Apple Watch's Latest Ads Express How Emergency SOS Features Save Men In Australia

"Rick's Rescue", Apple tells the true story of Rick Shearman, (photo: dock. apple)

JAKARTA Apple has again highlighted how their products play an important role in saving lives. This time through a new video that shows a dramatic story of saving a man in Australia thanks to the Emergency SOS feature on Apple Watch.

In a video entitled "Rick's Rescue", Apple tells the true story of Rick Shearman, an experienced swimmer from New South Wales who is swept away by ocean currents and is more than a mile from the beach. The incident occurred in July 2024 when Shearman was doing body-surfing in the sea which was in high waves.

After trying to swim back to the beach for about 20 minutes and realizing that the big waves continued to push him away, Shearman realized that he was in an emergency. In a state of exhaustion and while floating in the water, he remembered the Emergency SOS feature on his Apple Watch.

Quickly, he pressed and held the side button of the Apple Watch for five seconds, triggering an emergency call. From there, the system immediately contacted the local rescue service and sent the GPS location. Shortly thereafter, rescue helicopters arrived, found Shearman's position in the middle of the sea, and managed to lift him to a safe place using an aerial crane.

The ad video does not display original rescue footage, but uses CGI (generated imagery) visualization to describe events. The original Shearman's voice, taken from the emergency call he made, became the main narrative in the video.

The Emergency SOS feature on Apple Watch itself was first introduced via the watchOS 3 update in 2016. Since then, this feature has been used in various emergency situations around the world and has also been highlighted in Apple Watch Series 7 ads released in 2022.

In addition to Rick Shearman's case, this feature has also saved many other lives. In January 2024, this feature helped save a woman from carbon monoxide poisoning. In 2025, Apple Watch also played a role in saving a group of ski players who fell 1,000 feet from the mountain. Even in 2018, this feature helped a mother and child survive after a traffic accident.

However, this feature had caused minor problems due to accidental emergency calls, including from children. Apple emphasizes that the Emergency SOS feature is very easy to activate and adjust.

By default, users simply press and hold the Apple Watch side button for five seconds. After that, a menu will appear with a deadline before the call is made to emergency services, such as 000 in Australia or 911 in the United States. This feature also automatically sends messages to all emergency contacts that have been registered.

With an inspirational story from Shearman, Apple reiterated that Apple Watch is not only a lifestyle device, but also a formidable rescue device at a critical time.