APPLE may be working on a car crash detection app that could help to save lives.
Experts have long speculated Apple may be developing a feature that detects car crashes and automatically calls 911.
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The feature would be available on both the iPhone and the Apple Watch presumably as part of iOS 16 and watchOS 9, The Wall Street Journal said in a report.
Crash detection technology assesses data gathered through sensors that are built into Apple devices.
Included in the sensor system is an ‘accelerometer’ that detects car accidents as they occur via a spike in gravity, or ‘g-force’.
The Cupertino-based company tested the crash-detection feature throughout 2021 by collecting anonymous data from iPhone and Apple Watch users, per The Wall Street Journal.
Research showed that Apple products were able to detect more than 10 million suspected vehicle impacts, of which more than 50,000 included a call to 911.
Data from 911 calls reportedly helps Apple to improve the accuracy of its crash-detection algorithm.
If this new tool is indeed in the works, it would mark the latest move by Apple to add more safety functions to its devices.
In 2018, the tech giant released a fall-detection feature for its Apple Watch that works similarly.
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Last year, the company also added a tool to iOS that analyzes the walking steadiness of users.
Several other companies have been exploring similar technologies, including Google, which added a car-crash feature to its Pixel device in 2019.
Furthermore, numerous third-party apps that offer automatic car crash detection are already available in the Apple store.
Meanwhile, select car companies like GM, Subaru, and Fiat have been utilizing the technology for years.
However, not all cars come equipped with connectivity features, preventing them from employing the technology.
For iPhone users who drive those vehicles, this Apple feature could prove to be a live-saver.
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