Photo: Apple
One of the most innovative features on the iPhone 14 is becoming a major pain in the neck for authorities across the world, as the device keeps spamming them with false emergency calls.
The iPhone 14 series comes with a built-in Crash Detection feature, whose role is to automatically call the emergency services whenever the device believes the owner has been involved in an accident.
Using the sensors integrated into the smartphone, including the gyroscope and the accelerometer, the iPhone can detect high speed, brutal stops, and impacts, eventually displaying a message on the screen and requiring input from the user.
If no answer is provided, the iPhone automatically calls emergency teams, providing the operators with the location of the alleged crash.
In Japan, however, this feature is becoming a double-edged sword. While it can indeed come in handy when an accident occurs, local fire departments say they receive too many false calls from iPhones that wrongly assume people falling down on the slopes while skiing have been involved an accident.
Out of 919 emergency calls received by the Fire Department Kita-Alps Nagano between December 16 and January 13, no less than 134 were false and came from nearby ski areas. The iPhone 14 is mostly responsible for these false calls, particularly when the owners were skiing. A total of 40 percent of the calls received by the Gujo City Fire Department were also false alerts generated by an iPhone.
The local authorities admit that the false calls could eventually become a problem, but on the other hand, they claim that requiring iPhone 14 owners to disable this feature would be unreasonable. Eventually, the Crash Detection feature could save their lives, they say.
The best thing iPhone 14 owners can do is to pay attention to the countdown that shows up on the screen when the Crash Detection system kicks in. Most iPhone owners, however, typically fail to notice the alert issued by the system, especially as it shows up when the smartphones are in their pockets while skiing.
Apple has already confirmed a few weeks ago that it’s working with authorities worldwide to improve the system, as the Crash Detection feature also tends to call emergency teams when people ride a rollercoaster. The company shipped additional polishing to enhance the detection capabilities, but given the number of false calls remains high, additional work on the feature is clearly required.
In the meantime, law enforcement says that iPhone owners whose smartphones make the false call should just tell the operator that it was an alert generated by the mobile device. Furthermore, answering the return call that emergency teams typically do helps a lot, as the first responders would no longer be sent to the provided location.
Using the sensors integrated into the smartphone, including the gyroscope and the accelerometer, the iPhone can detect high speed, brutal stops, and impacts, eventually displaying a message on the screen and requiring input from the user.
If no answer is provided, the iPhone automatically calls emergency teams, providing the operators with the location of the alleged crash.
In Japan, however, this feature is becoming a double-edged sword. While it can indeed come in handy when an accident occurs, local fire departments say they receive too many false calls from iPhones that wrongly assume people falling down on the slopes while skiing have been involved an accident.
Out of 919 emergency calls received by the Fire Department Kita-Alps Nagano between December 16 and January 13, no less than 134 were false and came from nearby ski areas. The iPhone 14 is mostly responsible for these false calls, particularly when the owners were skiing. A total of 40 percent of the calls received by the Gujo City Fire Department were also false alerts generated by an iPhone.
The local authorities admit that the false calls could eventually become a problem, but on the other hand, they claim that requiring iPhone 14 owners to disable this feature would be unreasonable. Eventually, the Crash Detection feature could save their lives, they say.
The best thing iPhone 14 owners can do is to pay attention to the countdown that shows up on the screen when the Crash Detection system kicks in. Most iPhone owners, however, typically fail to notice the alert issued by the system, especially as it shows up when the smartphones are in their pockets while skiing.
Apple has already confirmed a few weeks ago that it’s working with authorities worldwide to improve the system, as the Crash Detection feature also tends to call emergency teams when people ride a rollercoaster. The company shipped additional polishing to enhance the detection capabilities, but given the number of false calls remains high, additional work on the feature is clearly required.
In the meantime, law enforcement says that iPhone owners whose smartphones make the false call should just tell the operator that it was an alert generated by the mobile device. Furthermore, answering the return call that emergency teams typically do helps a lot, as the first responders would no longer be sent to the provided location.
Google News