iPhones drive huge numbers of calls to emergency services as they mistake dance moves for car accidents

Not everyone dances gracefully, but labeling someone’s moves as a car crash is going too far. Yet that’s what some iPhones do when you move too enthusiastically (or jerkily). during Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival In Manchester, Tennessee, those devices launched so many fake emergency calls that the organization had to ask festival-goers to turn off crash detection. Of course, if Cardi B, Yung Gravy and Dua Lipa are on the bill, you can expect a huge crowd.

Both the iPhone 14 and the latest Apple Watch models can use the sensor to detect sudden, forceful movements that may indicate the person wearing the device was involved in an accident. In the event of such a shock, an alert appears on your screen and you can indicate via a slider whether the emergency center should be called or whether it is a false alarm. But if you don’t react within twenty seconds, the device will automatically contact emergency services: Eventually, you’ll faint.

It’s a feature that could save lives, but a slightly more refined version of it would be welcome. During the day bonaroo Crash detection showed ‘five times more false emergency calls than normal’. Fortunately, the festival organization communicated accurately, and no emergency services were called unnecessarily.