County Sheriff Blames iPhone For Over 700 Accidental 911 Calls This Year

The other day we reported that due to people wearing the Apple Watch in their sleep, it seems to have triggered a situation where people are accidentally calling 911 in their sleep. It turns out that the Apple Watch isn’t alone in this either because according to the Langlade County Sheriff’s Office, iPhones are also to blame.

According to the county’s dispatch supervisor, they believe that this could have been triggered by people riding ATVs or while out on their boats. For those unfamiliar, the iPhone’s SOS feature can be triggered by quickly pressing the side button five times in rapid succession. It has been speculated that maybe bouncing around on an ATV or on a boat while out in the water could have triggered it.

Obviously it’s a good thing for the 911 dispatchers if there is nothing wrong, but at the same time, it is also a waste of resources and could be holding up the line for people who might genuinely need help. Also, people might not be aware that their phones have called 911 which means that dispatch will have to send out emergency personnel to the location even if it was an accidental call.

We’re not sure if this is something that Apple could fix. The reason behind this trigger is so that people can call for help in a more discreet manner, so it is useful in some situations, but hopefully Apple is aware of this and will look into doing something about it.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: iPhone