Android

The new iPhone called for help to roller-coaster people

911 was called in six cases at the King Island theme park in the United States in the past month by a new Apple device, but similar cases also occurred at the Six Flags theme park near Chicago, reports the Wall Street Journal. Behind the false calls is the new accident detection and automatic emergency call system, because the changes in force exerted by the roller coaster on the body of the passengers, the change in pressure, the sudden changes in the GPS signal and speed, as well as the sound of screaming revelers tend to make people believe that it is an iPhone or Apple Watch that the wearer has just been in a car accident, so the device automatically alerts the authorities.

The WSJ journalist received several such audio recordings from the dispatch centers, some of which can be heard in the video below:

Apple responded to the WSJ article, according to the company, their algorithm is extremely accurate and they have done everything to avoid such false alarms, but they continue to develop it so that users can use the technology even more calmly. In the United States in the past month, there were several cases where the phone really helped, for example, in Nebraska, an iPhone 14 alerted the authorities to a fatal accident. But according to the WSJ article, a central emergency call center has already received an alarm from an iPhone 14 Pro Max flying off a motorcycle and left there by the owner, and of course also from a roller coaster.

A warning to theme park visitors that their phones or watches may accidentally alert the authorities. (source: 9to5Mac) [+]

It is also interesting in the story that Google’s phones have had a similar collision detection and automatic alarm function for years, yet no similar cases are known. The explanation for this may be that Google’s system is able to recognize that the user is in an amusement park based on the phone’s position, so it does not activate the emergency call. Theme parks’ solution for now is to post a sign warning visitors of the emergency call and asking them to turn off their devices or activate airplane mode.

Related Articles

Back to top button