The Galaxy Watch 4 and the Watch 4 Classic are Samsung’s latest smartwatches. They pack a lot of exciting features but given the presence of the brand-new 'Wear OS Powered by Samsung' platform, there's a lot of curiosity around which features are present in the Watch 4 and which aren’t. One such feature is fall detection. It was introduced with the Galaxy Watch 3 and then expanded to the Galaxy Watch Active 2 via a software update. So if you’re wondering if the feature has made its way to the Galaxy Watch 4 series, the answer is yes. Samsung has included fall detection in the new smartwatches.

What does fall detection do on the Galaxy Watch 4 series?

The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic can detect hard falls using the accelerometer. Once a hard fall is detected, the smartwatch will ring for 60 seconds, and if you don’t respond, it will send an SOS message to the listed emergency contact with your location. The smartwatch will also allow you to call the emergency contact if you are in a condition to do so.

Samsung warns that the Galaxy Watch 4 series cannot detect all falls, and intense physical activity may also trigger the feature. In addition, for the SOS message or call functionality to work, your smartphone should be paired with the smartwatch, and a network connection must be available.

How to set up fall detection on Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 4 Classic

• To set up the fall detection feature on your smartwatch, open the Galaxy Wearable app on your paired smartphone.
• Navigate to Watch Settings > Advanced Features > SOS.
• The watch will then ask you to give certain permissions for the SOS features to work correctly.
• Once you are in the SOS option, enable the when hard fall is detected option.
• If you don’t have an emergency contact added, the watch will ask you to choose from your contacts. You can also create a new one.
• That's it. The fall detection feature is set up.

If you’re planning to buy the Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic, make sure to check our recommendations for the best bands to find something suitable for your style. We've also compared the Watch 4 Classic with the Apple Watch Series 6.