How to turn off Crash Detection on iPhone 14 and Apple Watch

Crash Detection on iPhone and Apple Watch can contact emergency services in the event of a severe car crash — or when riding an intense roller coaster. Here's how to temporarily disable the feature.

Like any algorithmic-based feature, Crash Detection isn't foolproof. It operates using a combination of onboard sensors to determine if the user is in a severe car crash.

However, there are a few entertainment attractions that can trigger Crash Detection on iPhone or the Apple Watch inadvertently. It may be helpful to disable this feature when visiting a theme park to prevent an awkward conversation with emergency responders.

Devices with Crash Detection

The following devices have Crash Detection built-in.

iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Apple Watch SE (2nd gen)
Apple Watch Series 8
Apple Watch Ultra

How to turn off Crash Detection on iPhone

Crash Detection is handled by the Emergency SOS feature on iPhone. It can be managed in the Settings app.

Open the Settings app
Scroll down, select "Emergency SOS"
Scroll down to "Crash Detection"
Toggle "Call After Severe Crash" off
A warning will appear telling the user that the feature will be disabled

Disabling Crash Detection on iPhone will prevent the automatic calling of emergency services in the event of a severe car crash. This setting is tied to the Apple Watch Crash Detection setting, so toggling it off on iPhone toggles the feature off on Apple Watch also.

Crash Detection is a universal toggle across iPhone and Apple Watch

How to turn off Crash Detection on Apple Watch

If the Apple Watch user is going to be away from their iPhone for an extended period, or perhaps riding a roller coaster without their iPhone, then Crash Detection can be disabled on the Apple Watch. Note that if Crash Detection is already disabled on the iPhone, it will be disabled on the Apple Watch as well.

Open the Settings app
Scroll down and select "SOS"
Scroll down and select "Call after Severe Crash"
Toggle the setting off, then accept the warning to turn off Crash Detection

Crash Detection must be manually re-enabled for it to function again. It isn't toggled by other system settings like Low Power Mode, so this must be toggled using one of the above methods.