iPhone 14s keep sending false alarms to emergency services. Annoyed by the extreme sensitivity of accident detection, some centers recommend disabling this innovation in certain situations. It’s not necessarily a very good idea.
Like the Apple Watch, the iPhone 14 has a feature called “Crash Detection”. This option allows the smartphone to detect when the user has a car crash. The device then automatically contacts the emergency services. Unfortunately, the feature developed by Apple shows a lot too sensitive. Since the iPhone 14 launched in fall 2022, some emergency services have been inundated with robocalls.
In some cases, iPhone mistakes a serious traffic accident for a roller coaster ride. Several American amusement parks are also regularly attacked by ambulances. The function also poses a problem in ski areas. In this case, the iPhone 14 equates the departure of a route with a car accident. In December, rescuers went to several stations across the United States after an unnecessary call.
iPhone 14s continue to monopolize relief
Rescue centers in Minnesota have also been hit by a spike in false alerts generated by an iPhone or Apple Watch, local media MPR News reports. Stearns County Emergency Services says it has been received 10 robocalls in two weeks. Seven of those calls came from an iPhone slipped into a skier’s pocket. Of course, rescuers cannot ignore these warnings. If the user doesn’t respond to the emergency services call, a team is dispatched to the scene… which is very often a huge waste of time.
Same story on the Louis County side, still in Minnesota. The center even explains that it received a call from an Apple Watch while its wearer was clearing snow. Sudden movements with the shovel triggered an accident detection. These numerous late calls could jeopardize the effectiveness of other interventions, the emergency call centers interviewed explain:
“For example, if we have a snowmobile accident, we always send our rescue team, we send the police. And depending on the area, rescuers, ambulances, first responders and those people. So that’s a decent amount of resources that will respond.”
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Understand your iPhone
In light of this explosion of automated calls, authorities in affected counties are recommending their residents do so Disable crash detection in certain situations. If you ski, hike, or bike, it’s a good idea to temporarily turn off the option to avoid false emergency calls.
One can understand the desperation of the rescuers. Nevertheless, the function developed by Apple unfolds its full meaning in the riskiest contexts, such as extreme sports. If the option is deactivated at this point, it loses all its appeal. It’s not designed to watch your movements while lying on your couch.
Despite its shortcomings, accident detection is potential able to save your life. Since the release of the iPhone 14, several users have also been saved thanks to this novelty. Last month, some Americans who fell into a ravine received immediate care from emergency services thanks to an iPhone call. More recently, an Apple Watch enabled paramedics to quickly respond to a pile-up.
Aware of the undeniable interest in the device, Dana Wahlberg, director of emergency communications in Minnesota, invites buyers of the iPhone 14 to join Focus on built-in features to her new cell phone. Instead of disabling an option that might prove essential, users should understand:
“It’s a very good opportunity to provide people with information so that they understand that they have bought a product that contains a lot of technology. And it is their responsibility to really embrace this technology.”
If the crash detection is activated without reason, it is important to react within 20 seconds. A notification on the screen, in fact, allows to “calm down” the iPhone or Apple Watch and avoid an unnecessary call. If rescuers are already on the line, it’s important not to hang up.
“So stay on the line and just tell the dispatcher you made a mistake. It doesn’t hurt,” says Dana Wahlberg.
As a reminder, Apple is committed to improving accident detection with an update in the coming months. In the meantime, we recommend keeping an eye on your devices when you’re in hectic situations.
Source: MPR News