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Reports that the Apple Watch saves lives are increasing. Recently it was the ECG function, now it is the fall detection of the Apple Watch Series 4.
At the beginning of April, a case was reported in Germany according to which the ECG function of the Apple Watch Series 4 had diagnosed with atrial fibrillation - the doctor's examination confirmed the result. Now the fourth generation Apple Watch has struck again. This time the fall detection was able to prevent anything worse. An 80-year-old woman from Munich fell in her apartment and remained motionless. The integrated fall detection of the Apple Watch Series 4 then notified the emergency services and the stored emergency contact - her son. A press spokesperson described the case as follows:
Yesterday evening, an 80-year-old woman fell in her apartment and, thanks to her watch, unconsciously made an emergency call. Her smartwatch was equipped with a fall detection function and alerted the emergency services after the fall. A dispatcher in the integrated control center took the emergency call. He heard a recorded message informing him that a person had fallen badly. The watch also transmitted the coordinates of the accident site. With the help of the police, an address was determined based on the data to which an ambulance was alerted. The ambulance crew found that the door was locked and the pensioner could not open it. They then called the fire brigade, who forced the apartment door open. While these measures were being taken, the smartwatch also alerted the son, who had stored his phone number as an emergency number. Since the woman was not injured, the ambulance crew only looked after her until her son arrived. He took over further care.
"It looks like you had a bad fall"
The Apple Watch Series 4 has a special fall detection system that triggers an alarm when it detects sudden movements that indicate a fall. In such a case, the warning "It looks like you've had a bad fall" is displayed. The victim can now respond with "I fell, but I'm OK" or "Call emergency services".
If a fall results in one minute of immobility, the Apple Watch Series 4 will start a 15-second countdown and then automatically notify the emergency services and emergency contact.
How to enable fall detection on Apple Watch Series 4
First, the function must be switched on. This happens automatically for people over the age of 65. This new detection can be activated in the Watch app under Emergency SOS - provided you have an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. The Apple Watch works intelligently and can distinguish a dangerous situation from normal exercise. The Series 4 also recognizes certain movement patterns. So if you fall twenty times in a row, you won't attract the attention of the Apple Watch.
