Steven Spielberg's Talk Interrupted By Apple Watch Hard Fall Alert, Causing Stir — Here Is How The Legendary Director Responded To The 'Crisis'

On Saturday, during the Tribeka Festival, renowned director Steven Spielberg experienced an unexpected interruption from his Apple Inc. AAPL Watch, which falsely detected a hard fall.

What Happened: Spielberg’s Apple Watch, a device known for its Fall Detection feature, sounded an alarm during his talk, indicating a hard fall. Instead of dismissing the alert, Spielberg removed the watch and placed it on the ground, reported Variety.

“It looks like you've taken a hard fall,” he said jokingly, adding, “I'm not going to press the SOS [button]. I'll pick it up later.”

When the watch did not receive a response from Spielberg, it initiated an audible countdown before contacting emergency services. He then quickly retrieved the watch and deactivated the alert.

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The incident happened when the filmmaker was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut feature, “The Sugarland Express.” Released in 1974, just one year before “Jaws,” the film received positive reviews. However, Universal pulled it from theaters after two weeks due to lackluster box office results.

Addressing a packed audience at the BMCC in Lower West Side Manhattan, Spielberg stated, “You're the first audience to ever see ‘Sugarland Express' in 50 years.”

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Why It Matters: The Fall Detection feature, introduced with the Apple Watch Series 4, is designed to call for help when the wearer is unable to respond after a fall or vehicle accident.

In 2022, the iPhone 14’s crash detection feature was triggered by roller coasters, leading to multiple calls to law enforcement. Later that year, skiing also set off false alarms, prompting emergency dispatchers to advise against turning off the feature.

Apple’s Fall Detection feature has also been credited with saving lives, such as in the case of an Ontario man who fell off a ladder and was unable to make a call. The feature automatically dialed emergency services, potentially preventing a fatal outcome.

Photo by oasisamuel on Shutterstock

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.