Fulton County says they see about 1-2 calls per week.
Fulton County said it has seen an increase in false emergencies being reported from Apple’s iPhone Crash Detection feature.
Apple’s Crash Detection feature is available on the iPhone 14 or newer and on newer Apple Watches. The feature automatically calls 911 after it senses you have been in an accident. After it senses the accident, it gives you 20 seconds to cancel the 911 call before it calls 911 itself.
The Town of Northampton Ambulance in the Village of Northville said they have an increase in false emergencies being reported from Apple’s Crash Detection feature.
NewsChannel 13 spoke with John Van Alstyne from Northhampton Ambulance, who said they have seen three of these calls in the past couple of weeks.
“It’s a large response, and the last three times have turned out to be just false alarms,” said John Van Alstyne.
They only have one ambulance, so when they are dispatched to a false emergency, it takes that sole ambulance out of service.
“We’re going to respond to no matter what until it is determined that there’s a traffic accident or there was no accident,” said John.
John also works as a dispatcher for Fulton County, where he said they have seen about 1-2 calls per week.
It is possible to shut off the feature, but John is not encouraging people to do that. He is urging people to be more aware, and he said the feature can save lives.
NewsChannel 13 reached out to Apple for a statement and have not yet heard back.
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