What happens after Apple Watch detects a fall

Recognize the tap, alarm and alert in the first seconds

When the watch detects a hard fall while Mom wears it, the watch taps her wrist, sounds an alarm and displays an alert.¹ Apple's current support pages name two choices on the alert.¹²

• Tap I'm OK, or Close in the upper-left corner, to dismiss the alert.
• Drag the Emergency Call slider to the right to call emergency services now.

The watch also asks whether she fell. The Health app records the fall unless she replies that she didn't fall.¹

If Mom responds

• She taps I'm OK: The alert closes and the watch makes no call. The Health app still records the fall unless she says she didn't fall.¹
• She drags the Emergency Call slider: The watch calls emergency services. She talks to the responder. After the call ends, her emergency contacts get a message with her location.¹²
• A call starts by mistake: Apple says not to hang up. Wait for a responder and explain that you don't need help.¹ After an accidental Emergency SOS call, the watch asks whether to still send the text to emergency contacts. She can tap No.³

Share the National Institute on Aging's advice for getting up after a fall with Mom. Stay still for a few moments. Decide whether you are hurt before getting up. Ask for help if you are hurt or cannot get up on your own.⁷

If Mom does not respond

If the watch detects that she is moving, it waits for her to respond. It does not call emergency services automatically.¹ This rule applies when she gets up or crawls without touching the alert.

If the watch detects that she has been immobile for about a minute, it starts a 30-second countdown. It taps her wrist and sounds an alert that grows louder. The watch raises the volume so that she or someone nearby can hear it. She can tap Cancel to stop the call.¹

When the countdown ends, the watch tries to contact emergency services. If her country or region has several emergency numbers, the watch picks one.¹ When the call connects, three things happen.

• A recorded message tells the responder that the watch detected a hard fall. The message gives her location as latitude and longitude.¹
• The watch also shares her Medical ID if Share During Emergency Call is on.¹⁴
• The message plays at full volume first. Then it plays quieter so she or someone nearby can talk. It repeats until someone taps Stop Recorded Message or the call ends.¹

In some regions the emergency line asks for a key press, such as Press 1. The watch cannot press a key. Apple says the watch still notifies emergency contacts in that case.¹ The watch makes automatic calls only with Wrist Detection turned on.¹

Follow the timeline from the fall to the family text

If Mom taps I'm OK at any point, the sequence stops. The family sees nothing. If she drags the slider, the watch calls at once. The text follows when the call ends.¹

Check what emergency contacts receive

• One message after the call ends: The message gives her location. It says the watch detected a hard fall and dialed emergency services.¹
• Location updates: Apple's Emergency SOS page says contacts receive updates when her location changes. The updates continue for a period of time after SOS mode starts. The watch reminds her every four hours. She can tap Stop Sharing.³ The Fall Detection page mentions only the first message.¹
• No message: This happens if Messages is not her selected texting app or if she has deleted it.¹
• Maybe no message abroad: A watch that calls local emergency services in another country may not be able to send her location or a text to emergency contacts.³

The watch takes these contacts from her Medical ID in the Health app on her iPhone.¹⁴ Read how to set up Apple Watch fall detection for a parent to set this up.

If the watch has no connection

Fall Detection needs a connection from the watch or a nearby iPhone. It can use satellite, cellular, or Wi-Fi Calling with an internet connection.¹ If the iPhone is off or out of range, the watch can use Wi-Fi. A cellular model can also use its own plan.⁵ If cellular service isn't available, the device might place an emergency call over Wi-Fi Calling.⁶

Outside cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, iPhone 14 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 3 may send fall notifications to emergency services through Emergency SOS via satellite.¹ Apple's pages do not say whether the watch retries a call later. Do not count on a retry. A GPS-only watch out of range of its iPhone and of known Wi-Fi has no way to call.

Compare what the family sees with and without a family app

Without a family app: Apple tells only the people in Mom's Medical ID. It tells them only after an emergency call. A sibling missing from that list gets nothing. A fall she dismisses with I'm OK reaches nobody. Her Health app keeps the only trace under Browse, Other Data, Number of Times Fallen.¹

Pay attention to those dismissed falls. The CDC says more than one out of four older people falls each year. Less than half of them tell their doctor. The CDC also says that falling once doubles the chance of falling again.⁸ The NIA advises telling the doctor about any fall since the last check-up. It also advises arranging daily contact with a family member or friend.⁷

With a family app: The details depend on the app. Some apps can notify several people at once, include falls the wearer dismissed and show who has seen the alert. Check what an app reads, when it sends and who receives it. No family app replaces Apple's own call to emergency services. Keep Fall Detection on either way. Take the free fall-risk and living-alone check for a wider view of your options.