Google today confirmed several software features that are now rolling out to the Pixel Watch, including updated Tiles for Weather and Contacts, and the Fitbit Sleep Profile that was confirmed back in November. The company also revealed a feature that is coming next year, saying, “coming in 2023, Pixel Watch will be equipped with Fall Detection, which will contact emergency services if the Watch senses you’ve taken a hard fall and are unresponsive.”
Fall detection was first included in the Apple Watch Series 4, and quickly became an important selling point for the watch. Most of Apple’s press events since then have included a segment featuring people who could have died (or at least been injured further) without the automated emergency call, and it has also been heavily promoted in advertisements. A few other fitness and monitoring devices have similar functionality, but it’s not present on any of Google’s Fitbit devices, nor the Pixel Watch.
The fall detection feature could be an invaluable addition to the Pixel Watch once it arrives. Samsung has a similar feature on the Galaxy Watch series, but results from real–world testing are mixed. That might also be a reason Samsung hasn’t promoted fall detection as widely as Apple.
