Apple working on car crash detection feature for iPhone, Watch series: Report

Tech giant Apple is looking to add a new feature to its iPhones and Apple Watch series that can detect a car crash and auto-dial 911 to get emergency help in the event of an accident, Wall Street Journal reported. The new ‘crash detection’ feature could come to iPhones of Apple Watches as soon as next year.

The crash detection feature will work by sensing any sudden spike in gravity, or ‘g’ forces that arise on impact from a car accident. Apple has been testing this feature over the last one year by collecting data anonymously from the existing users of iPhones and Apple Watches, the report stated. Apple's devices have already successfully detected more than 10 million suspected vehicle impacts. Out of these, more than 50,000 cases included an auto-dial to 911 for emergency help.

The report elaborated that as per documents of the tech company, it has been using the 911 call data to improve the accuracy of its crash-detection algorithm because an emergency call gives Apple more confidence that it is indeed a car crash that its devices had sensed.

Apple could likely release the feature in 2022 as part of its iOS 16 and watchOS 9 updates, however, the report states that the “timing of the new feature could change, or Apple could choose not to release it."

The crash detection feature is similar to Apple Watch's existing fall detection capability which was first added to the its Watch Series 4. The feature works by detecting when a sudden fall occurs, and automatically calls emergency services if the victim doesn’t dismiss the alert within one minute of falling. Further, it notifies the person’s emergency contact with a text message if that information is filled out. The device also sends out a map of the watch’s location at the time of the fall.