Includes automatic emergency call

Apple plans to equip its phones with a feature to monitor car accidents

As of next year, the American company Apple intends to introduce a feature on the iPhone called “Fault Detection”.

According to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal and insiders, this feature uses data from sensors built into Apple devices, including the accelerometer, to detect car accidents when they occur, and allows the phone to automatically call emergency.

"fall monitor"

This feature will represent the latest step by “Apple” and its competitors to use motion-sensing technology to develop security functions in the devices, after “Apple” introduced years ago, in its smart watch, the “fall detection” feature, which the watch “feels” when its wearer is exposed. For a severe fall, to immediately call the emergency number, in case the user does not respond to a notification from the watch whether he is OK.

This year, the company added a feature to the latest version of its iPhone operating system, which assesses the stability of users' steps as they walk.

Data collection

Those familiar with the development process at Apple said that the timing of the new feature may change, or Apple may choose not to release it.

The documents showed that Apple was testing the "crash detection" feature last year, by collecting anonymously shared data from iPhone and Apple Watch users.

Apple products have already detected more than 10 million suspected collisions with vehicles, of which more than 50,000 involved a call to the 911 emergency number.

Apple uses the data to call 911 to ensure the accuracy of the fault detection algorithm, as the emergency call associated with the impact of the collision confirms to Apple that what actually happened was a car accident.

In another context, sources reported that “Apple” also intends to provide more health and safety features in its devices, including blood pressure measurement, a thermometer in the “Apple Watch”, and algorithms to detect depression and cognitive decline in the “iPhone”, in addition to a scale. Heat in Air Buds.

Google technology

And “Apple” will not be the first company to introduce in its smartphones the feature of monitoring car accidents, as its citizen, “Google”, added this feature to her smartphone “Pixel” in 2019. A number of applications in the Apple App Store provide an automatic accident detection feature. The cars, which they say are made possible by artificial intelligence and location tracking.

On Star feature

In turn, General Motors' "OnStar" company has provided automatic collision response since 1996 in vehicles equipped with the "On Star" feature.

This service responds to more than 6,000 notifications per month of car accidents equipped with this technology, according to a General Motors spokesperson.

On Star recently introduced a smartphone application that can be used in any vehicle, and it provides a service called “mobile phone response to car accidents.”