Some Apple Watch Users Complain of Skin Rashes

Some Apple Watch owners are complaining of skin irritation where the device sits on their wrist.

Several users are reporting that Cupertino's first wearable is causing a rash under the watch band. Images of red, splotchy arms first appeared on Italian website Ispazio, which suggested that small traces of nickel in the plastic Apple Watch Sport or metal Watch Edition bands could be the culprit.

More complaints were later shared on Reddit, where user maserrano reported a similar problem with an Apple Watch Sport ($300.00 at eBay).

"I don't wear mine too tightly, and I make sure it doesn't stay wet in there after workouts," the Redditor wrote, "but I'm definitely dealing with an allergic reaction of some kind."

No stranger to watches—typically of the leather-band variety—maserrano wrote in a comment that the band "gives me quite an itchy rash."

Hoping to stave off "Wrist-gate," Apple published a support page, detailing potential skin sensitivities, how to get a good fit, and proper care and cleaning.

"Every material that touches your skin has gone through an extensive evaluation in accordance with our specifications," the company said, citing thousands of material composition tests, more than a thousand prototypes worn for trial studies, hundreds of toxicology assessments, and consultations with board-certified dermatologists.

Still, that doesn't guarantee that someone, somewhere, won't have a reaction to the Apple Watch. Those cases, Cupertino said, are likely due to allergies, environmental factors, extended exposure to irritants like soap or sweat, and "other causes." The wearable also contains nickel and methacrylates, which could affect some users.

As could a poorly fitted watch. For best results, Apple suggested, the device should be "snug but comfortable" on the wrist, not too loose that it doesn't stay in place, or too tight that your hand turns purple.

"I'd hate to not be able to use the watch, since it's freaking awesome, but the irritation for long periods of time would be way too much to handle," Redditor maserrano wrote. "And it's definitely because of the watch."

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There is no word on whether the company will take the Fitbit route, which offered refunds to those customers who experienced skin irritations and rashes due to the Fitbit Force activity tracker.

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Perhaps a third-party-developed watch band could help solve the problem. Cupertino this week launched the "Made for Apple Watch" program, which gives band designers a list of requirements to follow when developing Apple Watch bands.

The strap should maintain a snug fit, for example, ensuring the device's back sensors are in contact with the user's skin. Developers must also comply with environmental regulations, and promise to not integrate magnetic chargers into their bands.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week awarded Apple sequential patents for "Invisible optical label for transmitting information between computing devices."

In English, that means a method for transmitting information from one device (your iPhone, perhaps) to a second device (an Apple Watch, let's say)—without interrupting the user. An optical label, the patent said, would be used to transmit data similar to quick response (QR) codes.

This news comes days after an Apple patent tipped high-end DSLR-like camera functions for a smartphone.