OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. — Police in Owens Cross Roads say an iPhone feature is causing false alarms for first responders, and they’re urging drivers to stay hands-free to prevent the issue.
Apple’s iPhone crash detection system is at the center of the conversation. That’s a feature that can automatically call emergency services if it detects a severe car crash. If a crash is detected, your phone or Apple Watch will make an alarm sound, display an alert, and vibrate.
You can choose to call the emergency services yourself, or if you’re not able to, your device will automatically call after a 20 second delay. Owens Cross Roads police say it goes off in other situations as well. They’ve all had several calls that ended up not being an actual emergency. For instance, one time they were dispatched because someone left their phone on their car roof and it fell off of onto US 431…