Here is a fix for the issue where roller coasters cause the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch crash detection to activate.

With the release of the new Apple Watch Ultra, Series 8, and SE 2, as well as the iPhone 14 series, crash detection is a useful new safety feature. False positives are still possible despite Apple’s use of brand-new hardware, a sophisticated algorithm, and more than a million hours of accident data. It turns out that roller coasters have been deceiving Apple’s Crash Detection, leading to a number of incorrect automatic 911 calls. Here is the current situation and a workaround in case there is an upgrade.

 

According to WSJ’s Joanna Stern and Coaster101, Kings Island and Dollywood amusement parks have observed a pattern in recent weeks that is related to visitors who have an iPhone 14 or a new Apple Watch.

 

The roller coasters at Kings Island have erroneously triggered Crash Detection at least six times.

 

And Dollywood has become aware of the problem enough to post signs requesting that guests turn off their smartphones or refrain from bringing them on rides.

 

It’s interesting that certain unauthorised tests of Apple’s Crash Detection struggle to activate the security measure. However, it turns out that roller coasters possess the necessary characteristics to deceive the algorithm, which accounts for loud noises, pressure changes, GPS/speed variations, and G-force measurements.

 

In Joanna’s tweet, you can hear the automatic 911 call that one of the roller coasters caused:

 

 

 

A representative for Apple told Joanna that the company’s Crash Detection is “‘very reliable in detecting serious crashes’ and that it was optimised for getting consumers aid while limiting false positives.”

 

The spokeswoman stated, in response to inquiries about how roller coasters could trick the function, “The technology provides peace of mind, and Apple will continue to improve it over time.”

 

iPhone 14 Crash Detection patch for the roller coaster
It’s unlikely that guests will heed Dollywood’s warning not to bring electronics on rides, and even turning off electronics can be a bother. So…

 

The simplest approach to avoid erroneous Crash Detection positives on roller coasters is to activate Airplane mode.

The most practical option is to quickly toggle Airplane mode on for your iPhone 14 and new Apple Watch, especially if you plan to hop on and off rides all day.
view from 9to5Mac
Although it seems that Apple isn’t surprised by roller coasters activating Crash Detection, it nevertheless did the best it could given the circumstances.

 

Although Google has had its crash detection tool available for a while, there don’t seem to be many cases where roller coasters have caused it to be activated.

 

I wonder whether this issue may be resolved with a geofence update, which would allow Apple to recognise when a user is in a theme park and ignore measurements for roller coasters. However, it’s possible that Apple is unwilling to make concessions regarding privacy, whereas Google is.

 

We’ll keep an eye out for any iPhone and Apple Watch updates that might include a formal resolution to this problem.

 

top photo courtesy of David Traa on Unsplash