iPhone 14's Car Crash Detection Still Triggering False 911 Calls, Forcing Dispatchers to Reallocate Resources Away From Real Emergencies

Despite optimizations made in an iOS 16 update in November, the iPhone 14's Car Crash Detection feature continues to accidentally call 911 when a user may be on a rollercoaster, skiing, or doing other physical activities the device misunderstands as a car crash.

iPhone 14 Car Crash Detection
The iPhone 14's Car Crash Detection feature uses an array of sensors on the device to call emergency services if it thinks a user has been involved in a car crash. Since the feature launched with the new iPhones and Apple Watch models in September, 911 and emergency dispatchers across the United States have noted an influx of calls from iPhone 14 devices that accidentally triggered Car Crash Detection, even though no car crash has occurred.

Amid reports of false calls, Apple released iOS 16.1.2 in November, which it said made "Crash Detection optimizations," without specifying what the changes were any further. Despite the update's optimizations, the issue continues to be a problem faced by law enforcement. As reported this week by local news outlet The Colorado Sun, 911 dispatch centers in counties across the state have been witnessing an increase in 911 calls from skiers after their iPhone 14 and newer Apple Watch models misinterpreted ski falls as car crashes.

Last weekend the dispatchers at the Summit County 911 Center fielded 71 automated crash notifications from skiers' iPhones and Apple watches at the county's four ski areas. None of them involved an emergency.

Dispatch operators in Grand, Eagle, Pitkin, Routt and Summit counties — home to 12 very busy ski hills — are fielding record numbers of the automated calls from skiers' Apple phones and watches, tying up emergency response resources. When a 911 call comes in, each call is handled in the order it arrives, so an automated call from a skier's phone could delay response to a 911 caller with a real emergency.

911 dispatchers are not trained to ignore a call, meaning even accidental calls caused by the iPhone 14's feature have to be dealt with and resources allocated towards, said Trina Dummer, the interim director of the 911 center in Summit County. "These calls involve a tremendous amount of resources, from dispatchers to deputies to ski patrollers. And I don't think we've ever had an actual emergency event," Dummer continued.

The accidental calls are putting a strain on emergency centers which have to reallocate resources away from genuine emergencies, especially since 911 calls are taken in order and after each other. "We are absolutely diverting essential resources away from people who need it toward a feature on a phone," Dummer noted. In Pitkin County, the 911 center is receiving up to 20 of these accidental calls caused by the iPhone 14's Car Crash Detection feature a day, according to the county's director.

The Pitkin County 911 Center gets about 15 to 20 of these automated calls a day from the county's four ski areas. Dispatchers try to return every call, but oftentimes a call to a skier with their phone deep in their pockets goes unanswered, said Brett Loeb, the director of the Pitkin County 911 Center.

Loeb usually has one or two operators taking 911 calls and existing emergency calls can be put on hold to field incoming calls from iPhones. While his team has helped fallen hikers and residents whose watches have notified emergency services when they have fallen and need help, so far there have not been any real emergencies from the automated calls coming from the ski slopes.

In one instance at the Vail Police Department in Vail, Colorado, the iPhone 14's Car Crash Detection successfully called 911 for a real car crash, noted Marc Wentworth, the director of the Vail Public Safety Communications Center, highlighting the feature does have potential to save lives.

In Summit County, the iOS 16.1.2 update did little, if nothing, to address the issue, according to the county's director. "But we have not seen our numbers change. We are seeing as many as 20 a day, and it's a tremendous drain on our resources," said County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons.

FitzSimons notes he has shared his concerns with Apple with reported responses that the company is aware of the issue, still though, FitzSimons says more is needed. We are communicating with Apple to get them to pay more attention to this, but it feels like we are trying to turn a battleship in a bathtub."

Car Crash Detection is available on all iPhone 14 models and the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra, and second-generation Apple Watch SE.

Related Forums: Apple Watch, iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Redesigned Dynamic Island

Monday July 7, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, according to a post today from Digital Chat Station, an account with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has accurately leaked some information regarding future Apple products in the past. The account did not share any specific details about the alleged changes that are ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Prime Day Deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and More

Monday July 7, 2025 10:55 am PDT by
Amazon is back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront. With the event now underway, we're tracking numerous all-time low prices on Apple gear right now. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a...

Top Rated Comments

doboy Avatar
33 months ago
Half baked like all recent Apple software
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
33 months ago
This is going to result in regulation, I'm willing to bet big money on that.

Apple better get this **** under control. A good start would be to only do the 911 calling if the phone is paired to a car's bluetooth.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
julesme Avatar
33 months ago
This should be an easy fix: Integrate with Apple Maps and disable crash detection when GPS shows that you’re on a ski slope or at an amusement park.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
33 months ago

This should be easy fix: Integrate with Apple Maps and disable crash detection when GPS shows that you’re on a ski slope or at an amusement park.
But what happens if there is an actual crash during a ski slope or if you get flipped upside down from a roller coaster ?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
throwaway572937 Avatar
33 months ago
much like with cars in general, I’m really not a fan of “here let’s do this automatically without your consent or control”

I turned this feature off on my new iPhone.

I’ll give you a more mundane less urgent example that is still irritating.

Auto rain sensing wipers.


Sounds like a great idea. Problem is, wiper blades/inserts never last as long as they’re supposed to — even “OEM” blades are stuttering maddeningly in 3 months.

So winter rolls around and you’re trying to clear off dust/grime etc from the glass — and the auto wipers won’t notice that. Or it’s been raining lately but you can’t rely on the auto wipers because the stuttering will drive you nuts. So you have to turn auto mode off and manually just do one, heavily lubricated swipe and turn it off, and manually do another swipe when you need it.

Having auto features is convenient, but I think the gradual shift away from any controls is a miss.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
33 months ago

Are other products like the Pixel phones having the same issue or just Apple's products?
Nobody uses Pixel phones, so its very likely this issue isn't even reported.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)