How iPhone 14 Crash Detection feature reacted on a rollercoaster ride

Apple iPhone 14 series launched during the ‘Far Out’ event last month. One of the highlights of the new iPhone 14 series is the Crash Detection feature that automatically detects and calls emergency response services if the user is involved in a car accident. The feature has been in the news for various reasons and as per the new development, it was triggered when an owner of an iPhone 14 Pro was taking a ride on a rollercoaster.
The Wall Street Journal reports that a dentist packed her two-day-old iPhone 14 Pro and went to take a ride on the Mystic Timbers roller coaster in Kings Island amusement park in the US. After the ride ended, she checked her phone and found various missed calls and voicemails from emergency responders asking if she was OK.
Apple’s car-crash detection triggered and automatically dialled 911 (emergency response number in the US) while she was on the ride enjoying getting hoisted 109 feet in the air and moving at high speeds. Reportedly, Warren County Emergency Communications Center received an automated voice message from the dentist’s phone seven times. Since the phone made a call, it also picked up background noise such as cheers and music. The responder team was sent to the ride but there was no emergency.

How iPhone 14 Crash Detection works
The Crash Detection feature uses a combination of sensor data to assess a potential crash. The feature’s crash detection algorithm also includes data that shows rapid deceleration of the vehicle. If it detects a crash, the iPhone 14 model will show a warning on the screen for 10 seconds and a countdown giving a user 10 seconds to cancel the call. Once the countdown is over, the phone contacts the emergency response and sends messages to emergency contacts.

The iPhone 14 Pro of the dentist mentioned above must have detected high-speed movements and quick decelerations on the roller coaster. The algorithms must have triggered the sensor and wrongly detected a crash. Since the dentist was on a ride, she didn’t cancel the 10-second countdown and the phone went ahead to make the emergency call.
iPhone 14 also made emergency calls when dropped
The Wall Street Journal report also says that their iPhone 14 models called emergency service responders “after they were dropped while driving, or right after.”
In one such case, a person’s iPhone 14 Pro Max flew off while riding his motorcycle. The person went ahead with his journey and visited an Apple Store to purchase a new model thinking that the phone he used earlier might not be in a usable condition. The iPhone in question, however, immediately called the response team and sent messages to emergency contacts.