iPhone 14, new Apple Watch models triggering false crash alarms in snowy ski slopes

Apple advertised the crash detection feature on the entire iPhone 14 series as well as the Apple Watch range earlier in the year. Over the last few months, we have seen reports of the iPhone 14 saving people trapped in car crashes, mainly via its satellite SOS feature. However, the Crash Detection feature that is also present in these devices is now facing a major glitch. Based on a new report coming from the US, the Crash Detection feature is causing a lot of trouble for emergency response teams in the snowy ski slopes of US.

Based on a report from The Colorado Sun, a US Ski town in the US has observed 71 crash notifications. The Summit County 911 Center reported that dispatchers are facing automated calls of crash detection from skiers. When dealing with these calls, it was found that there was no emergency situation to deal with. Instead, the crash detection was getting activated abruptly when skiers stopped on the ski slopes suddenly. There was no case of an emergency that required medical attention

Faulty Crash Detection on iPhones, Apple Watch

The crash detection and fall detection are features basked into the iPhone 14 series, as well as the Apple Watch models launched in 2022. This includes the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple Watch SE 2, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra. When these devices detect a crash or fall via their sensors and algorithms, they automatically send an emergency call to 911. The call center calls back and if the call is not picked, emergency rescue teams are dispatched immediately.

However, these false alarms are costing a lot of resources to these emergency call centers. Trina Dummer from the Summit County 911 center says that the calls involve “a tremendous amount of resources, from dispatchers to deputies to ski patrollers.” These actually put those people at risk who are actually involved in a crash or are in an emergency situation in the same vicinity.

Apple, however, has acknowledged the bug and is already working to fix the issue. Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin says that Apple is aware of the issue between skiers and the crash detection feature and a fix should be on the way.