iPhone 14s can’t tell the difference between a roller coaster and a car crash, and it’s driving emergency services crazy

One of the main features of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro is giving emergency services a headache. As noted Wall Street Magazinedetecting accidents related to new models – as well as new Apple Watches – unexpectedly activated on a roller coasterand have already caused occasional unnecessary emergency visits to the amusement park.

Available for the entire iPhone 14 lineup, as well as Apple Watch Series 8, SE from 2022, and Apple Watch Ultra, crash detection uses various device internals such as accelerometer, gyroscope, built-in barometer. and a microphone to detect an impact and activate a mode that allows you to automatically call emergency services.

The feature is, of course, designed for car accidents, but the internal components do not seem to be able to distinguish between collisions with sudden changes in speed, braking and shaking that can be felt on a roller coaster.

For example, one iPhone 14 Pro user hid his device in a fanny pack and went to Kings Island. As she made her way downstairs, she realized her voicemail was flooded with 911 calls, asking if she was all right. The detection worked while riding the attraction. Keeping it in his fanny pack, he couldn’t manually confirm that everything was fine, so the iPhone automatically called 911.

The crash detection of the iPhone 14 Pro has been activated many times while riding a roller coaster.

Instead, the emergency services received a rewritten default version from the iPhone, which read as follows. “The owner of this iPhone was in a car accident and is not answering calls”, and then the exact location. After failing to contact her by phone, the 911 team headed to the amusement park and realized there was no real emergency. The iPhone owner also called the emergency room to confirm that she was fine.

However, the case of an iPhone 14 Pro user is just one of several that have occurred in recent weeks at various amusement parks in the United States. Actually, WSJ can confirm “six iPhone calls to detect accidents from people traveling around Kings Island”. Also similar warnings on the Joker roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Chicago.

It’s not clear if Apple can disable these types of roller coaster detection without affecting the actual collision. However, users can completely disable this feature in the device settings. Or, alternatively, put your iPhone into airplane mode while riding a roller coaster.