They may not be the most fashionable to wear, but they could save your life. More stories are emerging of Smart Watches automatically calling 911 and alerting authorities of people in danger.
Monday, Firefighters in the City of Morrow Georgia said they got an unusual call around 3:30 am. A man's Apple Watch detected a fall and alerted local authorities. They found him barely conscious – outside in below-freezing temperatures. "The call originated from an Apple Watch and went through the Clayton County Emergency Communication Center and alerted the Morrow Fire Department," said Deputy Chief Jeff Moss according to FOX 5. "The patient’s core temperature was about 89° which is in the moderate hypothermia," Moss told Fox 5.
In another incident, at 1:30 am on January 22, the Hermosa Beach Police received an automatic emergency call from an Apple Watch. The call said the owner had taken a hard fall. and it relayed his location information to guide emergency services to the scene. When officers arrived, they found the man lying in the street next to his electric bike, bleeding profusely from the head, according to Fox LA. He was treated on-scene by the officers and taken to the hospital. After a few days care he was released.
Here are some amazing tips on how to better utilize your Smart Watch in an emergency
Set up Call Emergency Services on your Apple Watch
If you own the cellular version of the Series 5, Series 6, or Series 7, you can call emergency services directly from your watch. The feature also supports international calls to emergency services, regardless of your carrier or where you live. So if you're an American visiting London, for example, and need help, the watch will call 999 and not 911.
Press down on the side button for a few seconds until you see the screen for Power Off, Medical ID, and Emergency SOS. You can either slide Emergency SOS to the right or continue holding down the side button. After a short countdown, your watch calls emergency services. If you start the countdown by accident, release the side button. If you start an emergency call by accident, press down on the screen and then tap End Call.