Officials in Lake County have been seeing a rise of accidental 911 calls from residents' smart watches.
When Apple released its new watch about one year ago, it came with a new feature that lets users press and hold a button on the side of the device to call 911 for help. Since then, 911 call centers across the country, and in the Chicago area, have been experiencing a problem with accidental calls.
When you wear the watch and bend at the wrist, it can put pressure on the button which will then call 911. It takes about three seconds of pressing the button for the call to go out. It will also alert your emergency contact. The watch will then make a loud beeping noise. Some people don't know that this feature has been activated on their device.
Officials in Lake County said these accidental calls are happening more than people may think.