Skip to main content

Apple Watch fall detection saves life of ‘bloody and unconscious’ man in Norway

A 67-year-old man, who was found “bloody and unconscious” by Norwegian emergency authorities, is the latest addition to the lives saved by the Apple Watch.

Toralv Østvang was found in such a harrowing state on his bathroom floor, NRK reported. After Østvang fell when he went to the bathroom, the Apple Watch’s fall detection feature automatically alerted emergency services.

Recommended Videos

When Apple Watch wearers fall, the device checks in to ask if they are fine. If the user does not respond within a minute, the fall detection feature automatically calls emergency services and shares the wearer’s location with them.

This is likely what happened that night for Østvang. His daughter believes her father fainted and fell to the bathroom floor in the middle of the night. Østvang suffered three fractures on his face, but his daughter thinks that things may have gone so much worse if not for the Apple Watch, which allowed him to quickly get help.

The fall detection feature is automatically enabled for wearers who are over 65 years old. Users who would like to activate the life-saving feature may go into the Watch app on their iPhone, select Emergency SOS, and toggle the fall detection slider.

Apple warned Apple Watch owners that they should not use it as a medical device, but it has been helping save lives through features such as fall detection and electrocardiogram (ECG) test, which was just released in December for the Apple Watch Series 4. ECG measurements take a look at the heart’s electrical pulses to gauge the person’s heart health, and users can get one by opening an app and holding their finger on the Digital Crown until the test is complete.

It did not take long for the Apple Watch’s ECG feature to make a difference. A Richmond resident, Ed Dentel, took the test shortly after the feature was rolled out, and was alerted that he may be experiencing atrial fibrillation, which is the most common form of irregular heartbeat. Dentel thought that it was a glitch as he was of sound health, but a visit to urgent care confirmed that he had the condition, with the Apple Watch credited for possibly saving his life.

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…
Should you buy an Apple Watch Series 6 on Black Friday 2021?
Apple watch 6 in pocket.

An Apple Watch is a stunning holiday gift for any Apple fan. The Series 6 Apple Watch has many of the perks you get with new Series 7, so you might be wondering if it’s worth going back a generation and buying the older model and taking advantage of Black Friday deals. With the Series 7 just releasing right before Black Friday, what kind of deals can you get on the Series 6? And, should you wait for Black Friday or take advantage of early Black Friday Apple Watch deals? We examine these very questions.

Black Friday is the best time to buy an Apple Watch Series 6 -- but shop early deals

Read more
Should you buy an Apple Watch Series 7 on Black Friday 2021?
Apple Watch Series 7 on wrist from the back.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is one of the hottest Apple products around at the moment, having only been released a few weeks ago, and that makes it a really tempting to search Black Friday deals to find one. However, be aware that it’s definitely not only going to be you looking for one, and that the supply may not be plentiful enough for everyone to get what they want.

While there are other smartwatches available, and some great Black Friday smartwatch deals to be had, the Apple Watch is the one you want if you own an iPhone. If you want to have the very latest model on your wrist, then it has to be the Apple Watch Series 7.

Read more
It’s time to normalize wearing an Apple Watch and a traditional watch together
Edox watch and Apple Watch.

I'm going to try and sell you on adopting an unnatural practice. I'm talking about double-wristing, and to save you a risky Google search, this is the practice of wearing a smartwatch (in this case, the Apple Watch Series 7) on one wrist and a traditional watch on the other. Fair warning, if you do so, then people may give you sideways glances, friends may question why you're doing such a weird thing, and your body is going to take a little while to adapt as you get used to a new feeling. This has certainly been my experience, but it has been worth it.

I cannot claim to be the first to push doing so, but I am going to say now is the time to normalize it. As smartwatch tech becomes evermore indispensable healthwise and the desirability of traditional watches continues to rise, it's time to two-time and double-wrist.
Double what now?
I'm willing to bet most of you either wear one watch at a time, or don't wear a watch at all. The thought of wearing two watches at the same time will therefore sound like madness, something that will only single you out as an eccentric. But it's actually not as rare as you may think. This may be the first time you're hearing about it, but if you regularly read about traditional watches, or spend time in the company of hardcore watch nerds, double-wristing may have already come up as a topic.

Read more