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During the review of the Apple Watch Series 4 last year, I admired his design changes, but some of his "new" features were described as unseen. Many customers may never need to know that the latest Apple Watch has built-in fall detection, for example, but it's in the background and waiting to help you as needed – although some need to activate it first.
I had not thought about the feature on my own watch for months, but it was reminded me all weekend after my first real fall since wearing the Apple Watch Series 4.
The trip was laid back and I'm fine, but it was really unexpected and authentic. I was taking a walk around the rink at my daughter's skate party when my 18-month-old son decided that he wanted me to pick him up. He was on foot and stopped in front of me so suddenly that I could get both of us down. He was fine, just surprised, and I was totally ok, just a little embarrassed.
Then I noticed the buzz on my wrist. I was impressed! Six months after wearing the Series 4, I finally had the real opportunity to test its fall detection function without cheating or injuring itself.
Apple Watch fall detection is powered by upgraded sensors in the Series 4 model that detect specific fast moving movements after a fall (like trying to break your fall).
When the watch thinks it has detected a fall, an alert appears on the screen and asks you if you agree while presenting a slider that will quickly call local emergency services. You can ignore the alert with the 'I'm OK' button, or the watch will automatically call the emergency services and notify your emergency contact after one minute if you do not answer.
The call of 911 or its local equivalent of course requires a nearby paired iPhone or an Apple Watch with an active cellular connection, which is an additional reason to consider the LTE version when purchasing.
We also remind you that the feature is disabled by default unless the watch knows you are 65 or older. From my review of Series 4 last year:
If you are under 65, fall detection is disabled by default. Apple says it's because young people often participate in activities that could be mistaken for a fall, such as playing sports, but you can activate it manually.
I often run with my Apple Watch, my AirPods and nothing else. I have stopped wearing my iPhone in the running with the LTE with the 3 Series. The fall detection and auto alert emergency services even attract me at 27 years old. The idea of tripping during a race or even being cut off by a car in a hit and run is a real concern.
Apple warns that every fall can not be detected, of course, but that this feature has the potential to save lives.
If I skated (and rode off regularly), I could stay true to the default and leave the fall detection disabled to avoid accidentally calling 911 or having to tell my watch frequently that I'm fine. But six months without zero false positives and a real alert are neither intrusive nor risky.
If others have the same experience, I wonder if it is by default the fall detection enabled by default for everyone and easily disabled if you realize that the failures are due to your activity.
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