JAMES Emergency Watch R8 Manual
JAMES R8 Emergency Watch Manual
The R8 supports swiping on the touchscreen in addition to button navigation.
Hardware specification: coming soon...
How do I get started with the watch?
Charging
Please fully charge your watch before using it for the first time. To do this, connect the charging cable to the power plug and plug the adapter into a power outlet. Connect the magnetic contacts of the charging cable to the charging contacts on the back of the watch to start charging.
Switching on
Press and hold the watch’s control button until the display turns on. After a short start-up sequence, the time will appear.
Wake up
If the watch is not used for ten seconds, the display switches to sleep mode and the screen goes blank. You can wake the watch again by briefly pressing the control button.
Battery
The battery indicator is located in the bottom right-hand corner of the display. The icon shows the watch’s charge level. When the battery is at 15%, a battery warning message appears on the watch and in the app / web portal. Battery life is up to 3 to 4 days. However, we recommend charging the watch daily. A fast charging process takes about one hour.
How is the watch activated?
When purchasing the watch in the JAMES online shop (james.care) with the basic tariff, the watch is ready for use and does not need to be activated.
Your JAMES emergency watch is not activated if:
- it was purchased from a retailer,
- partner online shop (e.g. Amazon)
- or without the JAMES basic tariff.
To activate the watch, you will need the watch’s 15-digit IMEI number. You can find the IMEI number on the watch packaging and it is printed on the back of the watch.
You can activate your watch on the homepage at james.care/start. Enter the 15-digit IMEI number in the field provided and confirm by clicking on “Activate watch”. If this is not successful, please contact our Support.
If you did not purchase your watch in the JAMES online shop or without the basic tariff, it must first be activated. The JAMES basic tariff is required to use the watch.
Login data for JAMES
After activation, you will automatically receive the access data for the JAMES app / JAMES web portal by email – please also check your spam folder.
There you can easily configure your watch.
JAMES app
You can download the JAMES app in the Google Play Store or in the App Store under “JAMES APP” by ilogs.
User & password
Your user name is usually your email address. You can reset your password at any time using the “Forgot password” function.
JAMES web portal
To access the JAMES web portal click here or access it directly via the homepage. There you will find the “Web portal” option in the top right-hand corner of the page.
You will receive a separate login for the online shop. Here you can conveniently manage your subscription, view invoices and tariffs, or place new orders.
How do I create an alerting chain?
Open the JAMES app or web portal and log in with your user data. On the JAMES web portal, you will see the “Contacts & Alerting chain” tile on the home page. Click on “Edit” to make your changes.
In the JAMES app, you will find the settings icon (cogwheel) in the red area at the top right. Tap on it and select the “Contacts & Alerting chain” option in the “Settings” menu.
Here you can add new contacts to your alerting chain, edit existing contacts or change the order of the emergency contacts.
Up to 10 contacts can be stored in the alerting chain. They also have the option of using the JAMES app to locate you or view information.
Note: You can find the JAMES app manual here or directly in the app under Settings (at the bottom).
How does the alarm work?
Trigger alarm
Press and hold the control button for several seconds until you hear an audible sound and see the white animation on the screen. If you do not cancel the alarm, the emergency contacts will be called.
Cancel alarm
By pressing the control button again, you can cancel the alarm within the first 3 seconds if it was triggered accidentally.
After an alarm, the watch remains in alarm mode for 1 hour and automatically answers calls. During this time, the SOS symbol is displayed on the time screen. If the alarm is closed in the JAMES app / web portal, the alarm mode on the watch ends earlier.
Accept alarm
When an alarm is triggered, JAMES calls your emergency contacts one after the other. A recorded message informs them about the emergency call, which the contact can accept by pressing “2” on the phone when prompted.
In addition, the helper receives a text message with the location of the watch wearer. The location will continue to update while the alarm is active. After that, a phone connection to the watch is automatically established. If the call is not answered, the alarm is forwarded to the next contact.
How does fall detection work?
The fall detection of your emergency watch provides additional safety in everyday life. However, due to technical limitations and the diverse nature of falls, 100% reliable detection is not yet possible.
At the same time, the watch should not automatically trigger a (false) alarm with every jolt. That is why the system distinguishes as precisely as possible between real falls and everyday movements.
Examples of different types of falls and their detection:
- Dizziness:
The watch wearer slowly sinks to the ground and may still be able to support themselves, for example on a chair, before falling. Such slow, cushioned falls often produce no strong impact and may therefore not be detected, even though there is a risk of injury.
- Tripping, hard impact:
The person trips, for example over the edge of a rug, and falls to the ground without bracing themselves. Such falls typically cause clear movement & impact patterns and are generally reliably detected.
- Unintentional movements / false alarms:
Vigorous gestures, such as hitting a table with your hand, can sometimes create a pattern similar to a fall. In such cases, the system recognises the atypical sequence and intelligently filters out false alarms without triggering the alerting chain.
Fall notification & cancel false alarms
If a potential fall is detected, a fall symbol appears on the watch screen, the watch vibrates, and an audible sound is emitted.
The fall alarm can be cancelled within the first 10 seconds by briefly pressing the control button or tapping the X on the screen.
If the alarm is not cancelled, the alarm process is started automatically, as with a regular emergency call.
ATTENTION: If further movements are detected after a fall, the emergency watch will not trigger an alarm.
Activate fall detection
Fall detection can be activated via both the JAMES app and the JAMES web portal.
Activation via the JAMES app:
- Go to “Settings” and select “Device configuration”.
- Under “Watch functions”, find the option “Fall detection”.
- Activate the function by placing a red checkmark.
Activation via the JAMES web portal:
- Click on the “Device configuration” button under “Devices”.
- Under “Functions”, find the option “Fall detection”.
- Activate the function by placing a checkmark.
Adjust sensitivity:
You can also set the sensitivity of fall detection in levels:
- Low (less sensitive, fewer false alarms)
- Medium (standard)
- High (more sensitive, also detects lighter falls)
Calls & call number of the emergency watch
Your watch also allows you to accept normal phone calls. You do not need a separate JAMES tariff for this.
When a call comes in, it will be displayed on the watch screen. Press the control button to answer the call. You can now talk directly through the watch.
JAMES emergency watches use roaming SIM cards with the prefix +41 (Switzerland - Swisscom).
Call number
You can find the call number for your emergency watch in the JAMES app / JAMES web portal. The call number is also displayed in the alarm text message which is sent to the emergency contacts in the event of an alarm.
How do I turn off the watch?
Briefly press the control button to activate the screen if it is blank. Then navigate through the menu by repeatedly pressing the control button briefly. The power off symbol appears at the end of the menu. Tapping the power off symbol also displays the IMEI number. Now press and hold the control button to turn off the watch.
What other functions does the emergency watch have?
Press the control button to “wake up” your JAMES emergency watch if the screen is blank. By briefly pressing the control button, you can now navigate through the functions of your watch.
In the JAMES app / web portal, you can enable or disable the desired functions under “Settings” in the “Device configuration” menu item.
Step counter
Navigate to the “Step counter” function.
Here you can view your current daily steps. The steps are automatically reset to 0 every night. They can also be viewed at any time in the JAMES app / in the JAMES web portal.
Health values
Your JAMES emergency watch can measure the following health data:
- Pulse & blood pressure
- Blood oxygen
- Temperature
Navigate to the health value you want. Start the measurement by pressing and holding the control button.
During the measurement process, place your arm on a flat surface and keep it still. The tighter you wear the watch on your wrist, the more accurate the measurement will be. You can move the watch a little further up your arm to achieve this.
The results are then shown in the JAMES app / web portal. There you can also set up periodic measurements.
ATTENTION: The measurements are guidelines and are for reference purposes only. This is not a medically certified device.
Text messages to the watch
With the JAMES app / web portal, your contacts can send text messages to the watch. When a text message is received, the watch vibrates briefly and the text message appears on the watch screen.
You can reply to text messages at any time with a voice message.
Voice messages
Navigate to the “Messages” function. You can recognise it by the microphone symbol.
To start recording, press and hold the control button. Now speak your message.
Reminder
You can enter your appointments and reminders in the app / web portal under “Appointments”. At the selected time, the reminder appears on the screen, the watch vibrates, and an audible sound is emitted.
Network reception
The JAMES emergency watch has a built-in SIM card and automatically connects to the best mobile network. You can see the network reception in the lower left area.
The signal bars indicate the reception strength – the more bars, the better the network reception.
ATTENTION:
If the X symbol is shown instead of the signal bars, you have no reception (e.g. due to a dead spot).
Without reception, emergency calls cannot be made!
Solution: Charge the watch and restart it. If the problem persists, please contact our Support.
Is the watch waterproof?
Protection class IP66
IP stands for “Ingress Protection” and describes how resistant electronic devices are to dust and water.
Protection class IP66 is not waterproof, but only water-resistant. Products with an IP66 rating cannot be submerged and still maintain their protective functions. The operating temperature is between -10°C and +40°C.
ATTENTION:
The watch must not be exposed to the following:
- salt water (e.g. sea)
- chlorinated water (e.g. swimming pool)
- hot soapy water (e.g. bathtub, kitchen sink)
- hot steam (e.g. sauna, hot shower)
Such water damage is not covered by the warranty.
How does indoor location tracking work?
JAMES Locator
Indoor positioning is difficult. The JAMES Locator helps your emergency watch pinpoint your location at home. It is simply registered on the web portal:
- Switch on the watch and plug the locator into a power socket.
- In the web portal, open the “Edit service user data” section, then go to the “Indoor location” section and click on “Search beacons”.
- Select the MAC address of your locator, starting with 90:91:64. Nearby locators and WLANs are now detected, and their signal strength is measured.
- Then assign a name to the locator and save the settings
Note: Place the locator centrally for optimal coverage. One locator covers a two-room apartment.
For single-family homes or larger living areas, you will need additional locators. These are available from our JAMES Support or directly from our Online shop.
Optional additional tariffs
Emergency call centre
This optional additional tariff supplements the alerting chain with a permanently available emergency call centre that reliably receives and quickly processes alarms around the clock, 24/7. If your stored contacts cannot be reached in an emergency, the call centre will ensure that the necessary assistance is organised immediately.
JAMES currently offers an emergency call centre for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Additional countries will follow.
Phone book
You can also activate the phone book as an additional tariff at any time. With the phone book, you can call three people of your choice directly from the watch. These contacts must first be specified in the alerting chain in the JAMES app / web portal.
Click here or visit our homepage (james.care) and click on “Tariffs” to book your desired additional tariffs.
How do I clean the watch properly?
When worn for long periods of time, the watch is exposed to sweat and dust and should be cleaned at least once a month. For general cleaning, we recommend using a lens cleaning cloth moistened with water. Contamination in the crevices of the case should be removed with a dry, soft toothbrush.
ATTENTION: Do not clean the watch with soapy water or disinfectants.
JAMES Support
If you have any questions or issues, please visit our help page at james.care/hilfe. For any enquiries regarding the watch, we require the 15-digit IMEI number, which can be found on the watch’s packaging.
Austria:
Germany:
Switzerland:
Updated on: 04/02/2026
Thank you!