Apple's new Crash Detection feature was designed to help users get help in the event of an accident. Reports, however, reveal that it might not work as intended when riding a roller coaster in theme parks.
Reports from the Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern and Coaster101 indicate that the new safety feature introduced in iOS 16 in the iPhone 14 series or the latest Apple Watch can be triggered when riding a roller coaster.
Crash Detection had been triggered at least six times when users rode the roller coaster in Kings Island and Dollywood theme parks. The feature called 911 in different times in response to each trigger.
Dollywood, in response to the said Crash Detection triggers that lead to 911 calls, put up warning signs telling customers to avoid bringing their Apple devices when riding the said attraction. Those who are unable to leave their devices in a safe location before riding are told to enable airplane mode so that the feature won't make wrong calls.
What Triggers the Feature?
Some who tested the Crash Detection feature found that it is not triggered all the time. A certain YouTuber, for example, placed an iPhone 14 inside a remotely-driven sedan and tried to ram it against other vehicles in an open field.
At first, the YouTuber, TechRax, successfully hit a vehicle but the sedan did not stop. The force of the collision wasn't strong enough, and the Crash Detection feature did not trigger.
Eventually, TechRax successfully rammed the remotely-driven sedan into a group of stationary vehicles. He succeeded in doing this several times, and Crash Detection was triggered at each incident. The feature, however, took about ten seconds before activating.
9To5Mac noted that roller coasters might have the "critical attributes" necessary to activate the algorithm that triggers Crash Detection. These attributes include force measurements, pressure changes, GPS/speed changes, and loud noises.
Crash Detection might need to monitor the speed at which the device moves, then calculate the changes in speed and pressure after a crash before it is activated. It's interesting to see how the feature gets triggered in a roller coaster ride, however.
Working On Improvements
Apple, via a spokesperson, told the WSJ's Stern that the safety feature Is "extremely accurate in detecting severe crashes," and added that they "optimized it for getting users help while minimizing false positives."
It's worth noting, however, that the feature had been triggered more than once for roller coasters.
The Cupertino tech giant said it is working on improvements so that Crash Detection won't be falsely activated over time.
