A new Apple Watch feature can call 911 no matter where you are - even without a phone
In an ideal world, I would run freely without my phone and its constant notifications, whether that meant taking an iPod or ditching technology altogether. But now when I step out to jog in the evening, by myself, in New York City, it seems so foolish to leave behind the one way I could communicate if anything happened.
That's why when Apple announced the Watch's new SOS feature, I reconsidered my opposition to wearables for the first time.
Apple will roll out the Watch's new operating system, Watch OS 3, this fall. As part of the upgrade, users will be able to automatically dial 911 by pressing the hold button on the side of the watch for three seconds. To ensure there are no accidental dials, users will have 10 seconds to cancel the countdown before a call is made.
Once the call is completed, the watch will send your location to your designated emergency contacts, whether they have iMessage or not. Like the call to 911 itself, you can cancel that function if you'd rather people not know what happened.
That's a great feature considering wearables are most commonly used for fitness tracking purposes. If I'm already using the watch to keep track of my run, the fact that it can help me if something happens on said run is a solid perk.
And it doesn't just apply to runners. Turn your ankle playing basketball? No need to rummage through your gym bag for the phone. Get in a car accident and can't reach your device? Just tap your wrist.
It makes sense that if we're going to wear smart technology on our wrist, that it should be able to help us in addition to counting calories and pushing through text messages. Tiny updates like this are what push reluctant people like myself to give the Apple Watch a real shot.