In addition to bringing a host of new features to users, the Apple Watch Series 8 also retains all the features available on older models in the lineup. For instance, all Apple Watch models following the original Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 offer fall detection, and the Series 8 models are no different. The Apple Watch Series 8 utilizes its accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS to accurately detect falls and lets you easily connect to emergency services or send a message to your emergency contacts. If you've just bought yourself a shiny new Apple Watch Series 8 and want to enable Fall Detection, follow the steps provided below.

Enable Fall Detection on the Apple Watch Series 8

Fall Detection turns on automatically if you're 55 or older according to the birthdate you enter while setting up your Apple Watch Series 8. If you're younger, however, here's how you can enable Fall Detection.

• Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch Series 8.
• Navigate to the Fall Detection setting in the SOS section.
• Enable Fall Detection.
• Select the "Always on" option if you want Fall Detection on at all times or "Only on during workouts" if you only want to use it when you start a workout.

Alternatively, you can enable Fall Detection by navigating to the Emergency SOS section in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Note that if you turn off wrist detection, your Apple Watch Series 8 won't attempt to call emergency services automatically even after detecting a hard impact fall.

Once Fall Detection is set up, you will see the following message on your Apple Watch Series 8 when it detects a fall. You can drag the Emergency SOS slider to contact emergency services or dismiss the alert by pressing the crown, tapping the Close button in the top left corner, or tapping the I'm OK button. If your watch does not detect any motion for about a minute, it will make the emergency call automatically.

After the call ends, your watch will also send a message to your emergency contacts with your current location, alerting them of the fall. The Apple Watch Series 8 gets your emergency contacts from your Medical ID, so make sure you set that up as soon as you start using your new Apple Watch.

Although Fall Detection on the Apple Watch Series 8 is quite a handy feature, it might not work if the fall damages your watch. To make sure it works when you need it, we recommend picking up one of these Apple Watch Series 8 cases.