I Was In A Car Accident, And This iPhone Feature Saved My Life

Crash Detection is one of those quietly impressive features that flew under the radar until it mattered. Available on iPhone 14 models and later, it combines accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones, and barometers (basically the same tech you’d expect in a Bond gadget) to sense a major car accident. If your iPhone picks up on a crash, you have a 10-second window to stop it before it automatically dials 911 and sends your location to your emergency contacts.

In my case, that 10-second window was a godsend. I briefly lost consciousness, so my phone made the call I couldn’t. The looped audio message played over my phone’s speakers, and my coordinates were sent to emergency services — these are lifesaving details when you’re too stunned to function.

Even if you’re off the grid, without cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, your phone can use satellite to text for help. Hospital

“As a nurse, I’ve seen firsthand how time is everything in an emergency,” said Mia Cetti, a nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital. “When someone is unconscious or unable to communicate, a few minutes can mean the difference between life and death. The fact that Crash Detection can call for help even when you can’t is huge.”

People are accidentally disabling it — don’t be that person.