Last year, OnStar launched their Guardian app which could use a smartphone’s sensors to detect a crash and connect you to an advisor. Apple appears to have liked the idea as it’s reportedly headed to future iPhones and Watches.
According to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Apple is slated to introduce crash detection technology on their devices next year. It will reportedly use motion sensors to watch for sudden changes in gravity as well as acceleration and, presumably, deceleration.
These are telltale signs of a collision and devices will reportedly automatically dial 911 if a crash is detected. This could pose a serious problem as it could potentially lead to an increase in non-emergency calls. It’s also worth noting this stands in contrast to OnStar’s approach as an advisor is contacted instead of 911. These advisors can determine if emergency services are needed, freeing up 911 to deal with actual emergencies.
Also Read: OnStar Comes To Smartphones With New Mobile App That Can Detect Crashes
How much of an impact the auto-dial feature could have on 911 services remains to be seen, but the report noted Apple could potentially delay crash detection or cancel it altogether. That being said, the company has reportedly been testing the technology for quite awhile through “data shared anonymously from iPhone and Apple Watch users.”
In particular, Apple has reportedly “detected more than 10 million suspected vehicle impacts” including more than 50,000 that were followed by a call to 911. The company has reportedly been using the latter bit of information to help “improve the accuracy of its crash-detection algorithm” and presumably configure the feature to only call 911 when a serious crash is detected.
While a lot of questions remain, if Apple can get the kinks worked out, iPhone owners might be a bit safer on their next trip.
H/T 9to5Mac
