How Fall Detection Works on the Pixel Watch
Fall detection on the Google Pixel Watch works by using sensors and AI-based machine learning tools. If you take a hard fall and don’t move for 30 seconds, the Pixel Watch will vibrate, sound an alarm, and show an on-screen notification in an attempt to bring you to your senses. The notification can be dismissed by tapping on the “I’m OK” option on the watch face. Or, you can tap on the “I fell & need help” option to summon emergency services.If you cannot tap on either option, the alarm will continue for about one minute and it will get progressively louder as the minute comes to an end. If the timer ends and you still haven’t responded, the Pixel Watch will automatically try to call emergency services. When connected, an automated message is played which asks for help to be sent to your current location. If you can speak to the emergency operator, you can let him/her know whether you are requesting help.
Improving Fall Detection
Google is asking Pixel Watch users to help improve the fall detection feature by toggling on the setting that says “Help improve fall detection.” If you enable this setting, Google will be able to collect “the motion sensor data of events detected as falls” to help improve the feature in the future. And if you don’t want fall detection enabled on the Pixel Watch, it can be disabled easily.
Other Emergency Features
Google also points out that Pixel phones offer Car Crash Detection (which it offered well before the iPhone). The 2018 Pixel 3 series launched the feature. If you own a Pixel Watch and are in an emergency situation, quickly pressing the crown five times will call emergency services or an emergency contact of your choice. The Wi-Fi version has to be in range of your phone to call emergency services. If you have the LTE version of the Pixel Watch, emergency services can be called without your phone nearby.
