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This Hidden iPhone Feature Can Save Your Life in a Car Crash—And Most People Don’t Even Know It Exists

Years ago, I worked for a state water quality agency. I’d drive around the back roads of Oklahoma hauling a big boat or dangle off a highway bridge collecting water samples—all while massive logging trucks (and plenty of speeding cars) zipped by in a cloud of dust. It was nerve-racking, but I never got in an accident. One of my co-workers wasn’t so lucky.

He was alone, like I often was. He hit a deer, then a tree. Luckily, he wasn’t injured, but he had no way to call for help. So he walked. For hours. Today, he’d whip out his phone and call someone—but what if he was injured and couldn’t? What if you got in a car wreck and couldn’t reach your phone? Well, it turns out your iPhone has a way to help even without your input.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 6 million nonfatal accidents in 2024, the most recent data available, and more than 1.6 million wrecks that resulted in injury. There were nearly 40,000 fatalities. If you’re stuck on some country road, alone, in the dark? Things could go south very quickly.

Below, I’ll take you through a really cool iPhone safety feature that can help. It’s easy to use, and while it won’t prevent car crashes, it can definitely help you when you need it most. Read on to learn about this important iPhone safety setting you probably had no idea existed.

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What is the hidden iPhone feature that could save your life in a car crash?

It’s a feature called Crash Detection. If the car you are driving or traveling in gets in a “severe” crash, which includes front- and rear-end collisions as well as side-impact crashes and rollovers, your iPhone will detect the wreck and alert emergency services if you’re unable to respond.

Here’s how it works once your iPhone or Apple Watch detects a severe crash.

If you only have your iPhone

Once Crash Detection senses you’ve been in an accident, your iPhone displays an alert (“It looks like you’ve been in a crash”) and sounds an alarm for 10 seconds. It also reads the alert aloud to you, in case you cannot reach your phone, and displays an Emergency Call slider so you can contact emergency services if you’re able.

If you do not initiate the slider or dismiss the alert within 10 seconds, a 30-second countdown begins. The countdown is accompanied by what Apple calls “loud whoops” and aggressive flashing lights. After the 30-second countdown, your phone will dial 911 and report the crash.

If you have both your iPhone and Apple Watch

After a crash, your iPhone and Apple Watch display the same alert (“It looks like you’ve been in a crash”), and your watch chimes and taps your wrist for 10 seconds. The Apple Watch displays the Emergency Call slider, and you can call and speak through your watch.

If you do not initiate the slider or dismiss the alert within 10 seconds, a 30-second countdown begins. The countdown is accompanied by loud whoops and aggressive flashing on your phone, along with taps on your watch. After the 30-second countdown, your Apple Watch will dial 911 and report the crash.

If you only have your Apple Watch

Even if you do not have your phone in the car, your Apple Watch displays an alert (“It looks like you’ve been in a crash”) once it detects a severe collision. It also chimes and taps your wrist for 10 seconds and displays the Emergency Call slider. You can call and speak through your watch only if your watch has cellular data enabled or is connected to Wi-Fi.

If you do not initiate the slider or dismiss the alert within 10 seconds, a 30-second countdown begins. The countdown is accompanied by loud whoops and aggressive wrist-tapping. After the 30-second countdown, your Apple Watch will dial 911 and report the crash if your watch has cellular data enabled or is connected to Wi-Fi.

Do all iPhones have Crash Detection?

All models, starting with iPhone 14, that run iOS 16 or later operating systems have Crash Detection technology. The service is also standard on Apple Watch Series 8 or later, Apple Watch SE 2nd generation or later, and Apple Watch Ultra or later with watchOS 9 or later operating systems.

Crash Detection is on by default, so you do not have to enable it for it to work. That said, you should double-check to make sure you haven’t accidentally turned it off. This feature is located under Emergency SOS in Settings. (See the screenshot above.)

Your devices will also notify your emergency contacts if you have them set up. If you also have Medical ID information entered and enabled in the Apple Health app (more on this coming up), an additional slider will appear so that first responders can access that information without your passcode.

For Android users, Google Pixel phones (Pixel 4a and later) have a similar feature called Car Crash Detection, but it must be enabled. It is not on by default.

Can you turn it off?

Yes. If you do not want your Apple device to contact emergency services after a crash, you can turn off the service. (Though we highly recommend that you keep it activated.) Go to Settings > Emergency SOS to disable it on your iPhone. Your Apple Watch crash-detection settings are also located on your iPhone, under Apple Watch > My Watch > Emergency SOS.

If you’re worried that Crash Detection will interfere with your vehicle’s emergency response features, Apple says it will not. Emergency calls from your car or by you directly on your devices will be connected as usual (non-emergency calls will be disconnected).

What if you don’t actually need assistance?

If you have been in a crash but do not need assistance, you can dismiss the alerts before they connect you with emergency services. If you accidentally contact them, or connect and decide you no longer need help, Apple advises staying on the phone and speaking with the EMS personnel to update them on your situation—do not hang up.

Which other settings should you have activated in case of an emergency?

Crash detection isn’t the only Apple safety feature that can help you stay safe. Here are other important settings that you should know about and enable.

  • Medical ID: This feature holds important medical information that will be made available to emergency responders without a passcode in the event of a crash. Medical ID is found in the Apple Health app.
  • Emergency Contacts: This is also located in the Apple Health app, and adding your emergency contacts here will trigger an alert to them if you are involved in a crash. Make sure to have location services enabled in Emergency SOS (see below).
  • Emergency Calls & SOS: Found in your iPhone settings under Privacy & Security > Location Services, this feature will allow your phone to send your location to your emergency contacts. Note that messages cannot be sent if you do not use the Messages app as your default option.
  • Emergency SOS via Satellite: You don’t need to activate this one, but it’s an important feature to know about. On iPhone 14s or later, you have the option to use a satellite connection if your emergency call does not go through via normal means.
  • Emergency Bypass: This feature allows your chosen contacts to reach you even when your notifications are silenced. Open your contacts, tap each person, hit Edit > Ringtone, and toggle Emergency Bypass.

Sources:

  • NHTSA: “Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)”
  • NHTSA: “Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024”
  • Apple: “Use Crash Detection on iPhone or Apple Watch to call for help in an accident”
  • Apple: “Use Emergency SOS via satellite on your Apple Watch Ultra 3”
  • Android: “Physical Safety”
  • Google: “Car Crash Detection”
  • Apple: “Use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone”
  • Apple: “Allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhone”

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The post This Hidden iPhone Feature Can Save Your Life in a Car Crash—And Most People Don’t Even Know It Exists appeared first on Reader's Digest.



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