On one occasion, emergency services actually turned up at the amusement park because of the call
The ‘Crash Detection’ feature on the iPhone 14 can mistake a roller coaster ride for a severe car crash, causing the phone to ring 911.
There have been multiple incidents where an iPhone 14 has contacted emergency services during a roller coaster ride. This is because the device mistakes the sudden and unusual movements of the ride for a car crash.
When the feature is triggered, the phone conveys the message “The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash and is not responding to their phone.”
According to the The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern, the 911 dispatch center near Kings Island amusement park outside Cincinnati, US, has received at least six calls from iPhones because of the feature.
An example of this happening was recently shared by Stern on Twitter. In the background of the clip, you can hear people enjoying a roller coaster ride in the background.
Since the iPhone 14 went on sale, the 911 dispatch center near Kings Island amusement park has received at least six phones calls saying:
“The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash…”
Except, the owner was just on a roller coaster.
🆕 by me: https://t.co/hp1fHZBIf6 pic.twitter.com/i0lZPoWzGz
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) October 9, 2022
This call resulted in emergency services actually being sent to Kings Island, only to turn up and find out there was no emergency situation.
A number of calls have also been made on the Joker roller coaster at Six Flags Great America near Chicago.
Other sudden movements or impacts such as dropping the device can also potentially trigger Crash Detection.
The iPhone 14 is still very new, so there is the potential that Apple may be able to update the detection to differentiate a roller coaster from a car crash.
But instances like this may only get more common as more and more people purchase the phone.
To avoid this potentially happening to you, you can either put your iPhone 14 in Airplane Mode or disable Crash Detection before getting on the coaster by going to Settings -> Emergency SOS -> Call After Severe Crash toggle.
Related links:
- EU passes law forcing Apple to change iPhone charger
- Alton Towers: Terrifying moment thrillseekers are forced to climb down Oblivion Roller Coaster
- Steve Jobs’ daughter says new iPhone 14 is the same as older model
