April 29--The Apple Watch launched less than a week ago and some of its inked loyalists are running into problems.
Some users are taking to social media complaining about problems with the Apple Watch on tattooed wrists. The problem has its own hashtag, #tattoogate. Some say the watch locks up and the screen goes dark, rendering the device unusable on inked wrists.
The issue seems to come from how the device senses your heart rate. On its support page, Apple says the watch's performance can be affected by a number of factors, including the wrist band being too loose or too tight, or even restricted blood flow in a very cold room. It's possible, according to media reports, that tattoos can mess with the absorption of light, which in turn causes the heart rate sensor to malfunction.
Dark skin or scarring on the wrists don't have the same effect, CNN notes, because light can still pass through. But tattoo ink is opaque, preventing outside light from penetrating the skin.
