In a long list of health scares averted by the Apple Watch, we now have a new one to add. A Reddit user named Taylor recently shared a life-saving moment where his Apple Watch came to the rescue during a severe breathing episode.
As Taylor recounts, he was suddenly hit with intense shortness of breath, causing him to black out and fall face-down on the pavement. At that critical moment, the Apple Watch’s fall detection feature kicked in, sensing the fall and lack of movement. It immediately contacted emergency services, ensuring help arrived just in time.
Taylor shared his experience in a Reddit post, explaining that he had been dealing with a cold and cough, initially brushing it off as just seasonal or possibly even COVID-19 symptoms. “I thought it was just a lingering cold or some strange COVID symptoms—mostly shortness of breath,” he wrote. However, what started as an ordinary day soon took a dangerous turn. “Nothing unusual until one evening after work.”
While walking through a nearly empty parking lot, Taylor suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded before losing consciousness. “I barely made it to the back of my car before I blacked out. The next thing I know, I’m waking up, face-down on the pavement, and my Apple Watch is buzzing, flashing SOS,” he recalled.
The watch’s fall detection feature kicked in, automatically dialing Emergency SOS. In his disoriented state, Taylor accidentally stopped the call, but by that time, emergency services had already been alerted. “I mistakenly ended the call (don’t do what I did), but thankfully, 911 called me back right away. I was able to tell them what happened and that I needed help,” he shared.
Taylor was later rushed to the emergency room, where doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs, one of which was blocking oxygen to his heart. “The ER doctor told me that if help hadn’t arrived so quickly, I had about a 50/50 chance of not making it,” he shared.
This incident highlights just how crucial health and emergency features in wearables, especially the Apple Watch, have become—evolving from helpful tools to potential life-savers. With features like satellite calling, heart rate alerts, and SOS, the Apple Watch has integrated powerful emergency functionalities over the years. In this case, it was the Fall Detection and Emergency SOS capabilities that came to the rescue, detecting Taylor’s hard fall and automatically connecting him with emergency services.
How Apple watch's Fall Detection and SOS work
Apple's Fall Detection feature uses advanced sensors and motion algorithms, like the accelerometer and gyroscope, to monitor your movement. If a user experiences a hard fall, the watch triggers an alarm and displays an alert. If the user remains unresponsive for about a minute, it automatically calls emergency services and shares their location.
The Emergency SOS function allows users to quickly contact emergency services by pressing and holding the side button on the watch. If configured, it also sends a message to the user's emergency contacts with their location. As Apple explains, “When the call ends, your Apple Watch will send your emergency contacts a text message with your current location, unless you choose to cancel.”
In Taylor’s case, once the Emergency SOS was triggered, his wife—who was 35 miles away—received an alert, knowing exactly where he was in real time. “She knew something was wrong and knew exactly where I was,” Taylor recalled.
How to set up the Emergency and health features on Apple watch
To ensure these features are enabled:
- Turn on Fall Detection: Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, go to Emergency SOS, and toggle Fall Detection on. It's automatically activated for users over 55, but younger users can enable it manually.
- Add Emergency Contacts: Open the Health app on your iPhone. Tap your profile picture, then tap Medical ID > Edit. Scroll down to Emergency Contacts to add or update them.
- Fill Out Your Medical ID: Open the Medical ID section on your iPhone and add vital information like blood type, allergies, and medical conditions. This information can be accessed by first responders from your locked screen in an emergency.
By ensuring these features are set up, you can have peace of mind knowing that your Apple Watch is ready to help in an emergency.
As Taylor recounts, he was suddenly hit with intense shortness of breath, causing him to black out and fall face-down on the pavement. At that critical moment, the Apple Watch’s fall detection feature kicked in, sensing the fall and lack of movement. It immediately contacted emergency services, ensuring help arrived just in time.
Taylor shared his experience in a Reddit post, explaining that he had been dealing with a cold and cough, initially brushing it off as just seasonal or possibly even COVID-19 symptoms. “I thought it was just a lingering cold or some strange COVID symptoms—mostly shortness of breath,” he wrote. However, what started as an ordinary day soon took a dangerous turn. “Nothing unusual until one evening after work.”
While walking through a nearly empty parking lot, Taylor suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded before losing consciousness. “I barely made it to the back of my car before I blacked out. The next thing I know, I’m waking up, face-down on the pavement, and my Apple Watch is buzzing, flashing SOS,” he recalled.
The watch’s fall detection feature kicked in, automatically dialing Emergency SOS. In his disoriented state, Taylor accidentally stopped the call, but by that time, emergency services had already been alerted. “I mistakenly ended the call (don’t do what I did), but thankfully, 911 called me back right away. I was able to tell them what happened and that I needed help,” he shared.
Taylor was later rushed to the emergency room, where doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs, one of which was blocking oxygen to his heart. “The ER doctor told me that if help hadn’t arrived so quickly, I had about a 50/50 chance of not making it,” he shared.
This incident highlights just how crucial health and emergency features in wearables, especially the Apple Watch, have become—evolving from helpful tools to potential life-savers. With features like satellite calling, heart rate alerts, and SOS, the Apple Watch has integrated powerful emergency functionalities over the years. In this case, it was the Fall Detection and Emergency SOS capabilities that came to the rescue, detecting Taylor’s hard fall and automatically connecting him with emergency services.
How Apple watch's Fall Detection and SOS work
Apple's Fall Detection feature uses advanced sensors and motion algorithms, like the accelerometer and gyroscope, to monitor your movement. If a user experiences a hard fall, the watch triggers an alarm and displays an alert. If the user remains unresponsive for about a minute, it automatically calls emergency services and shares their location.
The Emergency SOS function allows users to quickly contact emergency services by pressing and holding the side button on the watch. If configured, it also sends a message to the user's emergency contacts with their location. As Apple explains, “When the call ends, your Apple Watch will send your emergency contacts a text message with your current location, unless you choose to cancel.”
In Taylor’s case, once the Emergency SOS was triggered, his wife—who was 35 miles away—received an alert, knowing exactly where he was in real time. “She knew something was wrong and knew exactly where I was,” Taylor recalled.
How to set up the Emergency and health features on Apple watch
To ensure these features are enabled:
- Turn on Fall Detection: Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, go to Emergency SOS, and toggle Fall Detection on. It's automatically activated for users over 55, but younger users can enable it manually.
- Add Emergency Contacts: Open the Health app on your iPhone. Tap your profile picture, then tap Medical ID > Edit. Scroll down to Emergency Contacts to add or update them.
- Fill Out Your Medical ID: Open the Medical ID section on your iPhone and add vital information like blood type, allergies, and medical conditions. This information can be accessed by first responders from your locked screen in an emergency.
By ensuring these features are set up, you can have peace of mind knowing that your Apple Watch is ready to help in an emergency.
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