Emergency dispatchers received notifications that iPhone 14 owners had been in car crashes when they rode a roller coaster.
The Wall Street Journal reported that a small group of users of the newest iPhone had the notifications sent from their phones while they were at the Kings Island amusement park, in Warren County, Ohio. The smartphones’ car-crash detection systems were likely triggered by the ride’s rapid deceleration or a sudden stop, according to the outlet.
The iPhone 14 uses sensor data to activate the mode and gives users a 20-second window to stop the alarms from being sent to emergency services.
“The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash and is not responding to their phone,” the iPhones alerted 911 dispatchers,
Authorities were dispatched to the scene but did not locate a crash, according to the report obtained by the WSJ. At least one of the riders called the emergency service back to let them know she was ok.
The Journal obtained at least six 911 calls from people at Kings Island rides since the new iPhone model was released in September.
Another iPhone user told the Journal that his mother and girlfriend had received notifications that he had been in a car accident after he accidentally dropped his phone off the handlebars while riding his motorcycle in New York City.
“I was freaking out. I was thinking the worst,” the girlfriend of the motorist told the WSJ. “My best friend passed away in a car accident. It brought me right back there.”
An Apple spokesperson told the Journal that the setting was “extremely accurate in detecting severe crashes” for the most part.
Park officials have advised riders not to bring their phones with them for safety reasons.
