LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — County dispatchers are seeing a surge in accidental calls from Apple Watches.
Lake County officials said accidental calls have been occurring more than the public might think, thanks to a feature on the watch that allows users to press and hold a button on the side of the device to call for help, WGNTV reported.
“Maybe a child activating it, maybe during their sleep. People wear the watches to monitor their sleep habits and if they fall asleep on the button in a certain way it can force the watch to call 911,” Lake County Sheriff’s Office communications director Kent McKenzie said.
Dispatchers said they receive as many as 10 accidental calls from Apple Watches a day.
“If we have an open line and can’t identify what’s going on, we’re going to dispatch officers to the location, and that takes away from officers who could respond to other incidents,” Kent said.
Some recommend Apple reconsider the design of the watch, as the feature is a great tool.
”... I think knowing this is an issue, Apple may want to re-look at the design and put the button in a different place,” dispatcher Charisce Anderson said.