iOS 16.4 Further Optimizes iPhone 14's Crash Detection After False 911 Calls

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Wild guess is that they just don't notice crash detection went off and is about to call first responders - which makes sense if the phone is buried deep in your coat pockets as you're skiing (watch users may have a different pattern, but heavy skiing mitts likely don't help here hearing/noticing the crash alert and timer).

You don’t even have to wear mitts or gloves to make AW practically inaudible.

Any sleeve of a thick sweater or jacket is enough to muffle it to a point where you’re only going to hear it if there’s no background noise.

Obviously also depends on volume levels. But still it’s not loud enough.

This gets even worse when considering that AW is emitting sound from only one speaker. This speaker is, when worn on your left wrist, located on the left side and thus emitting audio in the direction of your upper arm, not out of your sleeve towards your hand.

The Ultra has an additional speaker with the Siren feature. But those are also both located on the left side of the Watch like on regular AW.

Apple is not going to fix this through having users hear their AWs and disabling the emergency calls with their icy cold fingers on a touch screen display.

The algorithm has to get better at discerning an actual accident or Crash Detection is doomed to end in a class action lawsuit.

This isn’t just a nuisance for users but a huge cost for dispatchers.

 

[crsh1976]

Either we're going to have to rely on Siri or Apple's AI.

Oh goody, I feel so safe already.

 

[beermode]

dudebro ain't wearing a helmet.

 

[Rcolgan3]

All jokes aside from the bizarre choice in stock images for this article…
I was in a crash on Saturday night and both my Apple Watch and iPhone 14 Pro worked in unison to help me get ahold of emergency services. I was able to get out of the car and everything on my own, so I’m glad I had these things to remind me to call 911.
Glad to see they are improving it.

 

[acorntoy]

Why can't those skiers snowerboards disable the call? Are they down for more than 20 seconds? Is the sound too low?

Maybe Apple should test these things for longer before releasing them to the public. They are wasting the time of the emergency services!

edit: lmao at "false 911 calls should decrease regardless as the skiing season draws to a close." jeez the quality of this place is going downhill (no pun intended)

When your skiing snowboarding your phone is often tucked in many layers of clothing. Most probably don't even realize the alarm was activated.

 

[PsykX]

Rumor is, you have to verify that you are not involved in wintr sports:

View attachment 2177262

I think we have to solve a Sudoku first in order to proceed for the call

 

[compwiz1202]

I think we have to solve a Sudoku first in order to proceed for the call

Or the puzzle where you have to slide the 15 numbers around and get them in order.

 

[ghostface147]

Hey siri, I’m going skiing. Please turn off crash detection.

Ok, I’ll re-enable it in 45 minutes.

 

[I7guy]

What about next winter? Or will Apple have fixed the problem by then?

Sonny Bono would have been happy to have crash detection. (RIP)

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

Is there data that shows this feature is actually helpful? Seems like it only makes the news after too many false alarm calls. Hell I've accidentally called 911 on my damn Apple Watch.

 

[macfacts]

Free beta testers, tim couldn't pass this freebie up, this should have been an opt in feature.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Is there data that shows this feature is actually helpful? Seems like it only makes the news after too many false alarm calls. Hell I've accidentally called 911 on my damn Apple Watch.

I've seen positive stories about it but like with everything there will always be more negative stories/reviews shared than positive ones.

 

[Robert.Walter]

They could just have the auto dial to emergency services disabled when near a ski resort. Don’t know if they tried that already

Or a different implementation within that geofence.

 

[BobSc]

Free beta testers, tim couldn't pass this freebie up, this should have been an opt in feature.

Suggestion. Get the macfacts first before bashing Mr. Cook and Apple. You can turn off the "call after crash" in the settings.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Suggestion. Get the macfacts first before bashing Mr. Cook and Apple. You can turn off the "call after crash" in the settings.

That's why they said it should have been "opt-in". Your suggestion is an "opt out".

 

[roguedaemon]

Winter is other parts of the world too.

Oh haven’t you heard ? America is the world!

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Why can't those skiers snowerboards disable the call? Are they down for more than 20 seconds? Is the sound too low?

Maybe Apple should test these things for longer before releasing them to the public. They are wasting the time of the emergency services!

edit: lmao at "false 911 calls should decrease regardless as the skiing season draws to a close." jeez the quality of this place is going downhill (no pun intended)

Hey there!

I think the quality of our writing has been more or less the same for many years, but I do acknowledge your feedback regarding this sentence.

I have updated the wording:

It's unclear if the latest optimizations will fully resolve the issue. The skiing season is drawing to a close in the U.S. and Canada, so we will have to wait until next winter in order to know if iOS 16.4 leads to a reduction in false 911 calls.

 

[NT1440]

Sonny Bono would have been happy to have crash detection. (RIP)

Ah man too soon.

Just kidding, you beat me to the joke.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

I think the quality of our writing has been more or less the same for many years,

Yeah and has been great. Keep up the good work!

 

[acorntoy]

Hey siri, I’m going skiing. Please turn off crash detection.

Ok, I’ll re-enable it in 45 minutes.

In a real scenario it would disable it for 4-8hrs, you don't spend an hour or more suiting up and driving to go down one run, this is a smart idea however. "Winter" mode or something similar. Apple really needs to analyze the difference between a car crash and a yard sale ski wipeout.

 

[Cyrax]

This is what happens when Apple has to come up with something, anything, to sell their new phone

 

[macfacts]

Suggestion. Get the macfacts first before bashing Mr. Cook and Apple. You can turn off the "call after crash" in the settings.

But it's on by default. Cause he is too cheap to pay to test it.

 

[svish]

Hopefully the feature improves over time.

 

[JamesHolden]

What countries use it so far though? But even in just the US and Canada, it can still snow year round some places so there will be snow sports.

We’ll be skiing into at least August in California this year, maybe right into next season.

 

[paradox00]

In a real scenario it would disable it for 4-8hrs, you don't spend an hour or more suiting up and driving to go down one run, this is a smart idea however. "Winter" mode or something similar. Apple really needs to analyze the difference between a car crash and a yard sale ski wipeout.

But yard sale ski wipeouts can result in injuries requiring rescue. In general, disabling a safety feature should be a last resort, not the first thing you try. Apple needs to make the feature smarter to detect when you've had a crash but have recovered from it. If they can't do that, they need to take the burden off 911 centres and screen the automated calls in person with their own emergency response centre.

Any subscription based satellite SOS service has something like that in place, or they pay an existing provider to take and route their emergency calls appropriately. Apple piggybacking on the existing cellular 911 service without sufficient oversight of their automated calls is the real issue at hand here.