iPhone Police Shortcuts
Do you use iPhone Shortcuts? Do you know what iPhone Shortcuts are?
Don’t worry. If you said, “What’s an iPhone Shortcut?”, you are not alone.
There are millions of smartphones out there and there are millions of apps performing tasks to make our lives easier. People are constantly writing code to improve the way we interact with apps. The recent iOS 12 update brought with it an easier way to create voice command shortcuts.
A shortcut is just what it sounds like…a quicker way to accomplish a series of tasks. A single voice command can start a series of events on the phone in a programmed sequence. Some of the shortcuts people are creating are pretty useful.
Send Travel Time to Contact
For example. When we are heading to a friend’s house, most of us politely text them to announce our impending arrival. Reddit user mentho-lyptus built a shortcut for that. It uses the address information in your friend’s contact info, estimates the time needed to reach the address based on the phone’s geo-location and sends a message to the contact number saying, “I’ll be there in ## minutes.”
It’s also great for when you are leaving work and want to make sure the kids have enough warning time to finish their chores before you get home. (Download Send Travel Time here)
Police Interaction Monitoring
One of the more interesting uses for shortcuts is what people are doing to help manage their interactions with law enforcement.
Reboot
The Reboot shortcut feature forces a reboot of your phone. The fingerprint unlock feature is rendered useless when an iPhone is rebooted. A passcode must be entered into the phone before it will unlock for the user. The police cannot legally compel you to turn over the passcode for your phone. But some courts have ruled that under certain conditions, the police can force you to give up your fingerprints where “reasonable suspicion” may apply. This shortcut could help keep the police from being able to access information on your phone. (Download Reboot here)
Police Shortcut – Got Pulled Over
Another useful shortcut is the Police – Got Pulled Over shortcut. It can be activated by saying, “Hey Siri, I’m being pulled over”. Once turned on, it lowers the phone’s brightness, activates Do Not Disturb, and texts the phone’s geographic location to an emergency contact to let them know you have been pulled over by the police. The phone automatically starts recording video from the front facing camera and sends the video to the contact or saves it to a cloud service. (Download Police here)
It’s a pretty innovative solution to the continuing problems that often occur when law enforcement and citizenry report differing facts regarding their interactions with each other. Traffic stops are the most common situation in which law enforcement interacts with people.
Louisiana Civil Rights Attorney
The very best way to protect yourself is to know your rights and to be confident in your knowledge.
You do not have to consent to a search unless the officer has a search warrant or probably cause.
You have right to remain silent. It really is your best option most of the time.
You have the right to record the traffic stop. Make sure that you are not interfering with the investigation. Remember, the phone is recording your behavior as well, remain respectful and courteous. Do not abruptly reach for your phone.
If you believe your civil rights are being violated, you have the right to an attorney.
Contact the Law Offices of L. Clayton Burgess to schedule a consultation with an attorney that knows how to manage police misconduct cases. Don’t Delay, Call Clay!
1-877-234-7573
