Apple iPhones have a life-saving feature that could help you contact a loved one if something were to happen to you – and many people have no idea it even exists
A little-known feature on your iPhone could help save your life.
Our phones have revolutionised our daily lives. We can use them as maps, to keep track of our calendars, to monitor our health, and we have access to the internet at the tap of a button. But did you know your phone also has the potential to save your life if something were to happen to you? Most people had absolutely no idea the feature existed, even though it’s a common addition to Apple iPhones.
One woman shared the life-saving feature after she received a “terrifying” text message from her sister’s number, telling her that her sibling’s phone had “detected a crash” and had sent an automated text to the numbers on her emergency contact list.
In a post on Reddit, the woman shared the full details of the text which read: “Crash Detected SOS. I called emergency services from this approximate location after iPhone detected a crash. You are receiving this message because I have listed you as an emergency contact.”
The message was accompanied by a map showing where the woman’s sister was when the alert went off, and she titled her post: “I didn’t even know this was a feature. My sister was in a car accident. Very scary.”
The feature is known as “crash detection”, and it’s designed to detect car crashes so that emergency services – and your loved ones – can be contacted immediately if anything were to happen to you while driving.
Although the feature is potentially life-saving, it is not turned on by default, and as a result, not many people know it exists. You can switch it on via the SOS tab in your phone’s settings, where you’ll also be able to choose whether a message is sent to a chosen contact, or just to emergency services.
The Apple support page for crash detection reads: “Crash Detection is designed to detect severe car crashes – such as front-impact, side-impact and rear-end collisions, and rollovers – involving saloons, minivans, SUVs, pick-ups and other passenger cars. When a severe car crash is detected, an alarm will sound and an alert will be displayed on your iPhone or Apple Watch”
In the case of the woman who shared the feature on Reddit, she explained she was “really nervous” when she replied to her sister’s text and received no response, but her brother-in-law later called to let her know her sister was “okay”. However, she also said the crash was “pretty bad” and her sister suffered “a few broken ribs”.
Many commenters on the post were also surprised to hear about the feature, as they said that while the text message would be “terrifying” to receive, it could also save lives. One person said: “I didn’t know that was a feature either. I like it, but man, that would give me chills to receive that text.”
Another added: “This is such a great feature. I have my family on it just in case.” A third posted: “This just happened to me and my husband last night. We were getting ready for bed and we got the same notification. It turned out my sister-in-law flipped her car and because of this feature, we were able to get there before anyone else. She’s ok and we’re thankful this exists!”
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