Your smart watch will save you: Pixel Watch 3 to roll out life-saving pulse detection feature soon

Google has announced that its Pixel Watch 3 has received FDA clearance for its innovative Loss of Pulse Detection feature, which is set to roll out to US devices by the end of March.

The Loss of Pulse Detection is designed to detect if a user’s pulse is lost, whether due to an event like a heart attack, overdose, or similar health crisis. If the watch detects this, it will prompt the user for a response. If there is no response, the watch will automatically call emergency services to ensure prompt help.

How does Loss of Pulse Detection work? 

If a pulse isn’t detected while wearing your Pixel Watch, your watch will vibrate and check in to see if you need help. If movement or a pulse is detected, the check-in is automatically dismissed.

After about 15 seconds, your watch will also sound an alarm and start a countdown. If you don’t need help, you can tap X to dismiss the countdown.

If you don’t respond during the countdown, your watch will attempt to place a call to emergency services.2 If the call connects, your watch plays an automated message that shares your location and informs the emergency call operator that a pulse wasn’t detected and that there was no response from you.

While the feature has been available in the European Union since September 2024, the regulatory requirements for such health-focused technology differ across regions.

 This first-of-its-kind feature can detect when you’ve experienced a loss of pulse (your heart stops beating from an event like primary cardiac arrest, respiratory or circulatory failure, overdose or poisoning) and automatically prompt a call to emergency services for potentially life-saving care if you’re unresponsive. Announced in 2024 starting with Pixel Watch 3 in the EU, this feature is available in 14 countries and we’ll begin rolling it out in the U.S. at the end of March.