Everybody knows that Apple Watch is a great smartwatch brand, capable of doing many things, all from our wrists. But did you know that it can also save your life? Apple has built fall detection into the wearable, which can call 911 and alert your emergency contacts in case you experience an accident. 

 

Here, we go through the basics of how to set up this fantastic new feature. 

 

  1. Enable Fall Detection

 

When you first set up your Apple Watch, it will ask if you’d like to enable fall detection and emergency services. If you hadn’t turned the feature on, you could start this process by opening the “Watch” app on your iPhone. 

 

If you’re having difficulties finding the app on your iPhone, swipe down on your home screen and use Apple’s Spotlight search to look for “Watch.” Then, scroll down to the “My Watch” tab and select “Emergency SOS.” 

 

Now tap on the toggle next to “Fall Detection,” doing so will alert 911 and your emergency contacts that you’ve potentially been injured and didn’t respond to an alarm coming from the Apple Watch. 

 

Alternatively, you can also enable fall detection directly from your Apple Watch. You can do so by clicking on the Digital Crown, then Settings app (the gear icon,) then SOS, and then Fall Detection. It’s best to toggle the option on if you haven’t already done so. 

 

  1. Set Up Emergency Contacts

To have your loved ones alerted if a potential accident occurs, you will need to set up emergency contacts. You can have access to this option from the “Health” app on your phone. 

 

Again, if you can’t find the app on your phone, all you need to do is swipe down on the iPhone’s home screen and use the Spotlight search to locate “Health.” After that, tap on your profile picture at the top-flight corner of the app. 

Scroll down and select the “Medical ID” option. 

 

  1. Apple iPhone Health App 

The Medical ID menu will list all of the emergency information you’ve given about yourself. To add a new emergency contact, click on the “Edit” button at the top-right corner. 

 

Scroll down to the “Emergency Contacts” section and select “+ Add Emergency Contact.” To remove them, you can also choose the red “minus” (-) icons next to the other emergency contacts to remove them. 

 

  1. Apple iPhone Health App: Select Add Emergency Contact

Look for a contact on your phone and select which phone number you would like listed for the emergency contact. Then choose the contact’s relationship to you — doing so will help first responders to identify the next of kin. 

 

  1. Apple iPhone Health App: Select Relationship

When you’re finished adding the emergency contact, tap “Done.” Your emergency contact/s will now be saved. If you do fall and 911 is called, your emergency contacts will also be contacted alongside a GPS location so you can be located. 

 

And now you’re done! You can now use your Apple Watch as a wearable fall detector and medical alarm. With the Apple Watch, you can feel safe and secure knowing that you’ll always have help close by should anything unexpected happen while letting your loved ones know.