If you’re ever in a situation where you can’t dial 911 yourself, your iPhone may be able to do it for you. According to a recent study by the National Emergency Number Association, more than half of iPhone owners have used their devices to call emergency services. The study found that people are most likely to use their iPhones to call 911 if they’re in danger or if they can’t get through to emergency services on their own. In some cases, people have even used iPhones to help them escape dangerous situations. If you ever need to call 911 on your iPhone, make sure that you know how to do it. You can find instructions on the Apple website or in the user guide for your device. ..
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple would use the accelerometer sensors in iPhones and Apple Watches to sense that a car accident has occurred and alert 911.
According to documents viewed by WSJ, Apple has been working on the feature for several years, so it definitely wouldn’t be something the company is just throwing together. Obviously, the feature needs to be done correctly, because the last thing Apple would want is to be responsible for a bunch of false 911 calls.
In testing, Apple has detected more than 10 million suspected crashes, with more than 50,000 of those accompanied by a call to 911. As a car crash is usually accompanied by a call to 911, Apple can use the suspected crashes compared to 911 calls to help make its crash detection feature more accurate.
This certainly wouldn’t be the first time smartphones have been used to automatically report accidents, with Google introducing it on Pixel 3 devices and OnStar having it for some time. However, it’ll be more widely available if it comes to iPhone and Apple Watch just based on the install base.
Apple has also dabbled with a similar idea with fall detection on Apple Watch, so it’s not outside of the company’s comfort zone. However, this is all based on leaked documents, so there’s no guarantee the feature becomes a reality.
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