Apple is developing a drowning alert feature for the Apple Watch

In the future, the Apple Watch may be equipped with the ability to alert nearby users if the person wearing the device begins to drown. According to a new patent filing, the Cupertino-based tech giant is developing a feature that would be able to sense if a user exhibits “irregular behavior” while swimming and is in underwater distress using sensors on the smartwatch. Case. Notably, a recent report claimed that the Apple Watch Series 10 might feature an upgraded display that would offer better battery life.

in a patent application Apple shared details of how the feature would work in a filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), highlighting the need for such a feature. The tech giant said in its filing that 3,500 people drown every year in the United States alone. Apple calls it “the fifth most common cause of accidental death in the country” and says a drowning prevention system is needed.

Apple’s drowning alert system revealed in patent application
Photo credit: Apple

However, the company’s proposed feature doesn’t introduce any new sensors to detect when a user is drowning. Instead, it relies on existing sensors on the Apple Watch to interpret data whenever a user is in distress underwater. According to the patent application, its primary trigger will be its inertial sensors, which will determine if the position of a swimmer’s head, arms and torso indicate irregular behavior.

This data is then verified against the Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor or blood oxygen sensor to determine if a sudden increase in the user’s heart rate or sudden decrease in VO2 max could indicate that the user is about to drown. Data from the sensors will be run through special machine learning algorithms and then predict whether the user is actually drowning.

If a user is found to be in danger of drowning, Apple Watch can send alerts to emergency service providers as well as nearby users and lifeguards. The company also highlights that the system can also share similar alerts if a child is swimming in the pool and accidentally ends up in the deeper end. It’s worth noting that this feature currently exists as a patent application. It is unclear whether Apple will obtain a patent for this technology or when Apple Watch devices may be equipped with a drowning alarm feature.