Bea Beltran Tech 02.13.2023 23:Feb PM EST

Apple is Improving the Crash Detection Feature on iPhones Again

The Crash Detection feature developed by Apple is meant to assist its users who have been in an accident, automatically calling emergency responders and sending them the location of the user. However, the feature seems to be doing more harm than good, and Apple is fixing it.

Crash Detection Update

Apple has optimized the crash detection feature for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro in its release of iOS 16.3.1. There was also an update in its iOS 16.1.2 release back in November, although Apple did not specify what kind of changes were made.

This means that there's no way to know for sure if the updates actually fixed the issues that came with the feature, specifically with snowboarding activities that trigger it, resulting in emergency responders wasting effort and resources for a false positive.

An Apple spokesperson has gotten feedback from 911 call centers but according to The Verge, they wouldn't answer questions about Apple's plan to update the system. The crash detection feature can be quite helpful, but Apple will have to iron out the kinks first.

Crash Detection Incidents

The Crash Detection feature has so far been just a headache for emergency responders. They would arrive at the scene to find that the user is fine and the feature was triggered by accident. Not only is it a waste of resources, but it can pull efforts away from actual accidents.

Round three to five emergency calls are prompted by the feature in a day, and none were activated on purpose, according to 9To5Mac. Once responders arrive, the user would just say that they were doing certain activities that triggered it and that they were fine.

Summit County Dispatch Center supervisor Suzie Butterfield said that she didn't mind, however. Despite the accidental calls, the feature could actually help someone in an actual emergency situation, and it has saved someone before.

A Reddit user confirmed that skiing could trigger the feature. He explained how the Crash Detection in his Apple Watched called emergency services as he was going down a hill. He advised that users should turn the feature off first if people ski at any kind of pace.

Saved by the Feature

It's not all bad with the faulty feature. After all, it has already saved lives. Back in December 2022, a car crash occurred in a canyon on the Angeles Forest Highway in California. The area had no signal but an iPhone 14 triggered an Emergency SOS through satellite.

The Crash Detection message eventually got to the LA County Sheriff's department, and the victims were rescued through a helicopter. The victims were then brought to a hospital to have their injuries treated.

According to HT Tech, the Montrose Search and rescue team confirmed that the Emergency SOS via satellite feature was used to call for help. Apple's call center provided the rescue team with precise longitude and latitude coordinates to locate the user.