deliver the soft pings that alert a user to incoming messages. The heart rate readings were also significantly different.
An Apple support article says the watch uses green LED lights paired with light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through the wrist and calculate the frequency of heart beats.
A website support page from Apple says tattoos can interfere with readings from the heart rate monitor, but does not mention interference with other functions.
"Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance," it said.
The tattoo issue follows a report in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that some taptic engines, which produce the sensation of being tapped on the wrist, started to break down over time, a flaw that was slowing the rollout of the item.
The report said the problem had been detected in some parts supplied by AAC Technologies Holdings Inc, based in Shenzhen, in southern China. Shares in AAC Technologies dropped 8 percent on yesterday morning. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
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