With the arrival of instant messaging services, the way in which we have communicated has advanced a lot, but this constant connection between people has also created a dependency when it comes to knowing what is happening to the other person at a time when they are not. You know nothing about her for a while. Luckily, technology is here to help, and functions like accident detection They are capable of sending information even at the worst moment, and without the need for interaction on the part of the user.
Detection of car accidents on mobile phones
A very interesting function that you could activate and that you may not know about is car accident detection. With the help of GPS, the accelerometer and other sensors on your phone, the software is able to detect when a car accident has occurred, and from that moment on, trigger a series of actions that could not only quickly inform the people you love, but it could also help you save your life in moments of maximum risk.
And if the misfortune occurs and you become unconscious due to an accident with the vehicle or motorcycle, your phone would be able to make a call to the emergency service and send your location, in addition to being able to send messages with specific information about the current situation. .
Compatible phones
Everything will depend on the platform you use, since on Android you will need one thing and on iOS another. In the case of Android, car accident detection is integrated into the operating system through the Emergency application, but it only works on Pixel models of the company (Pixel 3 onwards). It has been rumored for a long time that the function will reach other terminals, but for now this has not been the case.
In iOS, everything is integrated as of iOS 16, although you must have a iPhone 14 or higher with that version of the system at least. If you have those requirements, you will have built-in crash detection support.
Do not confuse accident detection with emergency communication
Let's say that car accident detection is an extra function that has been added recently, so if you don't have a Pixel or an iPhone 14 or higher, you won't be able to use it. Another issue is the functions of calling emergency contacts or calling emergency services, which are available on most devices, and what they do is allow you to call an emergency service by pressing a single button.
How accident detection works
This function is capable of detecting front, side and rear impacts, and even rollovers in more serious accidents. Thanks to the constant reading of values offered by the GPS, the gyroscope and the accelerometer, the terminal is capable of detecting a sudden deceleration caused by an impact, and from there triggering a series of functions.
The moment the device detects the accident, the device screen will ask you if you are okay and if you want to call emergencies. If you do not interact with the screen or respond with your voice, the following will occur:
- Pixels: After 60 seconds an automatic call will be made to the emergency service.
- iPhone: After 20 seconds, if you have not responded to the message, an automatic call will be made to the emergency service.
Configuration
The function works in a different way on iOS and Android, so we are going to leave you with the necessary steps to know that you have everything in order and have it activated.
Android (Pixel)
To activate car accident detection on Pixels, you must do the following:
- Launch the Emergency app on your phone.
- Go to the Features tab.
- Find the “Car accident detection” section
- Click on Configure
- Agree to share location “Only while the app is in use.”
- Gives permission to access the microphone and physical activity.
With these steps you will have activated car accident detection.
iOS
In iOS, accident detection is activated by default, so you won't have to do anything special. What you can make sure is that you have emergency contacts configured, since, if you need it, you must have them selected so that calls and sending messages are carried out correctly.
It can also be very useful to complete your medical data sheet so that the emergency services and your acquaintances can have very complete information if they need it. That data can be filled out in the iOS Health app.
How to disable accident detection
If you do not want to have this function activated, you can deactivate it by following the following steps.
Android (Pixel)
- Enter the Emergency application
- Select the Features tab
- Find the Car Crash Detection function and turn off the function
iOS
- Open the Settings app
- Select the Emergency SOS menu
- Deactivate the Call after a serious accident function