The Pixel Watch 3’s Life-Saving Feature Is Coming To More Places

Smartwatches are for more than just showing you notifications and making you look cool. They can bring some health benefits and even save your life. Google just announced that Pulse Detection on the Pixel Watch 3 is making it to more places, and this feature can, ostensibly, save your life.

Google had been working on this feature for some time, but it needed to gain FDA (Food and Drug Administration) certification to launch it. Gaining that certification is crucial, as failing to do so can block a device from using a feature. This is what happened with the ECG tool on the OnePlus Watch 3. Users in North America can not use the features associated with it.

Pulse Detection for the Pixel Watch 3 is making it to more places

One of the reasons why smartwatches can be great health companions is that they’re always on you. They’re constantly measuring your metrics like your heart rate and other, sleep, and other metrics.

So, what if your heart suddenly stops? It’d be a bit difficult to reach for your phone at that point. This is why the Pulse Detection feature comes in handy. Google announced this feature half a year ago, but a feature like this requires some serious certification before it can launch to the public. When Google first launched it, it was available in the UK. It took time for it to pass FDA certification.

If the watch detects that your pulse has either completely stopped or slowed to a non-life-sustaining speed, it will contact emergency services automatically. It will then provide the services with information about you like your location. We’re sure that the watch will provide the specific address you have on file, but it could also tap into your watch’s location just in case you’re away from home.

Pulse Detection is available for Pixel Watch 3 owners in 14 countries at the moment. It will make its way to the U.S. at the end of March. It’s still a month away, so make sure you keep your hearts beating.

What’s unfortunate is that it’s exclusive to the Pixel Watch 3. so, if you own an older watch, you might want to upgrade.