Apple Watch & iPhone used in escape from flipped, sinking car
A Florida woman is lucky to be alive after her car flipped into a marsh by a Tampa highway, apparently saved by a combination of her Apple Watch, iPhone, and Google Maps.
As Amanda Antonio's car began sinking into mud and filling with water, she realized that she could ping her submerged iPhone with her Apple Watch, according to a segment on NBC's "Today." This allowed her to call 911, putting her in touch with a dispatcher who tried to keep her calm while emergency crews worked to locate the car.
The search took some time, to the point that water was rising over Antonio's chest and her iPhone battery fell under 5 percent charge. She then realized she could help by loading Google Maps, which narrowed her location down to the road by an amphitheater.
It's not clear which iPhone or Watch models Antonio had, but the iPhone was likely a 7 or later, as that's when Apple began officially waterproofing hardware. The iPhone 6s had some limited sealing, but this only reduced the chance of water damage and didn't carry an IP rating.
A number of stories have emerged of Apple technology being used in emergencies, and indeed Apple itself has started exploiting them in marketing. The company has sometimes been blamed for causing accidents though, for instance by failing to prevent people from using FaceTime when driving. Apparently admitting the problem, it implemented a "Do Not Disturb While Driving" feature in 2017's iOS 11.
As Amanda Antonio's car began sinking into mud and filling with water, she realized that she could ping her submerged iPhone with her Apple Watch, according to a segment on NBC's "Today." This allowed her to call 911, putting her in touch with a dispatcher who tried to keep her calm while emergency crews worked to locate the car.
The search took some time, to the point that water was rising over Antonio's chest and her iPhone battery fell under 5 percent charge. She then realized she could help by loading Google Maps, which narrowed her location down to the road by an amphitheater.
It's not clear which iPhone or Watch models Antonio had, but the iPhone was likely a 7 or later, as that's when Apple began officially waterproofing hardware. The iPhone 6s had some limited sealing, but this only reduced the chance of water damage and didn't carry an IP rating.
A number of stories have emerged of Apple technology being used in emergencies, and indeed Apple itself has started exploiting them in marketing. The company has sometimes been blamed for causing accidents though, for instance by failing to prevent people from using FaceTime when driving. Apparently admitting the problem, it implemented a "Do Not Disturb While Driving" feature in 2017's iOS 11.
Comments
To be clear, this isn't an Apple problem or a Skype problem or an Android/Samsung/Google problem. This is a problem with users who are unable to use technology in a safe and responsible manner. The same people who do not use technology in a safe and responsible manner are very likely not self-aware enough to actually realize they need to turn on DND.
I wonder if you asked Siri to help you save your ass from near death if she would instruct you on how to use your phone or watch.
Good question. A phrase such as 'Hey Siri, I need help/police/ambulance etc could trigger a dialog as to what to try.
OTOH, I could see why any company or dev, even Apple would be loath to give such advice in an emergency as one misstep, however well intentioned would result in a law suit, such as the one where Apple 'failed' to enact the Do Not Disturb mode or some such. Even calling a hospital directly can get an 'if this is an emergency dial 9-1-1...' before ever reaching a human.
One thing would be very helpful to first and/or SAR responders— providing GPS coordinates.
This could be done any number of ways from showing them on the Watch (very important when the phone is bounced out of reach somewhere in or out of a vehicle) or providing them automatically during an SOS prompt, etc.
Cellphone triangulation can work but it can also require a very thorough and methodical search that GSP coordinates can quickly reduce or even eliminate. Sending them to a helo can drastically reduce SAR time.
Another thing that can help is an app that could receive GPS coordinates and then take you to that location. There must be apps like that even now. This would be a help to communities with lesser EMS resources.
The ability for someone to quickly send coordinates without knowing them or where they (victims) are could literally mean the difference between life and death.
It’s a bit of a double-whammy, really; not only does Apple prevent quite a few deadly accidents by default that way, they also save themselves from legal trouble in the event those *do* happen, as they will be entirely and unequivocally the end-users’ fault.
Just as they would be if the phone shipped with the option Off. But in either case, it doesn't mean that everybody would see it that way.