Automatic accident detection from Apple devices is apparently becoming a problem in some US ski resorts: US emergency dispatch centers near popular ski resorts had to contend with a spate of false alarms triggered automatically by iPhones and Apple Watches in January, reports the New York Times. In these cases, there is usually no response to calls back. In the first regions, the rescuers have therefore started to ignore such automated iPhone emergency calls in order to have sufficient resources for actual emergencies.
Every third emergency call is a false alarm
Around one in three calls to an emergency response center at a popular ski resort in the US state of Colorado is a false alarm caused by Apple’s technology, the newspaper writes. In Summit County, California, a control center alone received 185 such false alarms over a period of seven days. The normal number of real emergency calls was only half as high there in the same period in recent winters.
Apple then sent a team to observe the situation on site for a day. The manufacturer knows that false alarms can occur in “specific scenarios,” said an Apple spokesman to the New York Times. Updates for iOS and watchOS that have already been deployed should “optimize” the function, but the reports of false alarms have not yet been demolished. The company points out that accident detection has already helped to save lives. From a control center it was said that Apple should set up its own rescue control centers if such an emergency call function is already integrated. The first ski areas are using notes and signs to draw the attention of guests to the fact that the function can lead to false alarms.
iPhone 14 and Apple Watch 8 detect car accidents
Car crash detection is new to the iPhone 14, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max and 14 Plus and the Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra. Older Apple Watches already offer fall detection, but so far there have apparently been comparatively few false alarms. The function is activated by default, it can be switched off in the settings for “Emergency SOS”.
The iPhone and Watch warn the user before the emergency call is made with a loud signal and countdown, which is apparently often overlooked on the slopes in thick ski equipment – or ignored. So far, the problem has mainly appeared in ski areas, where the density of the very latest iPhones is particularly high. There are also initial reports from Japan. Car Accident Detection uses multiple iPhone sensors to detect accidents. Abrupt stops after fast descents seem to be the trigger here. Roller coaster rides can also trigger such iPhone emergency calls.
(lbe)
