Apple shared a YouTube video earlier this week showing how the Apple Watch’s fall detection feature was able to help a man who lost consciousness while mountain biking with his children. The video testimonial is short, but highlights how the Apple Watch has evolved from a basic smartwatch with fitness tracking capabilities to a device that literally helps save lives.
The video features a man named Phil explaining that he mistimed a small jump while mountain biking and ended up crashing violently, rendering him completely unconscious. He doesn’t remember the details of the accident that left him with a broken collarbone and seven broken ribs.
Luckily, the fall detection feature on Phil’s Apple Watch kicked in. The Apple Watch automatically called the fire department and dispatchers were able to send personnel to rescue him because the device was able to share his precise location. Apple’s brief video also mentions that Phil’s Apple Watch alerted his wife that an incident had occurred. Once Phil was rescued and brought to the hospital, he stayed there for a week until he felt well enough to go home.
Apple’s video can be seen below:
The Apple Watch has transformed into a versatile life-saving device
The evolution of the Apple Watch has been fascinating. When it was initially released, you may remember that it was positioned as a luxury item. Remember the $17,000 Apple Watch Edition? However, Apple was quick to evolve the device into a smartwatch with expanded fitness tracking capabilities. Subsequently, Apple began to slowly but surely add a myriad of health and safety-focused Apple Watch features that have saved countless lives over the past few years.
The aforementioned fall detection feature, for example, launched with the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018. Using the device’s accelerometer, the Apple Watch can detect a sharp, sudden fall and automatically call emergency services with your exact coordinates. When the call ends, Apple Watch will also send a message to your designated emergency contact. What makes this feature even more useful is that it works even if a user is outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. Specifically, if you are out of cellular or Wi-Fi range, Apple Watch can relay the call to emergency services via satellite.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the stories of using the Apple Watch to save lives are numerous. One example we discussed a few years ago involved a hiker who fell off a cliff. In what otherwise could have been a dire situation, the person’s Apple Watch detected the fall and was able to call 911.
