An important iPhone feature has led police to two teenagers who were shot in a parked car.
The vehicle had no signs of an accident when authorities uncovered a grim scene in Georgia, United States.
They’d responded to a collision alert but hadn’t found any signs of an accident when they arrived at the location on October 12.
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But despite there being no sign of a crash, it was an Apple feature that led the police to the scene.
On further inspection of the car, officers found two teens - Beatriz Vega, 17, and Roberto Deleon, 19 - in the front seats.
This was because the iPhone crash detection feature had sent out an alert.
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According to Apple, this feature is designed to recognize ‘severe car crashes’, including front impact, side impact, rear end collision and rollover.
When it detects a crash, the feature will connect users with emergency services.
While the car in question hadn’t suffered a collision, it’s thought that the impact of a gunshot was interpreted as a crash by the phone’s sensors.
The teens were rushed to hospital after being found but sadly died later from their injuries.
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Now, police are investigating it as a double homicide and further details around a suspect or motive haven’t been disclosed.
The families of the victims have set up GoFundMe pages to cover the funeral costs, with Vega’s account describing her as a ‘bright light’ and was ‘known for her kindness, laughter, and unwavering support for those she loved’.
Beatriz’s page says that she was ‘taken from us far too soon in a tragic incident that has left all who knew her in shock and mourning’.
How does the iPhone crash feature work?
When the Apple device detects a severe crash, it will sound an alarm and display an alert for 10 seconds.
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At the bottom of the screen, the user can call emergency services just by swiping the slider.
If nothing happens within 10 seconds, then a 10 second countdown will begin and if the user doesn’t interact by then, the phone will automatically contact emergency services.
The emergency operator will hear a message read out from Siri, saying: “The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash and is not responding to their phone”.
They will also be given an estimated location and a search radius.
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However, there have been cases where things like a theme park ride or driving over bumpy terrain can trigger the alert.
So, while it can be life-saving, it’s not a perfected system just yet.