Apple iPhone crash detection feature prompts accidental 911 calls at US festival: What happened next…

According to a report by the New York Post, Apple’s crash detection feature caused chaos at the Bonnaroo music and art festival. The four-day event started on June 15.

On the first day of the event, multiple 911 (emergency services number) calls were received by the Manchester Police. These calls later turned out to be accidental. As per Manchester police, the calls were caused by a malfunction with iPhone’s feature.

“Bonnaroo Guests: MPD (Manchester police department) has responded to multiple accidental 911 calls at Bonnaroo. It’s likely that these calls are a result of ‘Crash Detection Mode’, a new feature on Apple iPhones. Please be mindful and consider deactivating this feature on your phone until Bonnaroo concludes,” Manchester Police tweeted.

The festival’s organisers then came into action and demonstrated how to disable “Crash Detection Mode” in the iPhone settings. They also used Twitter to spread the word, saying, “Let’s work as a team to resolve this! “You can take action by going Settings>Emergency SOS and deactivating the ‘crash’ feature.” 

What is Apple iPhone’s crash detection feature and how it works? 

According to a Apple support page, crash detection is designed to detect severe car crashes—such as front-impact, side-impact, and rear-end collisions, and rollovers—involving sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger cars. When a severe car crash is detected, your iPhone or Apple Watch sounds an alarm and displays an alert. It then automatically calls emergency services if not cancelled within 20 seconds.

How to turn off crash detection on iPhones?

It is simple to turn off the crash detection feature on Apple iPhones. To do so, go to the Settings app on your iPhone. Here, tap on Emergency SOS. Now, simply turn off Call After Severe Crash.

Readers must note that the crash detection feature is also available on Apple Watch. To turn off the feature from the Apple Watch, open the Apple Watch app. In the My Watch tab, tap Emergency SOS and turn off Call After Severe Crash.

Updated: 20 Jun 2023, 07:19 PM IST