Bad news again for the collision detection system of Apple. And it is that, despite the company’s efforts to ensure that its new function is only activated when there is a real problem, it seems that iPhones are sending false alarms to emergency systems because of winter sports.
In recent years, Apple has added new features to the iPhone and Apple Watch, such as fall detection and collision detection. When activated, these features are designed to automatically call emergency services if activated.
It is true that both functions have already saved some livesHowever, there have also been cases of false emergency calls (remember the incidents with roller coasters) that occur because the system fails. Now it’s happening all over with people who do winter activities like skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling.
The big problem with these false calls, now due to snow sports, is that, when they occur, operators are obliged to send services to the place, unless the person who made the call can quickly confirm that it is an error. In some cases, this involves sending a rescue squad, law enforcement, emergency personnel, etc.
However, in most cases, the user does not even realize that it has been activated. Apparently the problem has overwhelmed some departments so much that emergency services are asking residents to turn these features off.
The iPhone collision detection system once again tested: now it fails with snow sports
This function should not be confused with emergency messages via satellite, since the latter is designed for those Apple users who are left somewhere without coverage and need help and the collision detector is an accident detector for the iPhone 14, more designed for car crashes.
For collision detection to kick in, iPhone 14’s motion sensor with a high-dynamic-range gyroscope and high-gravity accelerometer, GPS, barometer, microphone, and advanced motion algorithms must work together to detect with precision a collision.
It should be noted that Crash Detection, as it is also called, is compatible with all iPhone 14 models, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra.
Sure, these Apple features are putting emergency services across the United States to the test, but the solution to the problem should not be to encourage citizens to disable them on their iPhones entirely. In particular, this advice if you do activities with snowmobiles or skis is especially negative.
