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i purchased my apple watch specifically for the fall detection feature. it worked a couple of times, but has not detected my last 5 falls. can anything be adjusted to make it more sensitive?

My Apple Watch has failed to detect the last 5 times I have fallen . Since it appears the sensitivity can’t be adjusted, is there a way to check if it is working at all?

Posted on Apr 9, 2022 6:42 PM

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Posted on Apr 9, 2022 6:58 PM

There are no adjustments.


It all depends on how your arm with the Apple Watch behaves during the fall. A sudden stop for the Apple Watch is generally a trigger.


If you control the fall, and or protect the Apple Watch arm so it do not experience sudden acceleration and then sudden stop, it will not think you have fallen.


Personally, I get fall positive when I'm chopping ice on the walk ways because accelerating the ice chopper, and the sudden stop when it hits the ice.


And I did not have a fall detection when I slipped on some Black Ice, because I knew I was going down, and I worked to control the fall, where my Apple Watch arm did not experience a sudden accelerator and sudden stop.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 9, 2022 6:58 PM in response to BeFuzzy

There are no adjustments.


It all depends on how your arm with the Apple Watch behaves during the fall. A sudden stop for the Apple Watch is generally a trigger.


If you control the fall, and or protect the Apple Watch arm so it do not experience sudden acceleration and then sudden stop, it will not think you have fallen.


Personally, I get fall positive when I'm chopping ice on the walk ways because accelerating the ice chopper, and the sudden stop when it hits the ice.


And I did not have a fall detection when I slipped on some Black Ice, because I knew I was going down, and I worked to control the fall, where my Apple Watch arm did not experience a sudden accelerator and sudden stop.

Apr 19, 2022 4:45 PM in response to mscoord

mscoord wrote:

I fainted once and fell on arm with watch. No detection. I tripped over rug and went head first into wall, no detection. I was hoping to visit the Apple Store to discuss. I have snug fit because I have a very small wrist so I know it was secure. Is it worth going to the Apple Store? Thx

Take a shovel, or if you have it a sidewalk ice chopper. Holding the handle with both hands, rase the shovel or ice chopper up and bring it down with force on a side walk or paved driveway (maybe on top of a bit of wood to protect the side walk or driveway).


The idea is fast acceleration as your bring your arms down to slam the shovel or ice chopper into the hard surface and then a sudden stop as the shovel or ice chopper comes to a stop.


After you slam down the shovel or ice chopper, just keep your Apple Watch still, so it thinks you have stopped moving.


Wash, rinse, repeat


This is how I got several false positives. I was trying break up the ice on my sidewalks, and using an ice chopper, raising it up and slamming it down on the ice to break it up. I did not need to fall down or in anyway endanger myself, so I should be a safe test for you to see if your Apple Watch will detect what it thinks is a fall.

i purchased my apple watch specifically for the fall detection feature. it worked a couple of times, but has not detected my last 5 falls. can anything be adjusted to make it more sensitive?

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