A Florida woman is fortunate to be alive after her car flipped into a marsh near a Tampa highway; her Apple Watch, iPhone, and Google Maps likely saved her life.
NBC’s “Today” reported that as Amanda Antonio’s car began sinking in the mud and filling with water, she realized she could ping her submerged iPhone using her Apple Watch. This enabled her to dial 911, connecting her with a dispatcher who attempted to keep her calm while emergency crews searched for the vehicle.
The search lasted so long that Antonio’s chest began to fill with water and her iPhone battery dropped below 5 percent capacity. She then realized that she could assist by accessing Google Maps, which pinpointed her location to a street near an amphitheater.
Antonio’s iPhone and Watch models are unknown, but the iPhone was likely a model 7 or later, which is when Apple began officially waterproofing its hardware. The iPhone 6s was sealed to a limited extent, but this only reduced the likelihood of water damage and did not carry an IP rating.
Several accounts of Apple technology being used in emergencies have surfaced, and Apple has begun using them for marketing purposes. However, the company has occasionally been accused of causing accidents, such as by failing to prevent people from using FaceTime while driving. iOS 11 was released in 2017 and included a “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature, indicating an admission of the problem.
