The iPhone 14's Car Crash Detection feature still inadvertently dials 911 despite improvements provided in an iOS 16 upgrade in November.
The feature is activated when a user engages in physical activity that the device interprets as a car crash, such as riding a roller coaster, skiing, or other similar activities.
False 911 Alerts From The Feature Relocates Resources From Real Crashes
According to Mac Rumors, If the iPhone 14 detects that a user has been engaged in an automobile crash, it will call emergency services using a variety of sensors on the device.
911 and emergency dispatchers around the US have noticed an increase in calls from iPhone 14 devices since the functionality appeared with the new iPhones and Apple Watch models in September.
As per reports, even though there hasn't been an automobile crash, these callers unintentionally activated Car Crash Detection.
With that, Apple published iOS 16.1.2 in November amid allegations of erroneous calls, claiming it made "Crash Detection improvements" without going into additional detail.
However, despite the update's optimizations, law enforcement is still having trouble with the issue, Mac Rumors details.
Read More: Apple's Crash Detection Reports Roller Coaster Rides as Accidents
911 Dispatch Receives More Calls From Skiers As Of Recent
The Colorado Sun, a local news source, reported this week that there had been an uptick in the number of skiers calling 911 in counties all around the state.
This is due to the fact that their iPhone 14 and more recent Apple Watch models mistook ski falls for vehicle wrecks.
If the skier didn't return a call, a special operations deputy got in touch with ski patrol members to find out where the automated call had come from.
Trina Dummer, the interim director of the 911 center in Summit County, explained that since 911 dispatchers are not trained to ignore a call, even unintentional calls brought on by the iPhone 14 must be handled and resources allotted for them.
"These calls involve a tremendous amount of resources, from dispatchers to deputies to ski patrollers. And I don't think we've ever had an actual emergency event," Dummer adds.
Mac Rumors writes that since 911 calls are answered sequentially and one after the other, the inadvertent calls are taxing emergency centers, forcing them to divert resources from actual crises.
According to Apple Insider, all of December's automatic 911 calls have thus far been caused by skiing or snowboarding mishaps rather than auto accidents, which still aids those who are hurt.
Not just Colorado's emergency dispatchers, but Utah's dispatchers as well, were receiving three to five Apple crash notifications daily as of early December.
They do, however, urge skiers to leave the feature on because they affirm that it is a useful tool and not a bother.
The British Columbia search and rescue personnel complained to Apple on December 14 about numerous false alarms as well.
It can be remembered that With the release of the iPhone 14 series and the new Apple Watch models, such as the Apple Watch Series 8, the Apple Watch SE 2022, and the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple also debuted Crash Detection.
It has both failed and succeeded, and Apple will need to keep making improvements to it, Apple Insider reports.
Related Article: Apple Shares Video on How Crash Detection Works in iPhones, Apple Watches
