Benefits of Hard fall detection on Apple Watches

Hard fall detection is one of the many features included on Apple Watch that make them more than just a simple piece of technology.

Apple Watches have many benefits, but one of the great features is its hard fall detection benefits. When enabled, this hard fall detection on Apple Watches will notify you if you have fallen and send an alert to your emergency contacts. It will help you get back up in case you are not able to get up as a result of your fall, and what we recommend is that you enable this feature on your Apple Watch. In this article, we’ll discuss this feature and take a closer look at reasons why you should enable it.

What is Hard Fall Detection and how does it work on Apple Watches?

Hard fall detection is the name given to a feature that uses Apple Watch data to detect if a wearer has fallen. This feature determines how a user moves—from his/her speed and acceleration when he/she is walking to his/her speed when he/she is sitting—and then assesses this data to determine whether a fall has taken place.

The watch senses hard falls, repeating actions like touching your wrist, sounding an alarm, and displaying a warning. It then either contacts emergency services or revokes the alarm.

If your Apple Watch detects that you are in motion, it will wait for you to respond to its alerts and will not contact emergency services automatically. If it detects that you have been motionless for one minute, it will automatically call the authorities.

When your Apple Watch connects to emergency services, it plays a sound message that alerts them of your falling and provides your current location as latitude and longitude coordinates.

To cancel the alert, you can slide the digital crown to the left or right, select “close” from the Digital Crown menu, or select “I’m OK.” (In a situation where you do not want your emergency contacts notified). Otherwise, drag the “Emergency SOS” slider to the right to call emergency services by yourself.

If your call is terminated, your Apple watch also notifies your emergency contacts of your location, so that they can know it’s stated that a hard fall has occurred and that it contacted emergency service providers. Your Medical ID is obtained from the emergency contacts in your watch.

Hard fall detection is available on Apple watches SE and more recent series. Watching out for wrist detection is recommended, since sensors will not automatically call emergency services after a hard fall when this feature is disabled.

If you set up your Apple Watch (or the Apple Health app for iPhone) to show your date of birth in just the Health app and indicate you’re older than 55, fall detection will be activated by default. If you’re between 18 and 55, you will need to enable fall detection manually.

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What are the benefits of having hard fall detection enabled on your Apple Watch?

There are four great benefits of having fall detection enabled on your Apple Watch.

• Reduced healthcare costs: Hard fall detection can help drive down healthcare costs by helping to avoid the spread of secondary illnesses that may result from delays or the absence of primary treatment.
• Advanced health safety: One of the most beneficial benefits of having hard fall detection enabled is that it can help you stay secure. This implies you don’t need to bother with a medical emergency in the event you collapse.
• Accurate and Faster Response time: With fall detection, emergency responders can arrive more quickly if you are in a more accessible location than if you must wait for access to a phone, (if possible).
• Peace of mind: Another big benefit of hard fall detection is that it can give you peace of mind. Knowing that this mode is enabled can aid you feel safe enough to receive emergency help.

As you can clearly see, the Apple Watch provides several significant benefits for users that have wear-detecting hard fall detection enabled on it. If you are not currently utilizing this feature, we highly recommend that you turn it on.

Examples of how hard fall detection has helped people in the past

In 2021, a man suffering from stroke in his 60s was out for a walk when he slumped and hit his head. He was knocked unconscious for minutes and couldn’t get up. Fortunately, he made sure his Apple Watch’s fall detection switched on earlier. The watch detected the fall and immediately notified his emergency contacts. They were able to arrive quickly and he received urgent medical care.

Also, in 2020, a woman in her 50s while cooking in her kitchen slipped, fell down and hit her head on the floor. She was knocked unconscious and couldn’t get up. Luckily for her, she had hard fall detection enabled on the Apple Watch she was wearing. The watch detected the fall and sent an alert to her emergency contacts and emergency services. They were able to quickly come to her and help her get medical attention.

How to enable hard fall detection on your Apple Watch

If you have an Apple Watch Series 4 or later, you can enable hard fall detection by following the simple steps below:

• Go to “Watch” app on your iPhone, Click on settings.
• Click on “Emergency SOS.”
• Toggle on the “Fall Detection”.
• If you want to turn off the feature, repeat the same process and toggle it off “fall detection”.

Now, if you fall and the impact is detected by your watch, it will automatically call emergency services and send a message to your emergency contacts. You can also set up medical ID information in the Emergency SOS settings, so those first responders will have access to your important medical information in case of an accident.

Setting up a hard fall detector is a simple way to increase your personal security in the case of an emergency. It may be the difference between escaping injury and getting help quickly.

Video Guides

Apple Watch Series 4 Fall Detection Tested By a Hollywood Stunt Double

The newest watch can detect hard falls and alert emergency contacts. WSJ’s Joanna Stern enlisted a pro to trip, slip and flip through some serious testing. Don’t try this at home.

Apple Watch Series 4 – Fall Detection Alert Feature Tested

In this video, they tested the Apple Watch Series 4 and it’s fall detection and fall alert feature!

FAQs about hard fall detection on Apple Watches

Q: Will hard fall detection work if I’m not wearing my watch?

A: No, if you remove your watch from your wrist, the feature will not work.

Q: What if I accidentally trigger emergency services with a false positive?

A: If you accidentally trigger emergency services, you can cancel the emergency phone call by tapping the “Stop” button on the screen. You will then have the option to call back or send messages to your emergency contacts.

Q: Does Apple Watch call 911 if you fall?

A: If your phone determines that you have been motionless for about a minute, it will send an alert immediately. After the call ends, your phone will be able to send another message to your emergency contacts with a detailed location indicating that you suffered a hard fall and that your watch made the call on its own.

Q: Does hard fall detection work with all Apple Watches?

A: No, The feature is available on Apple Watch Series 4 and later.

Q: Is hard fall detection accurate?

A: The feature was designed to be able to predict as well as possible, but it’s far from perfect. In some cases, it may fail to identify a fall or double count one. However, it is still a helpful safety feature that can help in the event of an accident.

Conclusion

Final thoughts about the amazing benefits of having hard fall detection enabled on your watch, To enhance your overall health and security, setting hard fall detection on your Apple Watch can be useful. The feature is precise and can help you get the vital treatment you need when you experience a fall.

If you have an Apple Watch Series 4 or later, we strongly advise that you enable this feature.