A Washington man says an Apple Watch saved his father’s life.
Bob Burdett was riding his bike in Riverside State Park in Spokane when he fell, hit his head, and was knocked unconscious. In a Facebook post, Bob’s son Gabe wrote that his father’s Apple Watch sent him a text telling him his dad had fallen. The watch had also contacted 911.
“Emergency SOS. Bob Burdett contacted emergency services from this approximate location after Apple Watch detected a hard fall,” read the text, which included a map with Bob’s location. “You’re receiving this message because Bob has listed you as an emergency contact.”
When Gabe arrived at the park, his dad was already gone. EMS had located Bob and taken him to a hospital in under 30 minutes. Gabe says he received a second text telling him his dad was picked up. The text included a map to the hospital.
“Dad is doing great, clear X-Rays and CT scan, but a little sore for sure!” wrote Gabe on Facebook. “IF YOU OWN AN APPLE WATCH, set up your [WRIST] detection…
What Is Apple Watch Wrist Detection?
If you have an Apple Watch 4 or later, you have Wrist Detection. When activated, your watch will know when you’ve toppled off a ladder for example. The watch will “tap” you on the wrist when that happens. A notice will appear, giving you the option to either contact emergency services or to tell the watch you’re okay.
Bob, however, was unconscious. So, what happens if you can’t respond to the watch?
“If your Apple Watch detects the person is immobile for around a minute, it begins a 30-second countdown, while tapping you on the wrist and sounding an alert,” says LADbible.com. “[The alert] gets louder so that you or someone else nearby can hear it.”
At the end of the countdown, the watch “assumes” you’re incapacitated and contacts emergency services for you.
To activate Wrist Detection, open Settings on your Apple Watch, then press Passcode. From there, tap the switch next to Wrist Detection to turn it on.
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