Apple Shares Heartfelt 'Real Stories' From Apple Watch Wearers in Latest Videos

Apple today shared a pair of heartfelt videos titled Real Stories and Real Stories: Michael on its YouTube channel.

apple watch real stories featured
The first video focuses on the Apple Watch's potential to save lives, including a man who crashed while kitesurfing and used his Apple Watch to call his son, a 13-year-old boy whose Apple Watch alerted him to an elevated heart rate, a mother in a car crash who called 911 from her Apple Watch, and a man with blood clots.

"People reach out to Apple all the time to share how Apple Watch has become an indispensable part of their lives," said Apple in the Real Stories video description. "Here are some of their stories."


The second video highlights the story of Michael Jackson, from Duluth, Minnesota, who was born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. One night, he was woken up by an Apple Watch notification about an elevated heart rate, rushed to the emergency room, and found to have sepsis, a potentially fatal condition.

"Many people reach out to Apple to share how receiving heart rate notifications on Apple Watch has helped them recognize and react to serious conditions," the second video description reads. "Here is Michael's story."


The videos coincide with today's release of watchOS 5.1.2, which enables the ECG app on the Apple Watch Series 4 in the United States.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...

Top Rated Comments

macduke Avatar
93 months ago
It's too bad these features weren't around a couple years ago. My uncle fell to the ground and died of a massive heart attack nearly two years ago. He was an early adopter of Apple Watch and was wearing it when he died. If it was able to detect irregular heart rhythms and sudden falls back then, he may still be alive today. He was in really good shape and 53 years old. He had just returned from the gym, took a break inside because he was feeling weird, and then after a while got up and decided to go outside and wash his truck. He was like father to me because my actual father is garbage. I'm glad that Apple has developed this technology to help other people not lose loved ones like I did. I just wish it had been developed sooner.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kermetajb Avatar
93 months ago
It depends, if I'm left half assed, I'll take the peace and tranquility of death any day.
I am a nurse practitioner and I can tell you that this particular feature of the new Apple Watch would actually prevent what you are describing. Atrial fibrillation most commonly causes blood clots to form in the heart where they often are pumped up to the brain. This is called a stroke and generally leaves people debilitated, not dead. So, detecting this problem quickly would actually prevent what you fear would happen in the event that someone sought medical care after receiving an alert.

Keep in mind that we have reached a point in medicine where we can generally keep people alive when serious medical conditions occur. People don’t “drop dead” nearly as much as they used to. Again, they usually are just debilitated by a condition that was not treated quickly. So prevention and early detection are key.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeyondtheTech Avatar
93 months ago
Damn, so much dust in the room right now... or something flew into my eye...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbednarz Avatar
93 months ago
I’m not really a mean person lol but these stories and these ads I find extremely annoying
Why? I would say these are some of the best ads out there. Stories where they helped save or potentially save a life. Seems like a great way to help sell a product.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
philosopherdog Avatar
93 months ago
We are sitting here crying over an Apple Watch ad! I think I need the new one now!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
93 months ago
I wonder if this is a hint that ECG is coming soon.
It was released in today’s update for the US.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)