Injuries, or worse, from falls when no one is around, especially for seniors, have been a major concern lately. An important feature, many smartwatches can detect a fall and alert emergency services if not turned off within a set time. Teased as an upcoming feature when it was released, fall detection on the Google Pixel Watch is finally here and rolling out starting today.
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Google states that the feature has been “extensively tested” to ensure that your Pixel Watch won’t trigger falsely, and can recognize the difference between vigorous physical activity, a small stumble, or an actual hard fall which may cause you to require assistance.
“Worried that doing burpees or hitting the ski slopes will trigger an accidental emergency call? Your Pixel Watch knows the difference between taking a hard fall and performing a vigorous physical activity or even quickly recovering from a small stumble — thanks to our machine learning algorithms and rigorous testing. The motion sensors and algorithms can monitor for a sudden impact and your body’s responses and instinctive reactions to falling. We trained this process using a broad variety of human and simulated fall data and other motion patterns to accurately detect real falls and minimize potential false alarms.”
Google
So just how does the new feature work? Pretty simply, in fact, as outlined by Google:
- When a hard fall is detected and about 30 seconds pass with no movement, your Pixel Watch will vibrate, sound an alarm, and display an on-screen notification to check if you need help.
- If you’re able to, either tap ‘I’m OK’ on your watch face to dismiss the notification or tap ‘I fell & need help’ to be connected to emergency services right away.
- Otherwise, the alarm will continue for about a minute, getting louder in the final few seconds. If you still haven’t responded, your watch will automatically attempt to call emergency services and play an automated message that requests help to wherever you are.
- You can also speak to the emergency operator yourself, if possible, to let them know whether you need help or not.
As mentioned above, the new feature is rolling out starting today. Pixel Watch users may see a promotional card on the “Updates” page on their Watch Companion App or in the Personal Safety app, where they can toggle on and set up fall detection.
What do you think about the Google Pixel Watch finally getting fall detection? Was it a feature you were waiting for? Let us know on social media by using the buttons below.
