PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

PCMag UK

Report: Apple Repair Center Inundating 911 With Calls

Since October, devices from one California Apple repair facility have placed 1,600 erroneous calls to 911, taking precious time away from real emergencies.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Emergency dispatchers in Elk Grove, Calif. have been dealing with a troubling problem over the past several months: a flood of erroneous emergency calls traced back to a nearby Apple repair facility.

CBS Sacramento reported Thursday that Elk Grove Police have received around 20 erroneous calls from Apple devices at the facility every day, on average, since October. That adds up to around 1,600 false alarms, which are taking precious time away from real emergencies.

"We're able to see quickly where the call is coming from, so when we get one from Apple, the address will come up with their location," Police Dispatcher Jamie Hudson told the news outlet. "The times when it's greatly impacting us is when we have other emergencies happening and we may have a dispatcher on another 911 call that may have to put that call on hold to triage the incoming call."

In a statement to PCMag, an Apple spokesperson said the company is looking into the issue.

"We're aware of 911 calls originating from our Elk Grove repair and refurbishment facility," Apple's statement reads. "We take this seriously and we are working closely with local law enforcement to investigate the cause and ensure this doesn't continue."

After answering, dispatchers can sometimes hear Apple employees working in the background, unaware they are on the line with 911.

"It sounds like people talking about Apple, or devices, or generally about maintenance and repairs," Sgt. Shaun Hampton with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department told the news outlet.

At this point, it's unclear which Apple devices are placing so many calls to emergency services, or why this is happening. As the report suggested, the problem could have something to do with the Cupertino tech giant's Emergency SOS feature, which can be activated on the iPhone X and 8 by pressing and holding the side button and one of the volume buttons. On iPhone 7 and earlier models, you can call emergency services by simply pressing the side button five times. On Apple Watch Series 3, this feature can be triggered by simply pressing and holding the side button.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read the latest from Angela Moscaritolo

Read full bio