No one is safe from an accident, a fall or a heart problem that could lead to sudden death. In many extreme emergency situations, a small accessory can save your life, especially if you are alone.
In just a few years, connected watches and bracelets have gone from being a simple extension of the smartphone to being an almost 100% autonomous device for tracking your sporting activities but above all, taking care of your health. Apple was one of the first players to grasp the importance of this area with its Apple Watch. And since then, testimonials like “My Apple Watch saved my life” have continued, widely relayed by the Apple company as a preamble to many of its famous keynotes. Can a connected watch, whether from Apple or another manufacturer, really save a life? Yes, and in several ways.
First of all, Apple Watches, like other high-end connected watches and bracelets, include a heart rate monitor to measure heart rate. This device constantly monitors the heartbeat. They can thus alert their wearer if a rhythm is too high during a rest period or too low. On the Apple Watch for example, if this irregular and abnormal rhythm is observed for 10 minutes, the first alerts appear on the screen. These devices also have a device for performing an electrocardiogram (ECG). This allows the electrical activity of the heart to be recorded by holding the watch or bracelet on the wrist and pressing a sensor with the opposite hand.
The watch can thus detect atrial fibrillation, i.e. very rapid beats with an irregular rhythm of the heart. In this case, it is better to consult a doctor immediately. Without treatment, clots can form and block arteries. In short, connected bracelets and watches equipped in this way can prevent heart abnormalities. However, they cannot anticipate heart attacks and strokes. These are not medical devices and are therefore not eligible for this monitoring.
Another advantage of connected watches and bracelets: fall detection. These devices have a gyroscope and an accelerometer. When the variation in position in space is sudden, for example during a heavy fall to the ground, these two components analyze the situation using algorithms and launch an alert procedure. With the Apple Watch for example, the watch starts to vibrate repeatedly. Its screen presents two options: SOS Emergency call Or I’m doing well.
Both of these options have a countdown associated with them. If you do not move, or if you do not react for 60 seconds, the watch contacts emergency services automatically using the accompanying iPhone and even satellite calls if necessary. It also communicates your location to them. If you entered your date of birth in your Apple account and are over 55, fall detection is enabled by default.
Note that if the Apple Watch takes center stage in such scenarios – Apple knows how to play this rope effectively – it is not the only one to offer this type of service. Today, the Galaxy Watch from Samsung but also the Pixel Watch 2 from Google, the Fitbit Charge, Versa and Sense, the Redmi Watch, and Watch S3 from Xiaomi, Scanwatch from Withings and others can also detect atrial fibrillation such as accidental falls. It is therefore not obligatory to equip yourself with relatively expensive Apple products (an iPhone remains essential to use all the functions of an Apple Watch) to increase your chances of staying alive in such situations.