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'Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over:' iPhone shortcut records interaction with police

Posted at 7:14 AM, Jun 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-19 14:06:51-04

A Reddit user has created an iPhone shortcut designed to record interactions with law enforcement.

The program, called "I'm Getting Pulled Over," automatically turns on an iPhone's camera when the user tells Siri they're being pulled over.

Robert Peterson first created the shortcut in 2018, and has since updated the program to include new features. Peterson shared the current version of the shortcut on Twitter as it has gained traction amid weeks-long anti-police brutality protests in cities throughout the country.

The shortcut:

  • Pauses music that may be playing
  • Turns down the phone's brightness and volume
  • Turn on Do Not Disturb
  • Sends a message to an emergency contact that includes the user's current location and lets the contact know the user is being pulled over
  • Opens the phone's front-facing camera and starts recording
  • When the recording is stopped, the program sends a copy to an emergency contact

On Reddit, Peterson said the programs works best when phones are mounted on a dashboard.

To download the shortcut:

  • Download the "Shortcuts" app

shortcuts

  • Run another shortcut in the app, click "Gallery" to see the other options (this step is necessary to allow you to run an untrusted shortcut)
  • Go to "Shortcuts" in settings and turn on "Allow Untrusted Shortcuts"

untrusted

run

To activate the shortcut, say, "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over."

According to Peterson, there is not currently an Android version of the shortcut.

Anyone having issues running the shortcut can click here for help.

This story was originally published by WFTS in Tampa, Florida.