iPhone users can activate Apple’s lifesaving Crash Detection feature to automatically detect a severe car accident and call for assistance without needing an accompanying Apple Watch. The feature attracted widespread public attention recently after a British woman said it saved her life.
Natalia Sidorska, 32, lost control of her car while driving along a winding road in Denbighshire in northeastern Wales in June 2025. Her car plunged more than 100 metres down a mountainside. It burst into flames just moments after she escaped.
Speaking to the BBC recently after a lengthy recovery from her injuries, Ms Sidorska said she later discovered her iPhone had automatically activated the crash detection alert.
The feature is available on the iPhone 14 series and newer models running iOS 16 or later operating systems.
According to the tech publication Mashable, the system detects severe motor vehicle collisions — including front-impact, side-impact, rear-end collisions, and rollovers — by utilising a sophisticated combination of built-in hardware sensors:
