The fall detection app that works with the phone already in your pocket
If you take a serious fall, your trusted contacts are automatically alerted with your location — so help reaches the people you trust even if you can't reach your phone. I'm Alive detects a hard fall using your smartphone's own motion sensors, checks on you first, and never calls 911. No pendant or smartwatch to wear or charge, opt-in and off by default. Best-effort safety, not a medical device.
Free daily check-in · Fall detection included from Protect Me ($29.99/yr) · No hardware
I'm Alive is a phone-based fall detection app for people who live independently — including seniors and older adults living alone. Using your smartphone's built-in motion sensors, it provides automatic fall detection on both Android and iPhone: it detects a hard fall, checks on you first with an alert you can dismiss, and if you don't respond it notifies your trusted contacts and shares your location. There is no pendant, wristband, or smartwatch to wear or charge — it's an Apple Watch fall detection alternative that works with the phone already in your pocket. It is opt-in and off by default, and never dials 911. Phone fall detection is coming to the app in v2.3.0.
Automatic fall detection that checks on you first
How phone fall detection works: it senses a hard fall, gives you a chance to say you're okay, and only then reaches your circle — never 911.
Your phone senses a hard fall
On-device motion sensors (the same accelerometer your phone already has) recognise the signature of a serious fall. Nothing is streamed to a server; the detection happens on your phone.
It checks on you first
A full-screen “Are you okay?” appears with a countdown. Tap “I'm OK” and nothing else happens — you're always in control, and a bump or a dropped phone doesn't start a chain of calls.
If you don't respond, your circle is alerted
When the countdown ends with no response, I'm Alive notifies the trusted contacts you chose — by push, email and SMS on Protect Me — and shares your location so they know where you are.
Help comes from your people — never 911
I'm Alive routes help through the people you trust, not a monitoring center or an automatic 911 dispatch. In a life-threatening emergency, always call 911 directly.
Every way a fall can happen when you live independently
Solo at home, in the shower, on a trail, or on the road — here's what fall detection catches, and where it needs your help to work.
You fall at home and can't get up
The fall is often survivable — the danger is the time on the floor before anyone knows (a 'long lie'). Fall detection shortens that wait by checking on you and alerting your circle.
Falling alone at home →A bathroom fall with no one around
The bathroom is one of the most common places to fall at home. Keep your phone within reach so it can sense a fall and reach your contacts if you can't.
Bathroom falls →A fall while hiking or traveling solo
Fall detection isn't only for home. Take a hard fall on the trail and, if you don't respond, your contacts get a GPS location pin — best-effort, subject to coverage.
Solo hiking & travel →Fall detection vs a daily check-in
A daily check-in catches slow, silent emergencies; fall detection catches a sudden hard fall in seconds. They cover different gaps — many people who live alone use both.
Compare the two →Fall detection without a wearable
No pendant, wristband, or smartwatch to wear, charge, or remember. It runs on your phone — the trade-off is your phone needs to be on or near you.
No pendant needed →A false alarm — just tap “I'm OK”
If it triggers when you're fine, tap 'I'm OK' on the check-first screen and nothing happens. It never calls 911, so a mistaken trigger can't summon an ambulance.
What if it misfires? →For someone who lives alone, a fall is a timing problem
Falls are common: more than 1 in 4 US adults aged 65 and older fall each year — over 14 million people — and falls are the leading cause of injury in that age group (CDC, 2024). Most falls are survivable. What turns a survivable fall dangerous is how long you wait on the floor before anyone knows.
That wait is longest when you live alone. In a study of adults in their 90s, 82% of falls happened when the person was alone and 54% left them on the floor — and call alarms were mostly not used (Fleming & Brayne, BMJ 2008). Of older people who had a "long lie" of more than an hour on the floor, about half died within six months (Wild et al., BMJ 1981).
And more of us live alone than ever: nearly 3 in 10 US adults 65+ live alone, rising to 43% of women aged 75 and older (US Census Bureau, 2022). Fall detection can't stop a fall — but by checking on you and alerting your contacts, it collapses the time between the fall and someone knowing.
Go deeper with the data: elderly fall statistics, living-alone emergency statistics, and what a “long lie” really costs.
What fall detection is — and isn't
What it is
- ✅ Phone-based — on-device motion sensing, nothing to wear or charge.
- ✅ Check-first — an “Are you okay?” you can dismiss before anyone is alerted.
- ✅ Routed to your people — your trusted contacts, with your location.
- ✅ Opt-in and off by default — you turn it on, and you can turn it off.
What it isn't
- 🚫 It does not call 911 or a monitoring call center.
- 🚫 It is not an Apple Watch or wearable fall detector — it runs on your phone.
- 🚫 It is not a medical device and can miss a fall or misfire — best-effort safety.
- ⚠️ It needs your phone on or near you — keep it within reach to work.
Start free. Fall detection is included from Protect Me.
Escalation and SMS alerts also start at Protect Me.
Unlimited daily check-ins, 1 emergency contact. Fall detection not included.
Custom check-in times, notes and a limited solo-travel taster. Fall detection not included.
Phone fall detection, full graded escalation, SMS alerts, up to 10 contacts, dashboard.
Everything in Protect Me plus location on the move for hiking and travel.
Fall detection app — questions
Can my phone detect if I fall?
Yes. I'm Alive's phone fall detection uses the motion sensors already built into your smartphone to recognise the signature of a hard fall — there is no pendant, wristband, or smartwatch to wear or charge. Because it runs on the phone, your phone needs to be on or near you for it to sense a fall. It is opt-in and off by default, and it is coming to the app in v2.3.0.
Do I need an Apple Watch for fall detection?
No. I'm Alive is a fall detection alternative to an Apple Watch: it runs on the phone already in your pocket and does not require an Apple Watch or any wearable. This is our own phone-based detector — it does not read Apple's Watch fall events. The trade-off versus something you wear is that your phone must be on or near you to sense a fall, so it works best when you keep your phone with you.
How does phone fall detection work?
On-device motion sensors (the same accelerometer your phone already has) watch for the sudden impact-and-stillness pattern of a serious fall. The detection happens on your phone — nothing is streamed to a server. When a fall is detected, I'm Alive shows a full-screen 'Are you okay?' with a countdown; if you don't respond, it automatically alerts your trusted contacts and shares your location so help reaches the people you trust even if you can't reach your phone.
How accurate is fall detection?
No fall detection — on a phone or a wearable — is perfect: it can miss a fall or trigger on a hard bump. That's why I'm Alive checks on you first, so a false trigger just needs a tap and can't summon anyone, and why we describe it as best-effort safety rather than a medical device. Keeping your phone on or near you gives it the best chance to sense a fall.
Does I'm Alive fall detection call 911?
No. I'm Alive never dials 911 and is not connected to a monitoring call center. When it detects a fall, it checks on you first with a full-screen 'Are you okay?' and a countdown. If you don't respond, it alerts the trusted contacts you chose and shares your location. In a life-threatening emergency you should always call 911 directly.
What's the best fall detection app for Android or someone living alone?
I'm Alive offers automatic fall detection on both Android and iPhone. For someone who lives alone, what matters most is that a fall is noticed fast and the right people are told: I'm Alive detects a hard fall, checks on you first, and — if you don't respond — alerts your own trusted contacts with your location, rather than routing to a call center. It pairs with a free daily check-in to also catch slower, silent emergencies.
How much does fall detection cost?
The daily check-in is free (Try It, $0). Phone fall detection is a paid feature included from Protect Me at $29.99/year, which also adds graded escalation and SMS. If you want location on the move for hiking and travel, Protect Me On The Move is $39.99/year. Stay Connected is a one-time $4.99 lifetime upgrade between the two.
Is I'm Alive a medical device?
No. I'm Alive is a best-effort personal-safety app, not a medical device, and it does not diagnose, monitor, or treat any condition. Fall detection can miss a fall or trigger on a hard bump; treat it as one layer of safety alongside keeping your phone near you and telling your contacts your routine.
The fall detection cluster
One capability under our wider independent-living safety hub — how it works, who it's for, and the evidence behind it.
References
- CDC — Older Adult Falls Data / Facts About Falls (more than 1 in 4 adults 65+ fall each year; >14 million; leading cause of injury). https://www.cdc.gov/falls/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
- CDC/NCHS Data Brief No. 532 — Unintentional Fall Deaths in Adults Age 65 and Older, United States, 2023 (fall death rate 69.9 per 100,000). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db532.htm
- Fleming J & Brayne C, BMJ 2008;337:a2227 — 82% of falls in adults 90+ happened when the person was alone; 54% were left on the floor; call alarms were mostly not used. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19015185/
- Wild D, Nayak USL, Isaacs B, BMJ 1981;282:266-268 — of older people who had a 'long lie' (over an hour on the floor) after a fall, about half died within 6 months. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6779979/
- Moreland B et al., Am J Lifestyle Med (2020), CDC NEISS-AIP 2015 data — the bedroom (25.0%), stairs (22.9%) and bathroom (22.7%) are the most common at-home fall locations. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8669898/
- US Census Bureau — Living Arrangements of Older Adults, 2022 (nearly 3 in 10 US adults 65+ live alone; 43% of women 75+). https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/05/living-arrangements.html
I'm Alive is a best-effort personal-safety app, not a medical device, and does not call 911 or a monitoring center. In a life-threatening emergency, call your local emergency number directly.
Keep your independence — with a phone that has your back.
Fall detection is coming to the app. Start free today; it'll be included in Protect Me ($29.99/yr).
Checks on you first · Alerts your trusted contacts, not 911 · Best-effort, not a medical device