A new safety feature on the Apple Watch and iPhone that is designed to call 911 when it detects a car crash has inundated first responders with "false emergency calls," often "mistaking skiers, and some other fitness enthusiasts, for car-wreck victims," Matt Richtel writes for the New York Times.

Apple devices are triggering 'false emergency calls'

In September, Apple debuted a new technology designed to detect car crashes and call 911 dispatchers in an emergency. The service is an upgraded version of a less sensitive software that can alert first responders when a user falls.

While Apple's crash-detection technology has functioned as intended in some situations, "emergency call centers in some ski regions have been inundated with inadvertent, automated calls, dozens or more a week," Richtel writes. "It keeps mistaking skiers, and some other fitness enthusiasts, for car-wreck victims."

When this happens, dispatchers must place other calls, including legitimate emergencies, on hold to determine whether the alert was triggered by a real accident or just "an overzealous device," he adds.

"My whole day is managing crash notifications," said Trina Dummer, interim director of Summit County's emergency services. From Jan. 13 to Jan. 22 alone, Summit County received 185 calls for false alerts—a surge Dummer said is threatening to desensitize dispatchers and divert limited resources from true emergencies. "Apple needs to put in their own call center if this is a feature they want," Dummer added.

Apple devices have also alerted emergency services while users were participating in other activities. "My watch regularly thinks I've had an accident," said Stacey Torman, who works for Salesforce in London and teaches spin classes. For example, Torman will sometimes be on her bike, trying to energize her class or congratulating them by waving her arms when her Apple Watch senses danger.

Apple says the technology 'has already contributed to saving several lives'

After Dummer alerted Apple to the issue, the company sent four representatives to observe the team for a day in mid-January. According to Dummer, their team responded to plenty of false emergencies that day. Other departments have also alerted Apple to the issue.

In a written statement, Apple spokesperson Alex Kirschner, said, "We have been aware that in some specific scenarios these features have triggered emergency services when a user didn't experience a severe car crash or hard fall."

The company noted that the watch buzzes and sends a loud alert when a potential crash is detected, warning the user that they have 10 seconds to cancel the call.

Apple also said updates to the software late last year were intended to "optimize" the technology and lower the number of false calls. "

Currently, Apple has a collection of incidents documenting instances where the two technologies have helped rescue users. In one case, an Apple Watch alerted first responders after a driver in Indianapolis crashed into a telephone pole. In another case, a watch called for help after a New Jersey man fell off a steep cliff during a hike.

"Crash Detection and Fall Detection are designed to get users help when they need it most, and it has already contributed to saving several lives," Kirschner added. (Richtel, New York Times, 2/3)