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    Health & Wellness Tech
    Beginner
    2 min read 5 stepsApril 17, 2026Verified April 2026

    How to Turn On Fall Detection on Your Device

    Apple Watch, Pixel phones, and many medical alerts can detect a hard fall and automatically call for help — here's how to turn it on.

    1

    On Apple Watch, open Health settings

    ~15s
    On your iPhone, open the Watch app, tap My Watch, then Emergency SOS. Turn on Fall Detection.
    2

    Pick when it is active

    ~15s
    Apple gives two options: "Always On" (detects falls 24/7) and "Only on During Workouts" (only while you are exercising). Pick Always On for maximum safety, especially for older adults.
    3

    On Pixel phones, open Personal Safety

    ~15s
    Open the Personal Safety app (pre-installed on Pixel phones). Tap Features, then Car crash detection and Emergency SOS. The car crash detection also covers falls on newer Pixel models.
    4

    Add emergency contacts

    ~15s
    Back in Medical ID (iPhone) or Personal Safety (Pixel), add at least two emergency contacts. If a fall is detected and you do not respond, these people are called automatically.
    5

    Test it carefully

    ~15s
    Do not test by actually falling. Instead, check that the feature is on by opening Emergency SOS or Personal Safety and confirming the Fall Detection toggle is green. The first real fall will trigger a countdown — you can cancel if you are okay.

    You Did It!

    You've completed: How to Turn On Fall Detection on Your Device

    Need more help? Get Expert Help from a TekSure Tech

    Fall detection uses motion sensors to detect a hard fall — and if the person does not respond within about a minute, it automatically calls emergency services. It is built into Apple Watch (Series 4 and later), Google Pixel phones, and several medical alert wearables.

    For older adults or anyone living alone, this feature can be life-saving. Setup takes two minutes, and once on, it works automatically.

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    How to Turn On Fall Detection on Your Device — Step-by-Step Guide | TekSure