How To Stop Your Apple Watch From Accidentally Calling 911

When Apple rolled out watchOS 3 last September, it included a safety feature called SOS. It’s a great option, especially for owners with health issues or safety concerns. When enabled, you hold the Apple Watch side button for longer than three seconds and it connects to your iPhone (or Wi-Fi) to call 911 --or your country’s equivalent emergency services number-- then notifies designated emergency contacts.

After an initial three seconds of holding that button, there’s a slider option to immediately make the 911 call, but it’s positioned close to a slider to power down the watch. That offers two ways to accidentally call 911: pressing the button for more than three seconds without realizing you're doing so (it happens), or trying to power off the Apple Watch and accidentally hitting the wrong slider (easy to do with a small display and big fingers).

For many Apple Watch owners, SOS offer peace of mind. But some forget that it’s there and end up accidentally calling emergency services. There’s been a Reddit thread going about the issue since release. Last week, Tolland County Mutual Aid Fire Services posted a public service announcement on its Facebook page, reporting “our center has been experiencing a surge in false 911 calls from Apple Watch users,” warning Apple Watch owners that their smartwatch can easily dial 911 without their knowledge.

You don’t want to have emergency responders showing up because you accidentally pushed a button and your Apple Watch summoned them. 

Your first line of defense is to be aware of the feature. The second is to know how to stop the SOS call before it’s initiated. If you accidentally trigger it, you do have a warning countdown and the ability to press the display and end the call before it connects to 911.

If the connection to 911 is made, emergency services usually ask that you remain on the call and speak to the operator to explain the mistake. Otherwise, they are obligated to try tracking you down to verify the emergency --which takes them offline for legitimate calls.

If you’re willing to give up the automatic, pushbutton SOS feature, here’s what you can do to help prevent your Apple Watch from accidentally calling 911.

1.  On your iPhone, open the Watch app

2.  From My Watch, Choose General and then Emergency SOS

3.  Turn off the Hold to Auto Call slider (if it’s green, it’s active)

Done. That prevents the accidental pushbutton call. However, the option to use the slider to manually initiate an SOS call after holding down that button for three seconds remains.

It’s not a perfect solution --for a legitimate 911 call it means an extra step, and there’s still an opportunity to hit the slider when you meant to power down your Apple Watch if you aren’t careful-- but it should significantly cut your risk of accidentally wrist-dialling 911.