The iPhone 14’s new Crash Detection characteristic, which is meant to alert authorities when it detects you’ve been in a automotive accident, has an surprising aspect impact: it dials 911 on rollercoasters. In keeping with a report from The Wall Street Journal, the characteristic has had regulation enforcement despatched to amusement parks on quite a few events after mistaking a thrill trip’s twists, turns, and onerous braking for an actual emergency.
Apple rolled out Crash Detection with its new iPhone 14, Watch Series 8, SE, and Ultra final month, equipping the gadgets with a gyroscopic sensor and high-g accelerometer educated on the impression skilled with simulated car crashes. If the sensors detect that you just’ve been in an accident, your iPhone will show an alert and name emergency providers should you don’t dismiss it inside 20 seconds.
When it calls regulation enforcement, it would play an audio message that alerts authorities you’ve been in a crash, and in addition offers them together with your location. (An Apple Watch with Crash Detection can solely notify authorities when you’ve got your iPhone with you, or if it’s linked to a cell community or Wi-Fi.)
Nicely, that’s precisely what a number of customers’ Apple gadgets did, however on the mistaken time. In a tweet, WSJ reporter Joanna Stern shares an instance of one of many 911 calls positioned whereas an iPhone 14’s proprietor was strapped to a rollercoaster at Cincinnati’s Kings Island amusement park. Because the automated message performs, you’ll be able to hear muffled screams within the background because the rollercoaster runs its course.
Stern says Warren County, the place Kings Island is positioned, acquired six emergency calls triggered by park rides because the iPhone 14’s launch. She additionally factors out that different customers have skilled comparable points in amusement parks throughout the nation.
Bringing smartphones on rides isn’t actually a wise concept to start with, however the threat of false 911 calls may be all of the extra purpose to depart the iPhone 14 (and different gadgets) behind earlier than getting in that bumper automotive. In any other case, you’ll be able to choose to place your telephone on airplane mode or simply disable the feature altogether.
Replace October ninth, 2:17PM ET: Up to date to acknowledge a few workarounds that might forestall Crash Detection from going off on rollercoasters.
