So today I got an alert from my phone while at work. I had my phone set for some emergency alerts to bypass my Do Not Disturb. It was a crash detection alert from my older brothers phone, this concerned me, but I considered it might be a false alarm because there was no other notifications or anything and I didn’t do anything since I was in the middle of work. Moments later, I get the same alert from my younger brothers phone, and I knew something was up since I knew they were probably driving together. Turns out, they had rolled their truck 3 times from the left lane of the freeway, off the right side of the road. They are okay, but I am grateful for this iPhone feature as it got the emergency services there incredibly fast and my parents were also alerted and on the scene in no time.
Thought I’d share this story because if you’re looking at that feature and setting on your phone wondering “does this even work?” Or “do I really want to notify everyone if I crash” Turn it on. Also make it so you can get that notification when you need to.
My family has used out iPhones and Find My to stay connected and keep each other safe. Once when I was studying abroad I had to take a cab from the airport to the school, and the taxi driver was sketchy. I’m in another country and don’t know anyone, so what do I do? Have my dad watch my location in real time from the other side of the world. He’s also helped me with finding my way around with the same method.
Is there a function you use more often than you thought you would need to on your iPhone? Or maybe a time that it’s helped in an emergency?
Actually, yes! My brother found an iPhone outside of a road while doing his work rounds, and it was active with 911 on the phone! It had activated crash detection and made a call, but no one was around! He picked it up to hear dispatch asking if anyone was there, so he answered, saying he just found this random phone on the ground. The dispatch insisted on sending an officer to the location, and asked if he’d be so kind as to wait, so he did.
A few minutes later a patrol car rolled up, and the officers took a look around. No one was around, no sign of an accident. Bro answered a few questions about how/where he found the phone, handed it over, they thanked him for staying, and then he was allowed to go.
So yeah, they’ll go looking for the phone even if it goes off on its own. They said they were about to send rescue to the phones coordinates before he answered.