Apple to harness crash-detection data in devices, add feature to iPhones, Apple Watch

*Apple’s documents indicate the global technology giant plans to harness crash detection data built into Apple devices to detect car crashes, and the company may add the feature to the iPhones and Apple Watch

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

Image that you are driving down the highway when your car skids off the road and into a ditch, knocking you unconscious.

But, help is on the way because your iPhone automatically has dialled 911 to report the accident.

This is said to be the vision laid out in Apple’s documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The documents indicates that Apple plans to harness crash detection data built into Apple devices to detect car crashes.

Apple engineers say it’s possible to do so by looking for a sudden increase in G-forces, report stated.

Industry analysts say it would be similar to the way Apple is able to detect hard falls by people carrying an iPhone or wearing an Apple Watch.

It was gathered that the devices automatically dial 911 if the user does not respond to an automatic query.

In 2021, Apple added a new iPhone feature that analyses how steady a user is walking and alerts them if it detects that they are about to fall.

Meanwhile, there is currently no confirmation of the move, as Apple is not commenting on the report.

Sources, however, told WSJ, that Apple has not decided on “timing” for adding the feature and could decide to table the project for a while.

Privacy could be a complicating factor. Apple has built much of its public reputation around privacy, and it’s not clear how close monitoring of a user’s device would fit into that narrative.

Currently being tested

In tests of Apple’s crash-detecting technology, some users have anonymously shared data from their iPhones and Apple Watches, according to report.

The Big Tech company’s documents show that Apple devices have already detected more than 10 million vehicle accidents, with more than 50,000 calls to a 911 dispatcher.

Other devices currently monitor vehicle activity for signs of a crash. The first was General Motors’ OnStar, built into many GM models.

Google also provided a similar feature to its Pixel phone two years ago, and several apps do much the same thing.

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