iPhone 14s and Apple Watches are wreaking havoc at ski resorts
iPhone 14 and the new Apple Watch multiply false alerts for emergency services. Apparently, Apple’s accessories confuse going down a ski slope with a serious car accident. Faced with lifeguards inundated with automated calls, the Cupertino giant has committed to react.
The state of Colorado has emergency call centers Overwhelmed with 911 calls, equivalent to 15 phone numbers in France, because Apple. According to local media Colorado Sunthe brand’s latest products don’t stop sending rescue services to various ski resorts across the state.
Indicates crash detection
In the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch SE, Ultra and 8, Apple has integrated a system that can do the following. detect car accidents. Thanks to various sensors, the device detects hazards and possible falls. It then sends a notification to the screen to find out the health status of the user. If the latter does not respond within 20 seconds, emergency services are automatically contacted.
It should be noted that the latest iPhones were already noticed in October, a few weeks after their release. Apple technology has repeatedly confused a serious accident with a roller coaster ride. In response, the iPhone communicated its geographic location and contacted the nearest emergency services. Some amusement parks were occupied by emergency workers, and they agreed to come to the scene of the accident.
In this case, the iPhone or Apple Watch is confusing ski slope descent with a car accident. according to colorado sun, especially the sudden stops of skiers disrupt the correct operation of the option. A warning notice appears on the screen. Skiers too busy hurtling down the slopes don’t notice their iPhone or Apple Watch contacting emergency services.
During the weekend before Christmas, dispatchers received 71 robocalls from Apple’s state-of-the-art device. On average, emergency services record 15-20 iPhone calls per day. Each time rescuers are sent to the ski resort. In some cases, patrols depart on the skier’s slope based on the geographic location reported by phone.
Overzealousness of Apple accessories can lead to serious consequences. Emergency services overwhelmed by these false alarms risk missing real emergencies. As Trina Dummer, acting director of the call center, explained, it is impossible to ignore the warnings sent by the iPhone 14 and the new Apple Watches in order not to waste resources:
“We are not used to ignoring calls. These calls involve a huge amount of resources, from dispatchers to deputies to ski patrollers. […] Because of a feature on the phone, we’re diverting critical resources away from people who really need them.”
As the release notes, not all calls generated by iPhones are false alarms. This month, a pair of iPhone 14s called for help near Vail, a ski resort. Rescuers arrived at the scene and discovered a car accident. A few days ago, a young couple was found at the bottom of a creek outside of Los Angeles. Fortunately, the iPhone 14 identified the incident and alerted the nearest emergency services. Thanks to GPS position reporting, a rescue helicopter was quickly dispatched to the scene.
Also read: Apple iPhone 14 has big ambitions for satellite communication
Apple promises improvements in 2023
Not surprisingly, Apple is aware of the false alarms launched by its devices. The California group contacted Brett Loeb, manager of the Pitkin dispatch center in Colorado. decided to make improvements to the detection function next year.
“We spoke with Apple this fall regarding the discovery of the crash, and they told us they are aware of the issue and are working on a fix that they hope to have available in the first quarter of 2023.” Brett Loeb says.
This fall, Apple already promised that the iOS 16.2 update will reduce the number of calls to emergency services. Unfortunately, it turns out that the update that was introduced in early December did not help to fix the problem. According to Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons, nothing has changed since the introduction of iOS 16.2.
Source:
Colorado Sun
