Apple Watch Users Warned by Police Over Accidental Calls
Police departments are complaining that they are getting an increasing number of accidental phone calls from Apple Watch users, according to local news outlet Fox Kansas City.
A spokesperson for Overland Park police explained that most of the accidental calls it receives seem to be coming from Apple Watch users, who unintentionally brush against the watch's screen or side buttons. Most of the time, those users are unaware that they have called the police until the call has been answered
"What happens is while people are moving around in their sleep or exercising, they'll get the Apple Watch into the emergency mode. Without knowing it, the watch will actually call 911," Overland Park Police Captain Jim Sutterby said.
On the Apple Watch, an emergency call can be placed when you press and hold down on the side button for several seconds in a row. When you set up your Apple Watch, Apple prompts you to turn it on, but if you chose not to, you can still enable it later on.
Police dispatchers are required to return calls that end with the caller hanging up or remaining silent, whereupon many callers claim that their Apple Watch triggered the call. Overland Park's 911 center receives around 250 calls per hour, but many end up distracting emergency dispatchers and draining resources meant for actual emergencies.
Sutterby advised Apple Watch users who accidentally call 911 to not hang up, and simply tell the dispatcher that the call was accidental. Industry sources speaking to Fox Kansas City urged Apple Watch users to use a protective case that makes the device's buttons harder to accidentally press and suggested that there is the option to turn off the SOS function.
Apple told Fox Kansas City that it was unfamiliar with the problem, but remarked that the Apple Watch's Emergency SOS function has been useful in life-threatening situations.
Top Stories
The Apple Watch Series 6, introduced by Apple in September of last year, has been discontinued following the launch of the new Apple Watch Series 7.
Following pre-orders of the Apple Watch Series 7 opening up earlier today, Apple has removed the Series 6 from its website, no longer offering it to purchase for customers. The Apple Watch Series 7 replaces the Series 6 and now leaves the Apple...
It's Friday, October 15 in New Zealand and Australia, which means it's Apple Watch Series 7 launch day. Customers in that part of the world are always the first to get their hands on new devices due to time zone differences.
Apple Watch Series 7 models are now beginning to arrive to customers who pre-ordered on Friday, October 8, and new Apple Watch owners are sharing photos on Instagram,...
Thursday September 30, 2021 10:30 am PDT by
Juli CloverApple today updated its list of vintage and obsolete products to add the 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch models to the vintage list, marking the first time that the Apple Watch has been included.
The first Apple Watch was introduced more than six years ago in April 2015, with the "Series 1" replacement and Series 2 upgrade following in 2016. Apple has continued on updating the Apple Watch each...
The Apple Watch Series 7 models lack a diagnostic port under the band, which means Apple has to use another means to troubleshoot and restore Apple Watches that come in for repair.
Apple Watch Series 7 models are equipped with a module that enables 60.5GHz wireless data transfer as we discovered in FCC documents in September, with that data transfer capability designed to be used with a...
Thursday October 7, 2021 8:19 am PDT by
Sami FathiPre-orders for the new Apple Watch Series 7 open in less than 24 hours. Despite that, Apple has still not shared basic information that customers would logically need ahead of pre-ordering any product, including information as fundamental as pricing.
The Apple Watch Series 7 has been shrouded in a cloud of mystery ever since its announcement at Apple's event last month. At its announcement,...
Thursday September 16, 2021 6:57 am PDT by
Sami FathiGoing into an Apple fall season, excitement typically revolves around the new iPhones. This year, however, the Apple Watch stole some of the iPhone's spotlight due to reports, leaks, and rumors suggesting it would be getting a significant redesign.
One of the biggest surprises during Apple's "California streaming" event was the new Apple Watch, not because of the features or design it...
The Apple Watch continues to be the most popular smart watch on the market, and in Q2 2021, Apple hit a new user base milestone, according to Counterpoint Research's Global Smartwatch Shipments Tracker.
There are now more than 100 million active Apple Watch users thanks to the device's design, health features, and related services. It's possible Apple hit this milestone even earlier than...
Next year's Apple Watch, which would be the Series 8, could come in three sizes, according to display analyst Ross Young. On Twitter, Young said that people should not be surprised "if there are three sizes next year."
Young did not provide details on what those three sizes might be, but he asked if users would like to see a "bigger display," so presumably the third size would be a larger...
Apple in just a few weeks is expected to release the Apple Watch Series 7 alongside new iPhone 13 models, and it's looking like this could be one of the most exciting design updates we've had to the Apple Watch in a few years.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We're not expecting new health features this year, and if there are new health sensors, Apple has kept them...
The Apple Watch Series 7 will ship in mid-October with pre-orders to begin "as early as next week," claims leaker Jon Prosser, citing sources "familiar with the release."
Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 7 at its September "California Streaming" event alongside the iPhone 13 models, but at the time, said the new Apple Watch would ship later in the fall.
There has been no official...
