Apple is working on car crash detection for its Apple Watch wearable, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ever since the Watch Series 4, the smartwatches have come with the 'fall detection' feature, that recognises when a user has had a bad fall, and subsequently alerts the user. If the user then is unable to respond to the alert, the Apple watch will sound an alarm, call emergency services and selected contacts.
Apple has reportedly been running tests for the past year, collecting anonymous data from users wearing Apple Watches. Reports say it's detected 10 million suspected crashes, of which 50,000 incidents were paired to subsequent calls to emergency services.
The idea isn't a new one--Google implemented something similar a few years ago with the Personal Safety app for Pixel devices. The app took the user's location into consideration, along with motion sensor data and microphones, to determine whether an incident was a crash or not.
It's possible the next Apple Watch will also use such data to reduce the rate of false positive detection, but there's no official indication yet that the next generation smartwatch will have this feature.
Also watch: Apple Watch Series 7 launched with bigger display, IP6X rating
Apple's most recent Watch Series 7 was unveiled in September alongside the new iPhone 13 series, and features a larger display than before, IP6X dust resistance, 33% faster charging and a starting price tag of ₹41,900 in India.
Also watch: Apple Event 2021: iPhone 13 series launched alongside Watch Series 7, iPad (9th gen) and new iPad mini