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.
But despite there being no sign of a crash, it was an Apple feature that led the police to the scene.
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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.
According to Apple, this feature is designed to recognize ‘severe car crashes’, including front impact, side impact, rear end collision and rollover.
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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.
Now, police are investigating it as a double homicide and further details around a suspect or motive haven’t been disclosed.
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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.