Published Date: 2022-10-09
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident with the iPhone 14's crash detection feature happened in October 2022 as reported in Article [133979]. 2. The incident with the iPhone 14's crash detection feature also occurred in October 2022, as mentioned in Article [134149]. 3. The software failure incident involving the iPhone 14's crash detection feature took place in October 2022, according to Article [134511]. |
| System | 1. iPhone 14's Crash Detection Feature [133979, 134149, 134511] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Apple [133979, 134149, 134511] |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Users of iPhone 14 models, including Sara White and Douglas Sonders, who experienced false crash detection alerts while on roller coasters [133979, 134149]. 2. Emergency services, specifically the Warren County Communications Center in Ohio, which received multiple false crash detection calls triggered by iPhone 14 models at Kings Island amusement park and Six Flags Great America [133979, 134149, 134511]. 3. Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, who were alerted to a tragic car crash by an iPhone 14's crash detection feature, leading to the discovery of a fatal accident involving six young passengers [133979]. |
| Software Causes | 1. The software cause of the failure incident was the iPhone 14's new Crash Detection feature mistakenly detecting roller coaster movements as severe car crashes, leading to automatic 911 calls [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. The iPhone's crash detection feature mistook the bumps and jerks of roller coasters as car crashes, triggering automatic calls to emergency services [Article 134149]. 2. The high-G-force accelerometer and gyroscope in the iPhone 14 were designed to detect severe car accidents, but they unintentionally triggered false alarms on roller coasters due to sudden acceleration and braking [Article 133979, Article 134511]. 3. Users carrying their iPhones on roller coasters experienced false alarms when the crash detection feature detected rapid deceleration or sudden stops, leading to unnecessary emergency calls [Article 133979, Article 134149, Article 134511]. |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident involving the iPhone 14's crash detection feature led to false 911 calls being made to emergency services, draining the resources of local police departments and causing unnecessary dispatches to amusement parks like Kings Island and Six Flags Great America [133979, 134149]. 2. Users experienced panic and distress as a result of the false alarms triggered by the crash detection feature, with emergency contacts receiving automated messages indicating a severe car crash even when the users were on roller coasters or had minor incidents like dropping their phones [133979, 134149]. 3. The incident highlighted the potential for unintended consequences of advanced technology features, such as the crash detection feature, which may lead to unnecessary emergency responses and create confusion for both users and emergency services [133979, 134149]. 4. Despite the intended purpose of the feature to provide quick aid in case of real emergencies, the false positives and accidental activations on roller coasters raised concerns about the reliability and practicality of the crash detection technology in certain scenarios [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Preventions | 1. Implementing a feature toggle or setting to allow users to easily disable the crash detection feature on their iPhones when engaging in activities like riding roller coasters [Article 134511]. 2. Providing clearer warnings or notifications to users when the crash detection feature is activated, especially in scenarios where false positives are likely, such as on amusement park rides [Article 134149]. 3. Enhancing the algorithm of the crash detection feature to differentiate between typical roller coaster movements and actual car crashes more accurately, reducing the likelihood of false alarms [Article 133979]. |
| Fixes | 1. Implement a more sophisticated algorithm that can differentiate between the vibrations and movements of a roller coaster ride and an actual car crash to prevent false positives [133979, 134149, 134511]. 2. Provide users with the option to easily disable the crash detection feature, especially in situations where false alarms are likely to occur, such as on roller coasters [133979, 134149, 134511]. 3. Enhance the warning system on the iPhone to make it more noticeable and distinguishable in noisy environments like amusement parks to prevent unnecessary emergency calls [134149]. 4. Conduct further testing and optimization of the crash detection feature to reduce the occurrence of false alarms while ensuring accurate detection of real car accidents [133979, 134149, 134511]. | References | 1. The Wall Street Journal [Article 133979, Article 134149, Article 134511] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | multiple_organization | (a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone 14's crash detection feature happened again at Kings Island amusement park in Ohio. The Warren County Communications Center received six false iPhone crash detection calls from Kings Island since the new iPhone 14 models went on sale in September [133979, 134149]. The incident involved the feature mistakenly detecting roller coaster rides as severe car crashes, leading to unnecessary emergency responses. (b) The software failure incident also occurred at Six Flags Great America near Chicago, Illinois. The Joker roller coaster at Six Flags Great America triggered similar alerts with the iPhone 14's crash detection feature, leading to automatic calls to emergency services [133979, 134149]. This indicates that the issue with the feature causing false alarms on roller coasters was not limited to just one organization but also affected multiple organizations in the amusement park industry. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to the development phases: - The incident of iPhone 14's crash detection feature mistakenly triggering emergency calls on roller coasters can be attributed to a failure in the design phase. The feature was designed to automatically detect severe car accidents using sensors like the accelerometer and gyroscope, but it failed to differentiate between the movements on a roller coaster and an actual car crash. This design flaw led to false alarms and unnecessary emergency calls [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to the operation phases: - The incident of iPhone 14's crash detection feature mistakenly triggering emergency calls on roller coasters can also be attributed to a failure in the operation phase. Users inadvertently activated the feature while on roller coasters, leading to false alarms being sent to emergency services. This highlights the impact of user behavior and misuse on the proper functioning of the system [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system, outside_system | (a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone 14's crash detection feature triggering false alarms on roller coasters can be categorized as within_system. The incident occurred due to the feature's algorithm being triggered by the vibrations and movements typical of a roller coaster ride, leading to automatic calls to emergency services [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) The software failure incident can also be categorized as outside_system as it involved external factors such as the physical environment of the roller coaster ride causing the feature to misinterpret the situation and make false emergency calls [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions, human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The iPhone 14's crash detection feature automatically calling emergency services from the pockets of people riding roller coasters, mistaking the bumps and jerks of the rides as car crashes [Article 134149]. - The feature uses sensors like the axis gyroscope and high G-force accelerometer to detect crashes, and if an impact is detected, it automatically connects the person to emergency services [Article 134511]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - Users experiencing false alarms and panic due to the iPhone's crash detection feature sending alerts to emergency contacts after mistaking non-crash situations for actual accidents [Article 134149]. - Users inadvertently triggering the crash detection feature by riding roller coasters, leading to unintentional 911 calls and causing a headache for emergency personnel near amusement parks [Article 134511]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware, software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The incident of iPhone 14's crash detection feature mistakenly triggering 911 calls while users were on roller coasters can be attributed to hardware factors. The new iPhone 14 features a sensor with a high-G-force accelerometer that detects car crashes, but the intense movements and vibrations experienced on roller coasters were mistakenly interpreted as severe accidents, leading to false alarms to emergency services [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software failure incident of iPhone 14's crash detection feature mistakenly calling emergency services on roller coasters can also be attributed to software factors. The crash detection software uses algorithms and sensors to detect crashes, but in this case, it failed to differentiate between actual car crashes and the movements on roller coasters, leading to false alerts and unnecessary calls to 911 [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) The articles do not mention any malicious intent behind the software failure incidents reported. [133979, 134149, 134511] (b) The software failure incidents related to the iPhone 14's crash detection feature on roller coasters were non-malicious in nature. The incidents occurred due to the unintentional triggering of the crash detection feature by the movements and vibrations experienced on the rides, leading to false alarms and automatic calls to emergency services. This was not done with the intent to harm the system but rather as a result of the feature's sensitivity to certain types of movements and impacts. [133979, 134149, 134511] |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | accidental_decisions | (a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions: - The software failure incident of iPhone 14's crash detection feature triggering false alarms on roller coasters was not due to poor decisions but rather unintended consequences of the feature's design and functionality [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions: - The software failure incident of iPhone 14's crash detection feature triggering false alarms on roller coasters was due to accidental decisions or unintended consequences of the feature's design and functionality [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development_incompetence: - The incident of iPhone 14's crash detection feature mistakenly triggering 911 calls while users were on roller coasters can be attributed to development incompetence as the feature was not designed to differentiate between a car crash and the jolts and movements experienced on amusement park rides [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The accidental triggering of the iPhone 14's crash detection feature on roller coasters leading to false 911 calls can be considered as a failure occurring accidentally, as users did not intentionally activate the emergency call feature while on the rides [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Duration | temporary | (a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone 14's crash detection feature triggering false alarms on roller coasters is temporary. This is because the incident occurs due to specific circumstances, such as the high G-force accelerometer detecting roller coaster movements as a car crash, leading to automatic calls to emergency services [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) The software failure incident is not permanent as it is not a continuous or ongoing issue but rather a specific scenario where the feature misinterprets roller coaster movements as a car crash, resulting in false alarms to emergency services. |
| Behaviour | crash, other | (a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash. The iPhone 14's crash detection feature mistakenly interpreted the movements on roller coasters as severe car crashes, leading to automatic calls to emergency services [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) omission: There is no indication in the articles that the software failure incident was due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident is not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a false positive, where the crash detection feature incorrectly identified non-car crash situations as emergencies, leading to unnecessary calls to emergency services [133979, 134149, 134511]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | death, non-human, theoretical_consequence | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - A tragic car crash in Lincoln, Nebraska resulted in all six young passengers in the vehicle being killed. An iPhone 14 belonging to one of the victims automatically called 911, alerting emergency services to the scene, despite there being no other witnesses to the crash [133979]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - There is no direct mention of physical harm caused by the software failure incident in the articles. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - There is no mention of people's access to food or shelter being impacted by the software failure incident in the articles. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - There is no mention of people's material goods, money, or data being impacted by the software failure incident in the articles. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - There is no mention of people having to postpone an activity due to the software failure incident in the articles. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident involved iPhones automatically calling emergency services due to false crash detection alerts triggered by roller coasters, impacting the resources of local police departments [133979, 134149, 134511]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident led to false crash detection calls to emergency services, causing unnecessary responses and alerts, but there were no actual severe car accidents or injuries as a result of the false alerts [133979, 134149, 134511]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The articles discuss the potential consequences of false alarms and panic caused by the crash detection feature, but these did not result in actual harm or accidents [133979, 134149, 134511]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - There are no other consequences of the software failure incident mentioned in the articles. |
| Domain | information, entertainment | (a) The software failure incident reported in the news articles is related to the information industry, specifically the production and distribution of information. The incident involves the new iPhone 14's crash detection feature mistakenly triggering emergency calls while users were on roller coasters, leading to false alarms to emergency services [133979, 134149, 134511]. (b) The incident does not directly relate to the transportation industry. (c) The incident does not directly relate to the natural resources industry. (d) The incident does not directly relate to the sales industry. (e) The incident does not directly relate to the construction industry. (f) The incident does not directly relate to the manufacturing industry. (g) The incident does not directly relate to the utilities industry. (h) The incident does not directly relate to the finance industry. (i) The incident does not directly relate to the knowledge industry. (j) The incident does not directly relate to the health industry. (k) The incident does relate to the entertainment industry, as it involves users experiencing false emergency calls triggered by the iPhone's crash detection feature while on roller coasters at amusement parks [133979, 134149, 134511]. (l) The incident does not directly relate to the government industry. (m) The incident does not directly relate to any other specific industry. |
Article ID: 133979
Article ID: 134149
Article ID: 134511