iPhone 14's Crash Detection Mistaking Roller Coaster Rides for Car Crashes

The iPhone 14's Crash Detection feature is accidentally being triggered and therefore calling emergency services when users are riding a roller coaster rather than being involved in a real automotive accident.

iPhone 14 Car Crash Detection
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, several users of the new ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro at amusement parks across the United States have reported emergency services and contacts being alerted that they've been involved in a car crash as they've ridden roller coasters. The accidental trigger of Apple's latest safety features is likely caused by the sudden braking and movement of roller coasters, triggering the ‌iPhone‌'s sensors to misinterpret the movement as a car crash.

The Wall Street Journal reports at least six incidents of emergency services being called for false alarms. In response to the false alarms, an Apple spokesperson said Apple tested the feature with over a million hours of car crash data and real-world driving analysis. Several tests have already been done to test the accuracy of the ‌iPhone‌ 14's Crash Detection, with varying results.

In response to a test done by The Wall Street Journal in a junkyard where the ‌iPhone‌ failed to notice some car crashes, Apple said the testing condition did not provide the ‌iPhone‌ with enough factors to trigger an alert. Apple said the iPhones were not connected to Bluetooth or CarPlay and may not have traveled enough distance before impact for the device to register the crash. Crash Detection is available on the ‌iPhone‌ 14, ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro, Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra.

Related Forums: Apple Watch, iPhone

Popular Stories

m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Apple Expected to Launch These 10+ Products Over the Coming Months

Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more. Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...

Top Rated Comments

44 months ago

I am 100% sure theme parks would not allow guests to bring their phones onto the rollercoasters.
Wut? It will just be in the pockets of those on the rollercoaster.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44 months ago
and those youtubers destroyed cars when they could have been doing this instead !
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44 months ago
What world we are living in - living at the mercy of our phones.
If this is a problem that is worth making a big deal out of.... Jesus!

There is a mental recession going around this planet, not just financial.

Turn the darn car crash detection before jumping into such rides and go about your life.
Humanity has reached the peak of boredom and makes drama about the most irrelevant things.

What's next? Without devices we won't go out of the house soon? ???
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
44 months ago

Who takes their iPhone on a roller coaster in the first place?
I'd imagine close on 100% of iPhone owners who go on rollercoasters?
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44 months ago

Who takes their iPhone on a roller coaster in the first place?
The same people that take them to the beach, on the water, up a mountain.....
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
44 months ago

I am 100% sure theme parks would not allow guests to bring their phones onto the rollercoasters.
I can't even begin to count the number of theme parks I've been to in the US, Europe and Middle East, yet I've never been to a park or even one single ride where mobile phones were not allowed.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)