Early adopters of the Apple Watch, Apple'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 - including this reporter, who bought a 42mm version with stainless steel case and black classic buckle - 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 from Apple's renowned design house.
One anonymous user on Reddit, an entertainment, social networking, and user-generated news website, 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.
This 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 on the tattooed and untattooed wrists.
A website support page from the company says tattoos can interfere with readings from the heart rate monitor, but does not mention interference with other functions.