The Apple Watch fall detection feature is being credit with helping a user reach emergency services in Phoenix, Arizona recently. According to a report from local news outlet KTAR, an Apple Watch user fainted and collapsed, and the fall detection feature kicked in to contact 911.
According to the Chandler Police Department’s Communications Center, the Apple Watch successfully called 911 and provided the “near-exact” location of the man who had fainted, allowing dispatchers to send help:
The Apple Watch technology is being praised by local officials, with dispatch supervisor Adriana Cacciola saying there would have been no way for the man to provide the necessary location information himself:
Patrol officers and the Chandler Fire Department were dispatched to the location. They found the man wearing the Apple Watch had fainted and collapsed.
Apple Watch Series 4 and later include a built-in fall detection feature. It’s turned off by default if you’re under 65, but anyone can turn it on from the Watch app on the iPhone.
The feature works by intelligently detecting when a sudden fall occurs, automatically calling emergency services if the person doesn’t dismiss the alert within one minute of falling. If the person’s emergency contact information is filled out, that contact will be notified with a text message and a map of the watch’s location at the time of the fall.
Recently, Apple expanded the Emergency SOS feature to add a new option that automatically shares Medical ID information with emergency services. You can learn more about that in our full coverage here.
