Apple iPhone 14 Thinks It’s In A Car Accident During Rollercoaster Rides
Apple’s Crash Detection, which wires its smartphones to automatically reach out to emergency services for help if it detects its user is unresponsive after an accident, is undoubtedly a much-needed feature that will save many lives.
There is just one small problem, however, that’s causing the feature to be accidentally triggered to alert the authorities when users are on rollercoaster rides instead of being involved in actual car crashes.
According to the Wall Street Journal, several iPhone 14 users faced such an issue at theme parks across the United States. Emergency services were called to the scene only to find out visitors were just enjoying themselves on a ride.
It’s possible the safety feature was triggered by the sudden movements of the rollercoasters, which the smartphone may interpret as similar to an automotive accident.
Naturally, emergency dispatchers aren’t too happy about the influx of false alarms, with Futurism reporting that directors were calling it a “wear and tear” on the service.
Plus, with users only given 10 seconds to switch off an alarm once it’s been activated, it’s unlikely they’d even notice what was happening while up in the air.
An Apple spokesperson told MacRumors that the company had tested the feature with over a million hours of real-world data, with several tests proving it works.
Considering all the positives of Crash Detection, will these false alarms be a side effect dispatchers have to live with? Perhaps, considering there’s probably no such thing as perfect technology.
