Apple added two new True Apple Watch Story videos on October 27, and one of them follows an Apple Watch alert that ended with septic shock treatment. One centers on high heart rate notifications and the other on Activity Rings.
In Morgan’s video on Apple’s YouTube channel, multiple high heart rate alerts on her Apple Watch sent her to get medical care. Doctors identified a kidney infection that had escalated into septic shock, and she was treated immediately. She credits the notifications with helping save her life.
Apple Watch Series 1 and Later Can Send a High Heart Rate Alert
High heart rate notifications fire when your heart rate stays above a BPM you choose. They work on Apple Watch Series 1 and later, for ages 13 and up. You can turn them on when you first open the Heart Rate app, or later from your iPhone.
On iPhone, the setup takes four steps in the Apple Watch app.
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Heart.
- Tap High Heart Rate and choose a BPM.
- Tap Low Heart Rate and choose a BPM.
Low Power Mode turns these notifications off. Apple Watch also has irregular rhythm notifications, which check for signs of atrial fibrillation in supported countries and regions, and separate hypertension notifications. None of it covers heart attacks, since Apple Watch cannot detect them, so chest pain or pressure means calling emergency services right away.
Josh Took Control of His Fitness With Activity Rings
Josh’s video covers a slower kind of change. He weighed about 340 pounds until Activity Rings helped him take control of his fitness.
The three rings each count something different.
- Move shows how many active calories you have burned.
- Exercise shows how many minutes of brisk activity you have done.
- Stand counts the hours in which you stood and moved for at least one minute.
An overlapping ring means you went past your goal, and the Weekly Summary in the Activity app gives a daily average and weekly total of your ring progress. Wheelchair users can get a Roll ring in place of Stand.
Apple Keeps Adding to Its True Apple Watch Story Series
Morgan and Josh join stories Apple has already published, including Connor’s, which is about the ECG app, and Amanda’s, where changes in her resting heart rate led to a rare, aggressive cancer diagnosis. Each video is built around a single feature, from the ECG app to Activity Rings.
The Heart Rate app shows your resting, walking, workout and post-workout readings. On the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, the sensor uses green LEDs continuously during the day, measuring as often as every five seconds even when you are in motion.
