Apple Says Emergency Calls During Bonnaroo Were Mostly “Butt Dials”

June 25, 2023

On Target News reported during the week of Bonnaroo that many accidental calls were being made to the Coffee County 911 Communication Center. They began on Tuesday and did not end until the festival closed on June 18.

In total, close to 1,000 accidental 911 calls were made over six days, flooding the communication center.

Many of the calls originated from iPhones, leading public safety officials to initially believe Apple’s new Crash Detection feature on iPhones and Apple Watches.

According to Apple, it became apparent that the accidental calls originating from Bonnaroo were caused by “butt dialing” and not crash detection. Law enforcement said the problem tripled their daily average accidental 911 calls during the festival’s run, resulting in more than fifty hours of overtime work for emergency personnel.

Lucky Knott

One of Southern Tennessee's most experienced and recognized news broadcasters and play-by-play sportscasters. News and Sports Director for Rooster 101.5 FM, 93.9 The Duck and Whiskey Country 105.1, and 95.9. He is currently the play-by-play voice of the Coffee County Red Raiders (31 years) on The Rooster 101.5 and can be heard M-F broadcasting our local news. Lucky has done play-by-play for 3,993 (and counting) sports events on Radio & TV. He also served four years as the Public Information Officer for the Coffee Co. Sheriff's Dept. and taught Radio/TV for six years at Grundy County High School.