IPhone Smartphone, Apple Watch Sending Out False Distress Signals

(RTTNews) - Tech giant Apple's iPhone 14 smartphone and Apple Watch are still sending false alarms from skiers because of the Crash Detection feature, which comes built into the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and new Apple Watch models, putting emergency resources on stress.

Apple devices of skiers in the US state had sent automated crash warnings to dispatchers at the Summit County 911 Center, reports AppleInsider. None of them was involved in an emergency, but they took time to handle and required ski patrollers to go to the location of the automated call if the skier did not answer a call from dispatchers.

"We are not in the practice of disregarding calls," said Trina Dummer, the interim director of the Summit County 911 Center. "These calls involve a tremendous amount of resources, from dispatchers to deputies to ski patrollers. And I don't think we've ever had an actual emergency event," Dummer added. Earlier this month, the Summit County dispatchers in the US state had seen an increase in accidental emergency calls from skiers because of the feature.

Emergency dispatchers near ski resorts saw an influx of Crash Detection alerts in the earlier months. In October, we learned that roller coasters were capable of setting off the new iPhones and Apple Watch Crash Detection feature. Now, it seems like skiing can, too. Summit County, Utah, dispatchers are getting between three to five Apple crash alerts per day, according to Summit County Dispatch Center supervisor Suzie Butterfield.

Most of the time, the skier doesn't even know that the alert went out.