Best Fall Detection Smart Watches [elderly and Yonger users]

Best Fall Detection Smart Watches [elderly and Younger users]

/ Buyers Guides, Smart Watch / By

Smartwatches today are not just a means of luxury but also great health monitoring devices and medical alert systems for many users. The features present on the smartwatch allow the user to monitor his or her vital stats and fitness levels around the clock. This allows the user to control his or her lifestyle and incorporate necessary elements like nutrition, workout, or rest in their ongoing lifestyle.

Out of all features, the Fall Detection feature is particularly unique and useful, especially for elderly people and people who are mostly outdoors performing all sorts of activities like hiking, trailing, and running. The Fall detection feature senses when the user is about to fall and detects fall accidents. After that, it calls for help via SOS calling and sends texts to the emergency contacts.

In this post, we explore some of the best smartwatches and medical alert systems that have fall-detection features. Let’s begin!

Apple Watch Series 7 (Best Fall Detection smartwatch for iOS Users)

Apple is probably the first smartwatch brand that introduced the Fall Detection feature and with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 7, this feature is more optimized and robust than ever as the algorithm has grown tremendously so the user can rely on it. Apart from that, the health and medical monitoring features of the Apple Watch Series 7 makes it one of the best smartwatch in the market.

Features of Apple Watch Series 7

  • Apple Watch Series 7 has a fall detection feature like its predecessors and it claims to have improved the sensor as well as the algorithm in this new series of watches,
  • The Fall detection feature can recognize if the user has a fall with sheer accuracy.
  • It also alerts the user and asks them if they require the watch to call any emergency services if the Apple Watch Series 7 notices a potential fall.
  • The all-new Apple Watch Series 7 has upgraded and optimized the algorithm for fall detection to recognize or notice falls during workouts like a bike ride or hiking. This is a great improvement.
  • Apart from that, the health monitoring features include gauging of oxygen saturation percentage in the blood (SpO2) which is excellent in times of a respiratory pandemic like Covid-19.
  • The ECG feature is only available in Apple Watch Series 7 (among smartwatches) and it has been recognized by the FDA as a medical feature to monitor heart health.
  • The watch is more than capable of recognizing irregular heartbeats of the user and provides vital advice to the user.
  • Another great health monitoring feature is the Sleep Analysis Feature which makes Apple Watch a complete medical and health monitoring watch.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (Best Android smartwatch for Fall detection)

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the latest smartwatch from Samsung and the Fall Detection introduced in the previous generation has been added to the latest model with better algorithms and improved sensors. Apart from that, the health monitoring feature has also been upgraded as claimed by Samsung. Samsung Galaxy Watches are one of the best smartwatches that Android users can get and it stands neck to neck with the Apple Watch Series as far as features are concerned.

Features of Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

  • With an improved set of sensors like an Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, and Barometer, the Fall Detection on Samsung Galaxy Watch is dependable.
  •  The Fall Detection is capable of recognizing if the user falls during workouts and exercises.
  • You can also adjust the sensitivity of the Fall Detection to a level that is capable of detecting a sudden fall even when you are standing normally.
  • When a Fall is detected, the Galaxy Watch 4 will send out an emergency SOS call to 4 contacts that are pre-selected by the user. This will help the user and save his or her life.
  • Samsung Galaxy 4 doesn’t miss out on premium features like ECG and Blood Pressure Monitoring. With the new BioActive Sensor, the Watch 4 can monitor ECG and Blood Pressure in real time.
  • With Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 you own the most holistic sleep analysis feature which will track your sleep and analyze it in depth to draw out the bigger picture for you.

Garmin Fenix 7 (the Fall Detection Watch for the adventurer in you!)

Garmin Smartwatches have a Fall Detection feature by name “Incident Detection”. Garmin Fenix 7 is one of the most sought smartwatches from Garmin and it is built to complement the adventurer in you. Garmin Fenix 7 is packed with awesome features for monitoring health and tracking all kinds of fitness. It is a perfect multisport smartwatch.

Features of Garmin Fenix 7

  • When the Garmin Fenix 7 detects an incident or the user requests help from the smartwatch, the Garmin Connect app will send the name of the user along with the location of the emergency contacts present in the phone.
  • The Garmin Fenix 7 will use the LiveTrack location tracking feature to determine the location which creates a real-time feed of the location of the user during an activity.
  • The user can set up emergency contacts in the Garmin Connect app without much fuss.
  • The Incident detection feature on the Garmin Fenix 7 is enabled by default for all the activities like Run, Bike, Walk, and Hike activity profiles.
  • Apart from the Incident detection, you will get the obvious Garmin features like –
    • PacePro technology helps the user to keep pace when the user is running a course.
    • Wrist-based heart rate and Flagship Pulse OX sensor
    • Advanced Sleep Monitoring and sleep score for in-depth sleep analysis
    • The famous Body Battery Energy Monitoring System
    • Respiration and Hydration tracking

Garmin Vivoactive 4 (the Affordable Fall Detection smartwatch from Garmin)

A smartwatch from Garmin that can fit your budget without cutting corners on an important feature like Fall Detection, Garmin Vivoactive 4 is the perfect watch for you. It gets its onboard GPS and all the benchmark health and fitness monitoring feature from Garmin. Garmin Vivoactive 4 is built and designed to track all your fitness activities and help you reach your health goal without much issue.

Features of Garmin Vivoactive 4

  • The incident detection feature on Garmin Vivoactive 4 works in a similar manner as the Fall detection feature on Apple and Samsung Smartwatches.
  • The incident detection feature is put under the safety and tracking features. If the wearer feels unsafe or the Garmin Vivoactive 3 senses that the user has taken a major fall, it will send a notification (SMS or email) to the emergency contacts provided in the Garmin Connect app.
  • For selected activity profiles where the user is prone to fall or an accident, incident detection is enabled by default. The watch must be connected to the phone via Bluetooth.
  • You also get Garmin Pay on Garmin Vivosmart 4 to make contactless payments easily.
  • The usual Pulse Ox sensor along with Advanced Sleep Monitoring is present to promote a healthy lifestyle for the user.
  • The Wrist-based heart rate sensor is precise enough for the user to see the bigger picture or trend about his or her heart health.
  • You also get useful features like respiration tracking, hydration tracking, stress tracking, and women’s health tracking with Garmin Vivosmart 4.
  • With additional features like Mindful Breathing and Garmin Coach, you will never lose focus when it comes to fitness and health. The animated on-screen workouts are there to teach you the correct form and posture of the workouts that you perform
  • Body Battery Energy Monitoring is great as it tells the user the right time to work out and the correct time to relax to recover. This can be helpful for your workout regime.

Top Medical alert watches with fall detection

Accidental falls and other such incidents are the leading cause of fatal injury among senior citizens. Falls are also the most common cause of non-fatal traumas which leads to hospitalization of the victim. It is a difficult job for the family members or the caregivers to keep monitoring the elderly all the time and this is where Medical alert watches come in handy.

 These devices offer round-the-clock monitoring and provide a sense of calmness to the users as well the caregivers. Some of the top Medical Alert Watches are listed below with their best features.

The Kanega Watch

Things I like about the Kanega Watch

  • The Kanega was built for Fall detection. This makes it quite accurate as it has a single purpose.
  • The Kanega watch provides access to SOS contacts and emergency response operators flawlessly.
  • The Kanega watch is simpler to use and is an all-in-one independent medical alert device.
  • It even learns when a fall is not an actual fall via the Artificial Intelligence algorithm.
  • Comes with an integrated medical reminder system

Things I do not like about the Kanega Watch

  • The watch is not functional outside the USA
  • For the Trial Period, you must purchase a monthly or annual plan.

Freedom 2.0 from Medical Guardian

Things I like about Freedom 2.0 Medical Alert Watch

  • Freedom 2.0 comes with a bright touchscreen that displays the time, alarm, and the weather. It is easy to navigate which is great for elderly patients.
  • The Medical Alert Watch, Freedom 2.0 comes with advanced location detection features that combine the usage of GPS, WiFi, and LTE
  • Freedom 2.0 gives a 24/7 monitoring option for patients and old people
  • Health features including Fall Detection present.
  • You get a functional text-to-speech for emergency communication
  • The design of Freedom 2.0 is sleek and sturdy
  • Battery lasts for 3 days with a single charge

Things I do not like about Freedom 2.0 Medical Alert Watch

  • The price is higher than most medical alert systems available in the market
  • The fall detection feature is not automatic
  • The user can only text users who have the companion mobile app

Lively’s Wearable 2 Medical Alert Smartwatch

Things I like about Lively’s Wearable 2

  • Comes at an inexpensive price
  • The health monitoring features are great along with the safety features
  • A tremendous four-month of battery life
  •  Fall detection is automatic along with 24/7 health monitoring.
  • Lively’s Wearable 2 is small, lightweight, and  quite easy to use
  • The device is water-resistant

Things I do not like about Lively’s Wearable 2

  • Fall detection is available for users only with paid subscription

Which Smartwatches have Fall Detection?

While other features like heart rate monitoring and SpO2 are available in most of smartwatches (mid-ranges and premium), Fall Detection is a rare one. Only some of the top and most popular smartwatch brands have Fall Detection with the same name or other.

The smartwatches that have Fall Detection are –

  • Apple Watch Series 4
  • Apple Watch Series 5
  • Apple Watch Series 6
  • Apple Watch SE
  • Apple Watch Series 7
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
  • Garmin Forerunner 945
  • Garmin Forerunner 45S
  • Garmin Forerunner 245
  • Garmin Fenix 5s Plus
  • Lively Wearable 2
  • Garmin Fenix 6

Does Apple Watch have Fall Detection?

Apple brought out the first Fall detection feature in the Apple Watch Series 4. Apple has carried out intensive research and development for the Fall Detection Algorithm which has made the advanced algorithm better with every new generation of the Apple Watches.

If you own an Apple Watch Series 3 or older, you will miss out on the Fall Detection feature as this particularly advanced feature started rolling out only in Apple Watch Series 4 and later. So these are the generations of Apple Watches that have Fall detection features.

  • Apple Watch Series 4
  • Apple Watch Series 5
  • Apple Watch Series 6
  • Apple Watch SE
  • Apple Watch Series 7

Does Apple Watch Fall Detection Work in USA/Canada/UK/India/Australia?

It is quite normal to wonder if the Fall Detection feature of Apple Watches functions in certain countries or not. This is because there are many features on Apple Watches that work in one part of the world and don’t work in other regions.

But the fall detection feature is universal when it comes to functionality. It works seamlessly in all the major parts of the world including –

  • The United States of America (USA)
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom (UK)
  • India
  • Australia

There is no model-wise restriction for the Fall Detection feature and all the Apple Watch Series work just fine with the Fall Detection feature. The list of the models includes –

  • Apple Watch Series 4
  • Apple Watch Series 5
  • Apple Watch Series 6
  • Apple Watch SE
  • Apple Watch Series 7

Does Samsung Galaxy Watch Fall Detection Work in USA/Canada/UK/India/Australia?

There are only two smartwatch models from Samsung that have Fall Detection features installed on them. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and 4 are the latest smartwatches that come with Fall detection.

The Fall Detection feature on Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and 4 works in all the major countries and continents including –

  • The United States of America (USA)
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom (UK)
  • India
  • Australia

Do smartwatches detect falls?

Fall Detection is an amazing medical feature that has been incorporated in some of the most popular watch models in the market. Fall detection relies on two important things – a pair of good sensors and an advanced algorithm. The two sensors are the accelerometer and the gyroscope.
Apple and Samsung have added this Fall Detection in their latest smartwatches with the name Fall Detection. Whereas almost all the Garmin smartwatches today come with a fall detection feature by another name called “Incident Detection”.

How does fall detection work on Smartwatches?

Fall Detection on smartwatches works due to the sensors present inside them. The two most important sensors that work primarily to detect falls and incidents are Accelerometer and the Gyroscope sensors.
The smartwatch is loaded with an advanced algorithm that uses data from these sensors to analyze the trajectory of the wrist along with the impact acceleration to detect and determine an abrupt motion like a fall.
When the user falls or gets in an accident, the sensors recognize it and the watch automatically enables an emergency alarm and triggers hand vibrations. After the alert is sent, the watch waits for 30 or 60 seconds for the user or wearer to respond. The user can choose either to call the emergency services present in the contacts or dismiss the alert by pressing the Close tab.
 If the watch doesn’t get any input or response from the wearer within a minute or 30 seconds, it will render you immobile. In that particular case, the watch will make alert sounds that will get gradually louder so that people around you can come for help.
If no one around the victim comes for help, the watch will automatically call the emergency public services and this will most possibly save the life of the wearer.

Does Samsung Galaxy Watch have Fall Detection feature?

If you are a dedicated Android user and are wondering if the best Android smartwatch brand comes with a Fall detection feature or not, the answer will please you. Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch walks neck to neck with Apple Watches when it comes to features and is a strong market competitor. So, When Apple started including Fall detection in their smartwatches, it was likely that Samsung will also follow that.
As a result, Samsung first provided a Fall Detection feature in its Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and it was also included in the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. The algorithm deployed by Samsung is quite similar to that of Apple. It detects falls efficiently and waits for 60 seconds. If the user doesn’t respond within 60 seconds, it will start sending an SOS call for help.

Does Fitbit have Fall Detection?

While Fitbit is one of the most loved and worn fitness band brands around the world, it misses out on any kind of Fall Detection or Incident Detection feature even in 2022. This is a major drawback considering all of its top rivals such as Garmin, Apple, and Samsung have a Fall detection or incident detection feature.
There are some apps like CoCo Fitbit and BetterAlerts which can be used along with Fitbit smartwatches for fall or incident detection features. However, these apps are costly as they will ask you to pay at least $20 per month to continue their services.
Given how the importance of fall detection has been realized among elderly people and people with certain chronic medical conditions, Fitbit would surely include this feature with an advanced algorithm of their own very soon in the future, We are hopeful!

Do Garmin Smartwatches have Fall Detection?

Garmin has brought into the market what is called the epitome of smartwatches as some of their products are insanely awesome when it comes to features and functionality. The unmatched amalgamation of cutting-edge hardware and seamless software has made Garmin smartwatches a favorite among fitness buffs and adventurers.
When it comes to Fall detection, Garmin has its version called the “incident detection” feature. When an incident is detected or the user requests assistance from their Garmin device, the Garmin Connect app will automatically send the name of the user along with the location to their emergency contacts. The location of the user is determined by the LiveTrack location tracking feature available on Garmin devices.

Do Huawei Watches have Fall Detection?

Huawei Watches are relatively new in the smartwatch market and they didn’t have any fall detection feature in their earlier versions of watches. But with the launch of the Huawei Watch 3, they have equipped it with some of the competitive health monitoring features. Among all the new features added to the Huawei Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro, Fall Detection and SOS alert are a couple of them.
In the case of a detected fall, the system on the watch will call the first emergency contact and send a text message to the emergency contact. The text message will contain your current location. If there is no emergency contact available, the user will have to select one of the public emergency contact numbers displayed on the screen during the incident.
If fall detection is disabled for some reason, the Huawei Watch 3 will not make any emergency calls even if it detects a serious fall. The user can however request SOS emergency requests by pressing the UP button 5 times.

Do Xiaomi Watches have Fall Detection?

Xiaomi brings out smartwatches in the market via its sister company Amazfit. Amazfit smartwatches are popular for two reasons – affordability and awesome features.
But, as far as fall detection is concerned, there is no official information about it on any of their smartwatches. Some shaky websites claim that Amazfit Bip S and Amazfit Pace come with fall detection but there is no authentic validity about it.
One of the reviewers on the web contacted Amazfit Customer Support to validate the argument of whether Xiaomi watches have fall detection or not. The customer care politely replied that none of their smartwatches have a Fall detection feature but they duly consider the feedback. They will further pass it to the Research and Development team for consideration of the feature for upcoming models.

Does Apple Watch Fall Detection requires Cellular/WIFI?

In short, No. The only thing that your Apple Watch needs for Fall Detection to work( in the manner it is meant to) is a connection to your iPhone. This connection can be easily established via Bluetooth. The Watch must be connected to your iPhone so that it can make calls and send messages during the Fall Detection.
If you own a cellular Apple Watch, things will be easier as the Apple Watch itself is capable of making calls and sending out emergency texts without connecting to your iPhone.

What is the best Fall Detection Smartwatch?

All the Fall Detection Smartwatches use a complex algorithm that is supported by a stable Artificial Intelligence system. The efficiency of an AI algorithm depends on how much data was used to train the algorithm and how the variable was the data to make the algorithm robust.
As far as data is concerned, Apple has used a massive amount of data with incredible variability of different situations and conditions which makes its Fall Detection rather reliable than others. Also, Apple is the first brand to introduce this Fall Detection and thus has spent more time improving it compared to other brands which are relatively new in terms of Fall Detection.
So, the opinion might be subjective, but I think Apple has the best Fall Detection right now when it comes to smartwatches.

Can Smartwatches call the Police(911)?

Yes, A smartwatch capable of detecting falls or accidents can call 911 automatically if they have access to a mobile network. This means, if they are connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth, they can make calls to the Police (911) via the phone.
Apple Watch will automatically call 911 when it detects an accident or fall and once the call is over, it will also send a message to all your emergency contacts in the list for help.

Fall Detection is a novelty feature and it will keep on getting better with every new generation of smartwatches. If you want to purchase a wearable that has Fall Detection, make sure you are confident about the purpose. If it is for an old member of the family, you can get a specialist medical alert watch which will function way better than a fancy smartwatch. But, if your primary need is a high-functioning smartwatch with fall detection, you can go on and spend some money on Apple, Samsung, or Garmin watches.