How to Set Up Fall Detection on Apple Watch

Apple Watch has a built-in Fall Detection feature that can detect when you take a hard fall. If it detects a fall and you do not respond within about a minute, it automatically calls emergency services (911) and sends your location to your emergency contacts. This feature is available on Apple Watch Series 4 and later.

For users age 55 and older, Fall Detection is turned on automatically when you set up your Apple Watch and enter your age. For younger users, you need to enable it manually.

To turn on Fall Detection: on your iPhone, open the Watch app → My Watch → Emergency SOS → Fall Detection → turn it on. You can also access this directly on the Apple Watch: Settings → SOS → Fall Detection.

When the Apple Watch detects a fall, it taps your wrist, sounds an alarm, and displays an alert asking if you are okay. You can tap "I'm OK" to dismiss it, or tap "Emergency SOS" to call for help. If you do not respond and the watch detects you are not moving for about a minute, it starts a 30-second countdown. If you still do not respond, it automatically calls 911, plays a recorded message about your fall, and sends your location to your emergency contacts.

Set up your emergency contacts in the Health app on your iPhone: open Health → tap your profile picture → Medical ID → Edit → add Emergency Contacts. Also fill out your Medical ID with blood type, allergies, conditions, and medications — first responders can access this from your locked Apple Watch or iPhone.