Apple’s iPhone 14 Crash Detection Sends False Alarm To Family and Police

The new car crash detection on the Apple iPhone 14 and Watch Series 8 could be one of the most interesting addition to this suite of products. If, ptooi ptooi, you are ever in a situation in which you are unable to call for help following a crash, this feature could very well save your life.

When the sensors in the iPhone detect a crash, a 10-second countdown begins on the screen and if the user doesn’t respond at the end, it would alert emergency services and also inform the people on your emergency contact list. An ambitious Youtuber had tested this safety feature in real life by actually crashing a car and he found that it worked, albeit after a short delay.

Another user, Douglas Saunders, found out by accident that it worked too well when he was riding his motorcycle just a day after picking up the new iPhone 14 Pro Max. He was cruising at 60mph and hit a bump, causing the phone to fly of the handlebar. (The adhesive mount provided by the case manufacturer wasn’t great.)

Saunders didn’t try to retrieve the phone on the busy highway but rode on towards the nearest Apple store to get an entry-level iPhone as a stop gap phone while waiting for a replacement. While he was still at the store, a friend walked in and told Saunders that his entire family and girlfriend thought he had been in a horrible bike accident.

What Saunders didn’t realise up until then was that the iPhone 14 had called the police and texted all the numbers categorised under “family” in his contacts to inform them of his “crash”. It was a horrifying 45 minutes for his loved ones when he was uncontactable.

The rest of the long story short, Saunders called his family to tell them he was very much alive and safe, and he eventually recovered his phone, which screen had been smashed and was irreparable (because the Apple store didn’t have the part not the training to fix the iPhone 14 Pro Max yet). Saunders got a brand new replacement for a small fee.

Of course, the car crash detection feature is still a great idea and could be a life saver for those who actually are in crashes. Perhaps some fine-tuning in the next update required….