Although this function has saved several lives and we cannot deny that it can save many more, including yours if you have an iPhone or device that uses it, the truth is that the accident detector is failing due to the multiple failures it is experiencing.
iPhone Crash Detection gives real alerts that can help many people, but we are also seeing many false alerts that could affect the proper functioning of the emergency service by having to deal with all of them without knowing if they are real or not.
Last weekend, Apple‘s accident detection service sent a total of 71 notifications to a 911 center . Do you want to know more about what has happened so that this service does not work as it should?
What is Crash Detection and what is it failing?
When the new iPhone 14 series and the Apple Watch Series 8 smartwatches , Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE (2022) were introduced, a new function was introduced for these devices capable of detecting a serious accident in a vehicle. The mobile communicates with emergency contacts and gives them your current location if you do not close the process with a touch within 20 seconds of the alert.
Two days after introducing the feature, Apple showed an ad for Crash Detection for the iPhone 14 Pro and other phones in the series. In it you could see an iPhone flying through the air with a lot of broken glass. “Looks like you’ve been in an accident,” the screen says. “iPhone will activate emergency SOS if you don’t answer.” This is how it works and how, if you do nothing, notify the emergency service.
Apple claims that the crash detection feature is powered by advanced Apple-designed motion algorithms trained on more than a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data. Despite this, it is not being as effective as it should be because it is sending false emergency alerts.
None of the notifications sent were real
The Colorado Sun reported Monday that the Summit County 911 Center received 71 automated accident notifications last weekend from skiers carrying an iPhone or one of the newer Apple Watch models.
Notifications came from all four ski resorts in the area, but none of the notifications received were a true emergency . Skiers who make quick stops and fall into the snow activate the Crash Detection feature. Other than a fall in the snow, the Apple Watch’s fall detection feature was responsible for the rest of the unnecessary notifications.
None of the 71 notifications can be ignored because it may be a real emergency, and if a device owner is not responding to calls , this can easily be possible because they don’t know, the emergency services have to go there to see that there is no a problem.
Another 911 center, this time in Pitkin County, receives between 15 and 20 calls a day from Apple’s accident detection feature from the county’s four major ski areas. This is serious because it not only takes time from the emergency services without need, but it can also mean that a real emergency is not properly attended due to lack of resources.
None of them so far has been a real emergency. This creates a lot of discontent on the part of the services that are having to respond to these calls and act , and it is undoubtedly a serious problem with the operation of the service that gives false emergency notifications when in reality a sporting activity is being practiced, skiing.
It remains to be seen if Apple says something about it and sees some way to solve this problem, such as the possibility of detecting this sport.