Apple unveiled a new emphasis on saving the lives of its customers in September 2022, with a Crash Detection feature joining the existing array of safety and emergency functions on the Apple Watch and iPhone.
Most users will regard Crash Detection as a handy background feature: something that offers peace of mind while hopefully never being called into action. But you may feel differently if you start to experience false positives, as has been anecdotally reported by some rollercoaster riders as well as skiers.
If your iPhone or Apple Watch mistakenly believes it has detected a crash and you somehow don’t notice, you could end up in the embarrassing situation of having to explain to emergency responders why they’ve been called to a theme park or ski slope.
Hopefully that won’t happen. But if you are worried about experiencing false positives with your iPhone or Apple Watch, here’s how to turn off the emergency alert.
How to turn off Crash Detection on Apple Watch
If you want to disable crash detection on the Apple Watch, follow these steps:
- Go to the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap SOS, tap Crash Detection, then tap Call After Severe Crash.
The toggle will turn gray to indicate it’s off. Tap again to turn it back on, and it will turn green again.
How to turn off Crash Detection on iPhone
If you want to disable crash detection on iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max, you need to follow these steps:
- Go into the Settings app.
- Go to Emergency SOS.
- Tap the toggle labelled Call After Severe Crash.
In both cases, what you’re turning off is the emergency call element; Apple doesn’t explicitly offer a way to turn off crash detection entirely, but it isn’t clear whether your device will continue to monitor for crashes if you follow the instructions above. What is clear is that detected crashes won’t be as much of an inconvenience if they don’t involve the emergency services and your emergency contacts.
