Apple Watch ad brilliantly captures emergency SOS feature that can save lives

Apple recently shared a new ad titled "911" that emphasises the Apple Watch's life-saving potential during emergencies. The advertisement doesn't actually show the Apple Watch itself.

Instead, it focuses on the stories from the three Apple Watch users who credit the device with helping them reach 911 in an emergency. The ad uses audio from the 911 calls themselves. "These are just three of many incredible stories where people were able to get help using the Apple Watch," explains Apple.

As a post-script title card, Apple states "With the help of their watch, Jason, Jim, and Amanda were rescued in minutes."

Bob B. was knocked unconscious mountain biking in the forest. His Apple Watch detected the hard fall and automatically called 911 with his location. The future of health is on your wrist.

— Apple (@Apple) December 20, 2021

The ad suggests that buying an Apple Watch could help save your life in emergencies where you don't have access to your iPhone by allowing you to dial 911 from your wrist. Apple Watch has an Emergency SOS feature that allows you to quickly get in touch with emergency services by pressing and holding the watch's side button and dragging your finger on the Emergency SOS slider that appears on the screen.

However, it is important to note here that this emergency SOS feature is only US-centric. In India, there's no 911 or similar emergency calling feature available on the Apple Watch.

While the ability to contact emergency services has received praise for saving lives, there are occasional instances where it makes calls accidentally. In June, a police department in Kansas complained that accidental triggering of such calls by the Apple Watch is pulling responders away from genuine emergencies.

The new '911' ad, has also been receiving its fair share of criticism. The Verge, for instance, accused Apple of "selling you on fear" and "edging into shady insurance salesman territory to do so."

The Apple Watch is known for its health features and while there was really none with the Series 7, the Series 8 is expected to include a body temperature scanner, a fertility sensor, and improvements to the ECG and the sleep tracking sensors.

Apple Watch models with cellular connectivity are able to make calls with a cellular plan, while a Wi-Fi GPS model can make calls when within Bluetooth range and connected to an iPhone.