What’s the Deal With Certain Numbers?
Locations outside of the Americas use the number 14 and others to contact police, fire, and ambulance services in the case of an emergency. Not every country or region uses 911. Along with the number 14, numbers 15, 17, 18, and 19 are also used to contact emergency services in countries and regions such as Albania, Chad, Mali, Martinique, Morocco, Tahiti, etc. Other numbers like 01, 02, and 03 are used in Ukraine, Latvia, and Belarus for their emergency services. For a complete list of emergency service numbers and codes like these, take a look at the U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs table for using 911 abroad.
What Does Siri Do When You Say 14?
If you access Siri on your iPhone and say any of the numbers mentioned above, this should not immediately dial the police, fire, or ambulance service in your area. For instance, on an iPhone 12 running iOS 14.5, saying the numbers 14 and 03 to Siri prompts a response rather than an automatically-dialed emergency call. Siri displays a message explaining the number is used in some locations to contact emergency services. Siri then goes onto confirm whether it should dial 14, 03, or indeed, Emergency Services. Please be aware; however, this is not a guarantee it will work this way on every Apple device and operating system version. If Siri makes the emergency call, you should have three seconds to tap Cancel before it goes through. And if you do receive the messages in the screenshots above, you can tap away or ask Siri for something else without taking any action to make or cancel a call.
Can You Have Siri Call 911?
Now, if you’re wondering whether Siri will call 911 for you if instructed, the answer is yes. The simple command, “Hey Siri, dial 9-1-1,” will do exactly that. And you do have three seconds to hit the Cancel button before the call is placed.
What Does Siri Do With These Numbers on a Mac?
Mac users can also reap the benefit of Siri’s assistance. However, if you say the same numbers as above, like 14 or 03, Siri will let you know you’ll need to use your phone to contact emergency services. And it’s important to note the same is true if you give a “9-1-1” command to Siri on your Mac.
Don’t Play Around With These Numbers
It’s not worth messing around with Siri to see what happens with these numbers. It’s always possible it could contact your local emergency services by mistake. Heed this warning and only use these numbers with Siri on your iPhone when you have an emergency. Another helpful Siri shortcut is “Hey Siri; I’m getting pulled over.”
