Fitbit is one of the most popular smartwatches and fitness tracker makers owned by Google. Their wearables are packed with tons of health and fitness tracking features such as heart rate monitor, stress monitoring, step counter, etc.
Check this article if you don’t know what fall detection is and how fall detection works in the Fitbit tracker.
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What is Fall Detection?
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Fall detection is a life-saving feature available in modern smartwatches and fitness trackers. In case of a fall, a smartwatch with fall detection features detects the fall with the help of its accelerometer and activates an alarm.
A 24-year-old Chinese motorcyclist has been hit and run by a vehicle in Ang Mo Kio. Fortunately, his Apple Watch detects this fall and promptly contacts the Emergency Department and his family members. As a result, he can be taken to the hospital, and his life is saved. You can read the full story here.
This is only one example of how smartwatches have already helped people survive. There are many more examples where the smartwatch came to the rescue in life-threatening situations such as falls, atrial fibrillation, etc.
If you do not stop the alarm within a few minutes, the watch will send Emergency SOS messages to the authorities and family members along with your current location. This helps the emergency personnel to reach you and provide immediate help.
Why is Fall detection important?
If you are a solo runner or biker, a person with physical limitations, or anyone at high risk of falls, fall detection is an important safety feature. Having a smartwatch with fall detection can save your life by notifying Emergency Personnel and family members of your current location.
Fitbit Fall Detection: Does Fitbit have fall detection?
No. Unfortunately, Fitbit wearables do not have any form of fall detection or any other incident detection features. This is a significant disadvantage of Fitbit watches over its rivals such as Apple, Garmin, and Samsung devices.
As mentioned earlier, Fitbit wearables are on top in the wearables market when it comes to health and fitness tracking features. During our hands-on reviews of Fitbit devices, we are always impressed with its highly accurate step counter, sleep monitoring, calorie counter, heart rate monitor, and more.
As a Gadget enthusiast with experience testing and reviewing wearable devices, I would love to see fall detection in Fitbit watches. However, we do not know if and when Fitbit may introduce this feature in its smartwatch and fitness tracker lineup.
In the upcoming Fitbit smartwatches, we expect cellular features and Emergency SOS features along with fall detection.
Is there any fall detection app for Fitbit?
Multiple apps such as CoCo Fitbit and BetterAlerts offer incident/fall detection features for Fitbit wearables. However, they are paid services and thus cost you at least $20 per month.
In addition to fall detection, these third party apps offer features such as
- Medicine reminder
- Activity Tracking and reporting
- Automatic phone all to 911
- Location tracking
- Sleep Tracking
- Safe Zone Alerts
- Online consultation
However, you don’t need to purchase a fall detection subscription plan for your Fitbit devices because many Fitbit alternatives offer this feature for free. However, it is still worth trying these firms since they provide a free 30-day trial.
Please remember that Apple, Garmin, and Samsung Watches offer fall detection and Emergency SOS for free, and it cost you under $400 for their watches with fall detection.
For example, the new Apple Watch Series 7 has an advanced fall detection feature compared to its previous models. In addition to that, the following smartwatches offer fall detection features.
Best Smartwatches with Fall Detection
Sl No: | Devices | Amazon | BestBuy | Walmart |
1 | Apple Watch Series 7 | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
3 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
4 | Garmin Forerunner 945 | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
5 | Garmin Fenix 6 Pro | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
When will Fitbit have fall detection?
Currently, it is difficult to say when Fitbit will release a fall detection feature for their smartwatches and fitness trackers. Some experts believe that this feature is currently being developed, but there is no definitive timeline for when it may be released to the public.
However, some industry insiders believe that this new functionality will be available shortly. Until then, users looking for a reliable fall detection feature may want to opt for Apple or Garmin watches instead.
Conclusion
Now you may know that the fall detection feature is not available on Fitbit devices, and the upcoming Fitbit Versa or Sense Series may include this feature in their upcoming models. If you want to use a smartwatch with fall detection, consider Apple Watch Series 7 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.
I hope that this article on Fitbit Fall Detection has cleared all your doubts on the matter. Please ask them in the comments section below if you have any questions.