Your call center and others have brought the issue to Apple’s attention. In mid-January, the company sent four representatives to observe Ms. Dummer and her team for a day; She said they had many examples to show.
In a written statement, Alex Kirschner, An Apple spokesperson said, “We are aware that in some specific scenarios, these features have triggered emergency services when a user has not experienced a serious car accident or fall.” The company noted that when a crash is detected, the watch will buzz and sends a loud alert alerting the user that a call is being made to 911 and giving 10 seconds to abandon the call.
Apple also said updates to the software late last year were meant to “tweak” the technology and reduce the number of false calls. Mr. Kirschner added, “Crash Detection and Fall Detection are designed to provide users with help when they need it most and have already helped save multiple lives.”
Apple maintains a collection of incidents where the two technologies came to the rescue. In one case, an Apple Watch alerted authorities after a motorist collided with one in Indianapolis telephone pole and the device called for help. In another, a clock called after you for help New Jersey man fell a steep cliff while hiking.
In Colorado, callers had trouble remembering an instance where a watch saved a skier in distress. (Ms. Dummer added that her team has “very rarely” received bogus 911 calls from other company’s devices, such as Android phones.)
The problem extends beyond skiers. “My watch regularly thinks I’ve had an accident,” says Stacey Torman, who works at Salesforce in London and also teaches spinning classes. Maybe she’s riding safely, exhorting her class to up their energy, or waving her arms to congratulate them when their Apple Watch senses danger.
“I want to party, but my watch really doesn’t want me to party,” she said. Great, she thinks, “now my watch thinks I’m dead.”
