Apple’s next major feature for its iPhone and Apple Watch series is going to be the ability to detect vehicular crashes and then call for emergency services automatically if needed, reported The Wall Street Journal.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is planning on launching the feature in 2022, according to internal company documents and people in the knowledge of the matter.

The feature will be using onboard sensors like the accelerometer, the devices will be able to calculate whether there was a sudden spike in acceleration or deceleration upon impact. The device would then automatically call emergency services to inform them of the accident.

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The company has been testing the feature over the past year, with 10 million suspected car crashes and 50,000 calls made to emergency services, reported the WSJ. The company has been collecting the required data from iPhone and Apple Watch users anonymously and has also been collecting 911 emergency call logs in order to ascertain the accuracy of its sensors.

The crash detection sensor is not a new development in tech. Google claims that its Pixel phones released after 2019 are capable of detecting a crash and then calling emergency services as well.

Apple has been extending the health-related services of its devices in recent years. Apple Watches released after 2018 can detect when users have a sudden fall and is users remains immobile for a minute after the fall, it automatically connects to emergency services.

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iOS 15 also allowed users to share their health data collected from their Apple Watch and iPhone to medical health providers and family members. Additionally, the company also added a walking stability feature that measures the risk of falling for each individual and also carries COVID-19 vaccination cards to the Wallet app on their iPhones.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)