iPhone 14 Crash Detection feature set off by roller coasters

The new iPhones and Apple Watches come with a new feature that no one wants to ever have to use.

If your device senses that you've been in a traffic accident, it will alert first responders. A new dual-core accelerometer is used to sense a sudden and extreme change in speed that suggests an accident has taken place.

It looks like some less dangerous things are also using Crash Detection. It's like roller coasters.

Crash Detection is being set off by roller coasters, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A woman who went on a roller coaster at Kings Island amusement park in Ohio told the WSJ that her phone called the police when she got off the roller coaster.

An automated voice call to first responders said that the owner of the phone was in a car wreck and was not responding to their phone, and then gave the woman's location. Emergency services went to the park, but found nothing wrong.

Six recordings relating to false alarms linked to Apple's Crash Detection feature were sent to the WSJ by the Warren County Communications Center.

The Dollywood theme park in Tennessee had a sign that asked people not to use their cell phones on its roller coasters. The notice suggested that the Apple device could waste the time of first responders by placing an unnecessary emergency call due to the dynamic movement of the ride.

Coaster101 said it got a lot of replies from people who claimed the same thing had happened to them on a roller coaster. A post on the same website had over 180 responses.

If Crash Detection kicks in on an Apple Watch, the owner has 10 seconds to dismiss the alert if it is not an emergency situation. If the phone is in a pocket or bag, the owner won't know about the alert, leading to an unnecessary call.

The tech giant's Crash Detection feature is extremely accurate in detecting severe crashes and will improve over time, according to a spokesman. We think that means it will roll out an update to try to prevent false alarms.

The crash detection feature can be temporarily disabled by turning on airplane mode.

The feature can be turned off completely by selecting the option in the settings. The same steps can be taken on an apple watch.

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