False emergency calls spike after iPhone safety feature mistakingly detects rave as a series of car crashes

There were reportedly five times the amount of false 911 calls than average...

A new iPhone safety feature has reportedly caused a rise in false 911 calls at a US music festival after mistakingly detecting dancing party-goers as a series of car crashes.

This past weekend saw approximately 80,000 attendees flock to Coffee County, Tennessee, to attend the Bonnaroo music festival.

During the event, there were reportedly five times the amount of false 911 calls than average. Authorities in the county reported a rise in false 911 calls due to Apple’s car crash detection feature, according to local newspaper WRKN.

The feature, included in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro as well as the latest Apple Watches, automatically alerts 911 when a device experiences rapid movement. The devices reportedly alerted emergency services of a number of car crashes at Bonnaroo music festival, when in reality, it was just people dancing and having fun.

This isn't the first case of its kind since the iPhone 14 released. Between December 16 and January 23 2023, a Japanese emergency services unit received a total of 134 false iPhone calls in a monthlong period, incorrectly triggering as the phone's owners went down ski slopes. This accounted for more than one tenth of their workload.

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