How do i turn on fall detection on apple watch

How do i turn on fall detection on apple watch

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The Apple Watch Fall Detection feature has been saving lives, but it isn't automatically switched on for all users. Here's when you have to turn it on, and how you do it.

Apple introduced Fall Detection with the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018. Then as now, though, the feature was not automatically enabled for all users.

Originally, if a user were aged 65 or over, then Fall Detection was turned on by default, and anyone younger had to enable it themselves. Now Apple has lowered that age to 55, but it's still the case that anyone younger has to positively choose to switch it on.

They should also think about what physical activities they generally do. Apple will have set a specific age because so many activities such as hard contact sports would be likely to trigger fall detection.

The fact that Apple has reduced the age to 55 suggests it's had some years of data on the proportion of false positives. But, still, if you get tackled in a football game, you want to get out of that, you don't want emergency services turning up.

Maybe if the game was ice hockey.

Whether you're older or younger than 55, make sure your age is correctly entered in the Health Details section Apple's Health app on your iPhone.

Once you've done that, this is how to turn on Fall Detection.

How do i turn on fall detection on apple watch

Tap Settings, then SOS to begin setting up Fall Detection

How to turn on Fall Detection

Be sure to do it now, before you need it. But whenever you chose to, you can set up the Watch's Fall Detection feature via either the Apple Watch itself, or via your iPhone.

How to turn on fall detection on iPhone

  1. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app
  2. Tap on My Watch
  3. Scroll down to Emergency SOS and tap it
  4. Tap to turn on Fall Detection

How to turn on fall detection on Apple Watch

  1. On your Apple Watch, open Settings
  2. Scroll down to SOS and tap it
  3. Tap to turn on Fall Detection

More options

Whether you do this on the Watch or iPhone, this is all you have to do — but there is one further option. In the Fall Detection settings section on either device, you have a choice between Always on, and Only on during workouts.

By default, once you turn on Fall Detection, it is set to Always on.

Apple says that enabling Fall Detection "only during workouts may reduce false

detections." That does seem to be the wrong way around, as workouts are physical and so judders or collisions that may trigger Fall Detection seem more likely than when you're in the gym's bar afterwards.

Nonetheless, there is no option to have Fall Detection on solely when you are not in workout.

Don't rely on Fall Detection

Apple Watch Fall Detection is a remarkable thing, and what it does when it detects a fall is particularly worked out. A sudden movement is registered by sensors such as the accelerometer, and the Watch immediately prompts you about what has happened.

If it's a false positive, or if you fell but are fine, you can tap the I'm OK button, and all's well. Equally, you can tap the Close button, or press the Watch's Digital Crown.

However, if you do not tap that button, the Watch will make an emergency call. Apple doesn't give a precise amount of time that the Watch will wait for you, but does say that it is "about a minute."

Once it's made that call, it also sends a message to your emergency contacts.

Note that Fall Detection is available in every currently shipping Apple Watch, except the Apple Watch Series 3.

In addition to bringing a host of new features to users, the Apple Watch Series 8 also retains all the features available on older models in the lineup. For instance, all Apple Watch models following the original Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 offer fall detection, and the Series 8 models are no different. The Apple Watch Series 8 utilizes its accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS to accurately detect falls and lets you easily connect to emergency services or send a message to your emergency contacts. If you've just bought yourself a shiny new Apple Watch Series 8 and want to enable Fall Detection, follow the steps provided below.

Enable Fall Detection on the Apple Watch Series 8

Fall Detection turns on automatically if you're 55 or older according to the birthdate you enter while setting up your Apple Watch Series 8. If you're younger, however, here's how you can enable Fall Detection.

  • Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch Series 8.
  • Navigate to the Fall Detection setting in the SOS section.
  • Enable Fall Detection.
  • Select the "Always on" option if you want Fall Detection on at all times or "Only on during workouts" if you only want to use it when you start a workout.

Alternatively, you can enable Fall Detection by navigating to the Emergency SOS section in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Note that if you turn off wrist detection, your Apple Watch Series 8 won't attempt to call emergency services automatically even after detecting a hard impact fall.

Once Fall Detection is set up, you will see the following message on your Apple Watch Series 8 when it detects a fall. You can drag the Emergency SOS slider to contact emergency services or dismiss the alert by pressing the crown, tapping the Close button in the top left corner, or tapping the I'm OK button. If your watch does not detect any motion for about a minute, it will make the emergency call automatically.

Apple Watch Series 8 Fall Detection alert.

After the call ends, your watch will also send a message to your emergency contacts with your current location, alerting them of the fall. The Apple Watch Series 8 gets your emergency contacts from your Medical ID, so make sure you set that up as soon as you start using your new Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Series 8

While the Apple Watch Series 8 can detect irregular heart rhythm, it cannot detect heart attacks.Apple Watch Series 8

The all-new Apple Watch Series 8 uses its accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS to detect falls and alert emergency contacts.

Although Fall Detection on the Apple Watch Series 8 is quite a handy feature, it might not work if the fall damages your watch. To make sure it works when you need it, we recommend picking up one of these Apple Watch Series 8 cases.

Is Apple Watch Fall Detection on by default?

If you're between age 18 and 55, and setting up a new Apple Watch with watchOS 8.1 or later, Fall Detection during workouts is turned on automatically. If you upgrade your existing Apple Watch from an earlier version of watchOS, you must turn on the feature to detect hard falls only during workouts.

Does Apple Watch 7 have Fall Detection?

Automatic fall detection The other medical alert feature in the Series SE and 7 is fall detection. With fall detection enabled, the watch can detect a hard fall, connect you to emergency services, and send a message to your emergency contacts.