Apple Watch Medical Alert Review

The Apple Watch is a great fitness tracker and productivity tool for any active adult. Many people wonder if it also works as a medical alert device since it also includes fall detection for no extra fee. So, we put it to the test.

Medical alert systems feature a help button that connects to a 24/7 monitoring center, a caregiver, or your local 911 dispatcher. Many also include optional fall detection, where the device places an emergency call on your behalf when it senses you've fallen. 

According to this basic definition, the Apple Watch can be used as a medical alert system. It has a button on the side that can dial 911 when pressed and held, and it also has fall detection. You can turn each feature on and off if desired.

Apple Watches can also do the following:

• Allow first responders to access your medical ID information by pressing the side button
• Forward your medical ID information and location to your local 911 dispatcher (with your permission, granted during setup)
• Notify emergency contacts when you use the help button to call 911
• Allow people in your Family Sharing group to see your location at any time
• Alert you when your resting heart rate is too high or too low

Apple Watches aren't professionally monitored medical alert systems. This means there's no buffer between you and the local 911 dispatcher. This doesn't really matter in an emergency, but you can be fined for misusing 911 for smaller incidents, like getting locked out of your house. With professionally monitored alerts, the agents can call a loved one, a neighbor, or another caregiver depending on the situation.

Fortunately, Apple Watches can also make phone calls, which most medical alert systems can't do. (The LogicMark Freedom Alert Max is a notable exception.) You can call anyone you like from the touchscreen. 

Some medical alert systems also include special features that make it easier for caregivers to know you're okay, like geofencing and first motion of the day alerts. 

Our team had trouble testing the Apple Watch's fall detection. Initially, I bought an Apple Watch SE, made sure the fall detection setting was on, and dropped it onto a rug from about wrist height. This is how most medical alert brands recommend testing fall detection.

Nothing happened, so I tried dropping it from about shoulder height. Again, nothing. I continued to drop it and toss it in an attempt to trigger a fall alert, but nothing worked. 

Then I thought maybe the Apple Watch could sense that I wasn't wearing it. Perhaps it doesn't set off a fall alert when it's not being worn to avoid setting off false alarms. So, I put it on my wrist and did my best dramatic flop onto the bed. Still, nothing happened. I also attempted to suddenly fling my arm down on the couch wood-chopper style, but that led nowhere either.

Thinking I might have a dud device, I asked other folks at SafeWise if they happened to own an Apple Watch. Our marketing manager has one, so I asked her to perform the usual drop and toss tests. No falls were detected. She asked her father to do the same with his Apple Watch, and still we couldn't get it to work.

That's a 100% failure rate out of 18 tests.

Anecdotal evidence says it really does work

Our marketing manager's dad mentioned that his Apple Watch has successfully detected his real falls in the past. "It seems to detect sudden movements," he said.

And although you can't believe everything you read on the internet, I found enough stories on Reddit to make me believe the problem could just be our testing methodology, not necessarily the Apple Watch itself.

The Apple Watch uses both an accelerometer and a gyroscope to detect falls, whereas many fall detection devices just use an accelerometer. Having these two sensor reduces the likelihood of false alarms and may make it difficult to stump the watch with a basic drop test.

So, is an Apple Watch worth it for fall detection?

My best advice is to approach the Apple Watch with caution. If you're at a high risk of falls, it may be better to choose a medical alert system with an established track record for fall detection. Being able to test a device's fall detection may give you some peace of mind that it works. 

That said, there's one major advantage to using the Apple Watch for fall detection: it's free. You do need to pay for a cellular plan through your phone's carrier. (If you don't have an iPhone, you'll need someone else to set up the Apple Watch for you.) But, fall detection doesn't cost extra. Typically, medical alert companies charge an extra $5 to $15 per month for fall detection on top of the basic monthly service charge.

If you do buy an Apple Watch for fall detection, make sure you manually turn it on in settings. It defaults to off after setup. 

I also tested location tracking on an Apple Watch SE. When you press the help button, your location is sent to 911 dispatchers. It's important for this location to be accurate so that first responders know where to find you. People in your Family Sharing group can also see your location any time in the Find My app, with your permission.

I found the Apple Watch SE's location tracking wasn't very accurate. It could be off by 25 to 100 feet. It was more accurate indoors than outside. Newer Apple Watches may perform better during location tests. 

You need to pay attention to the details when buying and setting up an Apple Watch as a medical alert device.

First, make sure you buy the right watch:

• It needs to have GPS + Cellular capabilities, not just GPS.
• The watch model needs to be compatible with your cell phone carrier. (This is usually only a problem for older watches.)

When you've gotten the watch up and running, be sure to do the following:

• Turn on SOS calling
• Turn on fall detection.
• Fill out your medical ID profile
• Designate emergency contacts
• Join a Family Sharing group for location sharing
• Check out the health and fitness apps, if desired

Traditional medical alert systems are much easier to set up in comparison. Typically, all you have to do is charge them and place a test call. 

Just like a traditional medical ID bracelet, the Apple Watch’s medical ID lists critical health information that helps emergency responders give appropriate treatment. The advantage of the Apple Watch’s medical ID is that you can list a lot more information than the typical medical ID bracelet.

Here’s what you can add to your medical ID on the iPhone Health app:

You can also choose to allow how your Medical ID is shared. It can appear on your Apple Watch or iPhone’s lock screen so that emergency responders can access it without your passcode. You can also have it shared with dispatchers during an emergency call, but only in “supported areas”—which means not every dispatch center may be equipped to receive this information from Apple. 

Emergency contacts are automatically notified when you use the SOS button to call emergency services. They also receive your current location. 

The Apple Watch tracks all kinds of health and fitness data, including the number of steps you take each day and your overall cardio fitness. You don’t have to buy a medical alert and a fitness tracker if you get the Apple Watch.

Other fitness-related information at your fingertips includes the following:

• Six-minute walk distance
• Walking speed
• Step length
• Double support time (the amount of time both feet are on the ground)
• Walking asymmetry

If you wear the Apple Watch to bed and it has at least a 30% charge, it also tracks how long you sleep each night and your respiratory rate throughout your sleep cycle. 

An Apple Watch can also tell you if your resting heart rate is too high or too low for a 10-minute period. There's also an electrocardiogram (ECG) app that can help you detect irregular heartbeats. Although Apple Watches aren't medical-grade devices, a 2023 study published in Cureus found that the Apple ECG app was just as good as more robust ECG tools. 

We reviewed the Apple Watch’s medical alert features by using them ourselves, reading the user guide, and comparing all of the options with standard medical alert devices.

• We conducted three types of GPS location tracking tests: outside without obstacles, outside with obstacles, and inside.
• We also tested fall detection by dropping the watch from wrist height to simulate a hard fall and tossing it like a bowling ball to simulate a slower fall.
• We tested audio quality by placing non-emergency calls and tested battery life by leaving the watch off the charger until it shut down.

Learn more on the SafeWise methodology page.

An Apple Watch isn't a bad choice for medical alert shoppers on a budget. If you buy an older refurbished model, the watch itself costs about the same as most mobile medical alerts. But, you don't have to pay extra for fall detection.

On the other hand, you may want to keep shopping if you need a fall detection device that you can easily test or an on-the-go medical alert system with precise GPS tracking.