iPhone 14’s new Collision Detection feature, which is supposed to alert authorities when it detects you’ve been in a car accident, has turned out to have an unexpected problem: it can call the authorities even while you’re having fun on a roller coaster.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the feature has led law enforcement to amusement parks multiple times after considering bends, turns and sudden braking as a real emergency in a thrilling roller coaster ride.
Along with the new iPhone 14, Watch Series 8, SE, and Ultra last month, Apple introduced Crash Detection, which equips devices with a gyroscopic sensor and high-g accelerometer trained on impacts in simulated car crashes. If the sensors detect that you’ve been in an accident, your iPhone displays an alert and calls emergency services if you don’t turn it off within 20 seconds.
https://twitter.com/JoannaStern/status/1579106766704369667
When law enforcement calls, a voicemail is sent alerting the authorities that you have been in an accident and also notifying them of your location. That’s exactly what many users’ Apple devices do, but at the wrong time. In the tweet, which you can see right above, WSJ reporter Joanna Stern shares an example of one of the 911 calls made while the owner of an iPhone 14 was strapped to a roller coaster at Cincinnati’s Kings Island amusement park. While the automatic message is playing, you can hear the muffled cries of the occupants in the background.
Last month, Stern put Apple’s Collision Detection feature to the test in an experiment he conducted himself. After all, he said that the feature is not completely reliable. While Crash Detection was able to detect and alert authorities to a recent fatal accident in Nebraska, this feature clearly has its flaws.
Warren County, where Kings Island is located, has received six emergency calls triggered by park trips since the iPhone 14’s launch, Stern said. It also points out that other users are experiencing similar issues at amusement parks across the country.
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