FamilyTracking
Premium feature

The alert that sends itself

In a serious crash, the driver may not be able to reach a phone. Crash detection uses the phone's own sensors to recognize a collision and — if the driver doesn't respond to a countdown — automatically alerts your Circle with the exact location.

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How a phone knows a crash happened

Modern phones carry accelerometers and gyroscopes sensitive enough to feel the physics of a collision: a violent deceleration spike, a direction change no normal driving produces, often followed by sudden stillness. FamilyTracking watches for that signature whenever it detects you're driving — and combines motion data with speed and GPS context to filter out dropped phones and hard braking.

Detection runs on-device. Your motion data isn't streamed anywhere; only a confirmed event leaves the phone.

The countdown: a chance to say 'I'm fine'

When a possible crash is detected, the phone sounds a loud alarm and shows a full-screen countdown — 60 seconds to tap 'I'm OK'. Fender-bender, dramatic pothole, phone launched off the dashboard: one tap, nothing happens, nobody is alarmed.

If the countdown expires with no response, the Circle receives a maximum-priority alert — 'Possible crash · Dad · Hwy 280' — with the precise location and a live trail, the same unmissable delivery as a manual SOS.

Sensors detect impact 60 s 'I'm OK' countdown No response → Circle alerted
On-device detection, a human-sized grace period, then an unmissable alert with location.

Honest limits you should know

No phone-based system detects every crash. Low-speed collisions may not produce a clear sensor signature; a phone in a padded bag reads the world dimly; and detection requires the phone to survive the impact and have signal to send the alert. Independent testing across the industry shows phone-based detection is good and improving — and imperfect.

We'd rather you know that than trust it blindly. Crash detection is a safety net under your seatbelt, airbags and good driving — never a substitute, and not a guarantee.

Designed alongside teen driving tools

Crash detection pairs naturally with driving reports and speed alerts: the reports help build safer habits over months; detection covers the moment habits aren't enough. For parents of new drivers, the combination addresses both the chronic worry and the acute one.

It also matters at the other end of life — adult children enable it for parents in their seventies who still drive, where a minor crash can have major consequences and self-reporting is least reliable.

Who turns it on

  • Parents of new drivers. The first two years behind the wheel are statistically the riskiest of a driving life.
  • Long solo commutes. Rural highways late at night are exactly where an automatic alert earns its keep.
  • Older drivers. Adult children enable it for parents still driving in their seventies and eighties.
  • Motorcyclists in the family. Higher stakes, lower visibility — and a rider who can't always reach a phone.
  • Road-trip season. Many families switch it on for the holiday drive even if it's off the rest of the year.

Stronger together: pairings worth enabling

No FamilyTracking feature lives alone — this one gets noticeably better next to the right neighbors:

  • Driving safety reports. Reports build the habits that prevent crashes; detection covers the day habits aren't enough. One Premium bundle, both layers.
  • Speed alerts. The same trip-detection engine powers both — enabling one makes the other free in battery terms.
  • SOS emergency button. A conscious driver after a minor crash can skip the countdown and fire SOS directly — the manual and automatic paths converge on the same family alert.

The bottom line

Crash detection is insurance in the truest sense: you pay a little (Premium, a sliver of battery), hope it stays unused, and value it entirely for the one day it isn't. Enable it for the drivers whose worst-case scenario keeps you up — the new teen driver, the long commuter, the parent in their late seventies — and respect its honest limits: it supplements seatbelts and judgment, never replaces them. The 60-second countdown means false alarms cost a tap, which removes the only good argument against leaving it on for every driver in the Circle.

How to get crash detection on your phone

  1. Install FamilyTracking free from Google Play (Android 8.0+) or the App Store (iOS 14+).
  2. Create a Circle and invite your family with the code the app gives you.
  3. Upgrade to Premium, then enable Settings → Driving → Crash detection per driver — each member switches it on for themselves.

Full walkthrough with screenshots: download & setup guide.

Google Play App Store

FAQ

Crash detection — your questions answered

How does crash detection work without special hardware?

The phone's accelerometer and gyroscope recognize the physical signature of a collision — violent deceleration plus abnormal motion, cross-checked against speed and GPS context. Everything runs on the phone itself.

Will it trigger if I drop my phone or brake hard?

Designed not to: drops and hard braking lack the full crash signature. If a false detection does occur, the 60-second countdown lets you tap 'I'm OK' and nothing is sent.

What exactly does my family receive?

A maximum-priority alert naming the driver, the location on the map, the time, and a live location trail — delivered through silent mode, identical in urgency to a manual SOS.

Does crash detection call emergency services?

No. It alerts your Circle, who can then call emergency services with your exact location. We state this plainly: in an emergency where you're able, call your local emergency number yourself first.

Can it miss a real crash?

Yes, honestly — low-speed impacts, unusual phone placement, a destroyed phone or no signal can all prevent detection or delivery. It's a safety net, not a guarantee, and we'd rather you know its limits.

Does it drain battery while driving?

Minimally. Detection piggybacks on the driving detection already running for trip features, adding roughly 1% per hour of driving.

Who can turn crash detection on or off?

Each member controls it for their own device. Parents administering young-driver accounts can enable it as part of agreed family driving rules — visibly, like every FamilyTracking feature.

Does it work for passengers?

Yes — the sensors feel the vehicle's physics regardless of who's driving, so a teen riding in a friend's car is covered too.

Is crash detection available on Android and iPhone?

Yes, on Android 8.0+ and iOS 14+ with Premium. Sensor quality varies by handset; recent mid-range and flagship phones perform best.

Why is this a Premium feature when SOS is free?

Manual SOS is core safety and stays free forever. Crash detection requires continuous sensor analysis infrastructure that we fund through Premium — one of the features subscriptions exist to pay for.

Does crash detection work on a motorcycle or bicycle?

It's tuned for enclosed vehicles; two-wheeler physics differ and detection reliability is lower. Riders should treat it as supplementary at best — we'd rather understate this than oversell it.

Will it trigger on a rollercoaster or bumpy road?

The classifier filters sustained-context signals like amusement rides and washboard roads using speed and GPS context. If a false positive slips through, the 60-second 'I'm OK' tap costs nothing.

For the moment they can't reach the phone

Part of Premium, alongside driving reports and speed alerts. Try it free for 7 days.

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