Browse
Log in / Register
Share
Watertown, NY – An iPhone safety feature designed to automatically call 911 after a crash is creating a growing headache for first responders in Jefferson County. New data from the county’s 911 dispatch center reveals that over the past two months, only 8 of 43 crash alerts were actual emergencies — meaning nearly 80% were false alarms.
Bob Simpson, assistant chief at the Adams Fire Department, said the problem often begins with simple mishandling. “When someone drops their iPhone, or even just slams a car door with the phone on the roof, the crash detection algorithm kicks in and dials 911,” he explained. The call connects, but often no one is on the line because the owner has walked away or is unaware the sensors were triggered.
Penny Luiz, Jefferson County’s 911 program manager, said the false notifications place a real burden on emergency resources. “Every time we dispatch a crew to a non-emergency, we’re pulling them away from real calls. In winter, sending fire trucks and ambulances onto icy roads when there’s no crash is dangerous for everyone involved,” Luiz said.
Simpson noted one particularly common scenario: people leave their iPhone on the roof of their car, close the door, and drive off. When the phone falls off and hits the pavement, the motion sensors interpret the impact as a crash and automatically dial 911. Since the phone is now lying in the road with no one nearby, dispatchers hear nothing — but must still send help.
Recreational activities also trigger the system. Luiz said several alerts originated from jet skis, where the device bounces violently across choppy water. “I assume snowmobiles would cause the same problem,” she added. “The phone is jostling so much it thinks it’s in a car wreck.”
Despite the high false-positive rate, Simpson emphasized that crash detection has saved lives. “People have been in serious crashes where they were unable to reach their phone, and the automatic call got them help in minutes. It’s a great feature — it just needs better tuning,” he said.
Apple introduced crash detection with the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch in 2022. The system uses a combination of accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and microphone data to detect the specific forces of a car crash. When a crash is detected, the device sounds an alarm and calls emergency services unless the user cancels within a predetermined time.
According to Jefferson County dispatch records, false alerts tend to rise during the winter months due to increased phone slips on icy walkways and rough rides on snowmobiles. Local officials are urging Apple to improve algorithm sensitivity to distinguish between a genuine collision and a phone being dropped or bumped.
When contacted for this story, Apple declined to comment on the Jefferson County data. However, the company has previously stated that it continuously refines crash detection based on real-world feedback. In a software update released earlier this year, Apple reduced the sensitivity of the feature in some scenarios, but the county’s latest numbers suggest the problem persists.
Users can turn off automatic emergency alerts entirely by going to Settings > Emergency SOS > Call After Severe Crash and toggling it off. But Simpson recommends against disabling the feature altogether. “Instead, be aware of where your phone is. Don’t leave it loose in a car or on the roof. If you hear the countdown siren before an alert goes out, tap ‘Cancel’ immediately,” he said.
Luiz also suggests that if an accidental call does go through and you realize it, stay on the line and tell the dispatcher it was a mistake. “Hanging up makes us think something’s wrong, and we have to investigate. Just explain it was a false alarm — it saves us time and keeps responders available for real emergencies,” she said.
Jefferson County is not alone. Emergency centers across the U.S. have reported similar surges in false iPhone crash alerts. In 2023, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) released guidelines for handling automated alerts, but the issue remains unresolved at the device level.
Simpson hopes Apple will release a dedicated “test mode” that allows users to trigger crash detection in a controlled way, helping to avoid accidental calls. “If people could practice with the feature and understand how it works, we’d see fewer false alarms,” he suggested.
For now, Jefferson County first responders continue to respond to every alert — real or not. “We can’t ignore a possible crash. But it’s frustrating when we roll up to an empty street and find a cracked iPhone screen instead of a wrecked car,” Simpson said.
As winter deepens, both dispatchers and firefighters are bracing for more phantom calls. “We hope Apple listens and updates the system soon,” Luiz added. “Until then, we’ll keep responding — and hoping for fewer false alarms.”
