Find My and safety
Crash Detection
Most people call this the phone calling for help after a car crash.
Sensors can detect a severe car crash, and if you do not respond the iPhone calls emergency services and notifies your emergency contacts.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 16 and later
- Settings
- Emergency SOS
- Call After Severe Crash
What it does
A high impact triggers an alert with a countdown. If you do not dismiss it, the phone calls emergency services, plays an audio message and shares your location. It works with the phone locked and in your pocket.
What changes
When it is on
A detected crash triggers an automatic emergency call.
When it is off
Nothing is detected or called.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Calls for help when you cannot.
- Contacts are notified with your location.
Good reasons to turn it off
- False positives on roller coasters and in motorsport have happened.
- You are frequently in high impact activities.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
No real change
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: On for supported models.
Worth reading first
What your iPhone needs
- Needs an iPhone 14 or later
Questions people actually ask
- Does my iPhone detect car crashes?
- The iPhone 14 generation and later have the sensors for it. Choose your model above and this page will tell you.
If it is not working
- It needs an iPhone 14 or later.
- Dismiss the countdown promptly if it triggers by mistake.
- It works even with no cellular signal on models that support satellite emergency services.