Two years ago, rumors were flying around the internet that if you whispered “seventeen” to your iPhone, it would magically increase the phone’s battery life. Alas, the rumor was just a rumor. But now, the old iPhone “life hack” has come back with a vengeance. In fact, the hack doesn’t work one bit. Instead, Siri on your iPhone will automatically call emergency services if you tell Siri “seventeen” or “17.”
According to the Siri User Guide website, “Most countries around the world have different numbers to call if you get into trouble. But knowing which number to dial in your area if you’re traveling abroad is something most of us don’t consider when packing our cases for a trip away. To help tackle this, the Apple developers and programmed your iPhone to automatically call the local emergency number, even if you say the code for your home country.”
In the United States, people dial 911 for an emergency. However, in other countries around the world, the emergency phone number is 17. Because of this, Apple made it so that if you tell Siri “seventeen” anywhere in the world, including in the United States, you will automatically place an emergency call to the local dispatcher.
According to Siri User Guide, “The feature has been used for jokes and playing pranks on people since its introduction. But we don’t recommend phoning the emergency services unless it’s vital, and we hope it’s something you’ll never have to use. Other numbers will trigger the same result, such as ‘Hey Siri, 14.’ 14 is the emergency number in Algeria and a number of other African countries.”
This functionality means that Apple is prepared to help people connect to emergency services no matter where they are in the world. If they take their iPhone out of their home country and are visiting another location abroad, they will still be able to tell Siri to call in an emergency even if they use their local number instead of the correct one in the country where they are currently located.
For example, if an American is visiting an African country where locals dial “14” for an emergency, Siri will know to call for help even if the person dials “911” or tells those digits to the virtual assistant.
Because internet users have “pranked” so many people by telling them to tell Siri “seventeen” and other emergency services numbers, Apple has updated the phone’s operating software to include a warning to check to make sure the person intended to call in an emergency.
By adding a second layer to the process, Apple has been able to prevent people from placing unwanted emergency calls. This means that the vital resources of emergency dispatchers are not wasted with unintended calls. Those workers will therefore have more time to help people who are truly in an emergency rather than fielding prank calls from people who were tricked by an online meme urging them to whisper “17” to Siri.
Did you know that Siri can automatically place an emergency call for you?