A smartwatch is an important piece of apparatus for tech lovers and health fans. They permit you to observe your each day actions and total health, reply to texts and calls, get instructions, examine the climate, make contactless funds, take images, play music by your headphones, and extra. Your smartwatch also can guarantee your security and get assist in an emergency.
Smartwatches, such because the Google Pixel Watch 3, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, and OnePlus Watch 3, have security options that assist earlier than, throughout, and after a disaster, whether or not an accident or sickness. These instruments name for assist, provide you with a warning or your contacts that one thing is flawed, and guarantee emergency responders are knowledgeable of your location and medical historical past. These are the six vital hidden smartwatch security options it is advisable to know and why they matter.
Many of those security options have to be arrange manually and turned on out of your smartwatch settings app.
Emergency SOS
A fast option to name the emergency providers
In case you are in bother, most smartwatches include a model of Emergency SOS to discreetly name for assist. It calls emergency providers, shares your location, alerts your emergency contacts, and generally gives responders with vital details about who you’re and your medical historical past.
The way you activate it varies relying in your system. It’s typically an motion on the watch, like rapidly urgent the house button. Most watches show a brief countdown or menu earlier than making the decision to keep away from errors. You may also name a buddy or member of the family in a disaster quite than emergency providers, but it surely’s value contemplating that they might not reply.
Many current smartwatches have Emergency SOS or one thing comparable, together with Samsung Galaxy Watches, the Google Pixel Watch, Garmin smartwatches, Fitbit gadgets, and extra. In case your watch has this instrument, discover ways to activate it. You’ll be able to often discover that info in your watch’s smartphone app, the place you may regulate the way it works.
Fall Detection
Routinely get assist when you’re damage
A fall can put you prone to critical harm, whether or not it is a tumble throughout train or tripping on stairs. Fall detection is obtainable on smartwatches with accelerometers and gyroscopes. It detects sudden actions that recommend you may have fallen over and checks in case you are okay or need assistance. For those who need assistance or are usually not responsive, it notifies your emergency contacts or calls emergency providers.
This function is obtainable on all types of smartwatches, together with the Google Pixel Watch 2 and later and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and above. On Garmin watches, it is referred to as Incident detection. A handful of Amazfit watches have it, such because the GTR 4 and GTS 4, and the OnePlus Watch 3 launched it in 2025.
Most often, this function is not switched on by default, so go into your watch’s adjoining smartphone app to allow it.
Irregular Coronary heart Rhythm notifications
Get a notification in case your coronary heart charge is just too low or too excessive
Supply: Samsung
One advantage of a smartwatch is being able to control your coronary heart charge all through the day and through train. It is a good way to trace your coronary heart well being. It additionally helps in case your coronary heart charge turns into irregular.
Most up-to-date smartwatches use the built-in optical coronary heart charge sensor to inform you in case your resting coronary heart charge goes outdoors your regular vary in a means that implies atrial fibrillation (AFib). Being conscious of a possible drawback encourages you to seek the advice of a health care provider ahead of you will have carried out in any other case.
Many smartwatches require this instrument to be toggled on within the system settings.
Show your medical data
Be certain that first responders know your medical historical past
In case you are in an emergency, you may make certain the primary responders know who you’re and your medical info out of your smartwatch. This works in another way on completely different smartwatches. Some ship it when the decision is made, whereas others present it on the show.
On the Pixel Watch, you may share your info robotically whenever you make an emergency name by the Security app. On a Samsung Galaxy Watch, press and maintain the Residence key and faucet Emergency medical data to indicate it on the display. An identical function is obtainable on Fitbits, Apple Watches, and extra. It is value investigating the right way to do it in your watch earlier than you may have an emergency.
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Crash detection
Your watch might help in a highway accident
In 2025, some current smartwatches include Crash Detection, which makes use of the GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and infrequently microphones to acknowledge when you may have been in a extreme highway accident. It robotically calls emergency providers for assist, shares your location, and lets your emergency contacts know one thing has occurred.
At the moment, this function is not widespread. It is out there on the Google Pixel Watch and Apple Watch Collection 8 and later, SE (2nd era), and Extremely fashions. You could activate this function within the smartwatch settings app.
Security Verify
Get dwelling safely
For those who’re involved about getting dwelling safely, a couple of smartwatches have a helpful Security Verify function. On the Google Pixel Watch, you may set a timer whenever you head dwelling. For those who do not verify you bought dwelling on time, the watch notifies your emergency contacts and shares your location. When you’ve got an Apple Watch, you may share your location together with your family and friends for set intervals to allow them to ensure you get dwelling safely.
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Which is one of the best smartwatch for security options?
The Google Pixel Watch 3 has probably the most security options, together with an easy-to-use Emergency SOS, fall detection, irregular coronary heart charge notifications, and extra area of interest instruments like Security Verify and Crash Detection. For those who’re attempting to find a smartwatch to maintain you protected, we advocate it, and shopping for the LTE mannequin ensures you may name for assist even and not using a paired smartphone close by.
For some folks, it is value investing in a rugged system, particularly when you’re an everyday hiker, mountain climber, or explorer. Some watches survive excessive temperatures, have a battery that lasts for days or even weeks, and nonetheless work after being immersed in water or aggressively knocked round. Whereas these aren’t essentially security options, they guarantee you need to use your watch in even probably the most extreme conditions.