The New iPhone 14 Emergency SOS Feature Saved a Man stranded in Alaska
A stranded man in Alaska was saved after making use of Apple’s newest Emergency SOS satellite function.
On December 1, at 2 a.m. (AST), Alaska State Troopers informed that rescue services were alerted that an adult male traveling by snowmachine from the isolated town of Noorvik to Kotzebue had switched on an Emergency SOS via satellite on his iPhone after getting stranded. The region did not have Wi-Fi or mobile coverage.
Apple’s Emergency Response Center gave Troopers and the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator the GPS coordinates of the stranded man. Four volunteer searchers found and transferred the man to Kotzebue. The man was safe and had no injuries, as stated by the report.
A spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety informed Insider that search and rescue units were dispatched at 3:30 a.m., and the stranded man was transferred to Kotzebue at 6 a.m. According to Insider, the man did not have any other type of satellite communication.
In a public statement, Troopers who recovered the man stated they “were thoroughly impressed with the accuracy and completeness of information included in the initial alert.“
This comes weeks after Apple introduced its Emergency SOS satellite feature for iPhone 14 users in the United States (besides Guam or American Samoa) and Canada. The safety service enables individuals to message emergency services outside of mobile and Wi-Fi coverage.
The feature additionally allows iPhone 14 users to share their location through satellite with friends and family, making use of the Find My app. Owners of every model in the iPhone 14 lineup have access to the feature. It’s due to come to certain European markets, including the UK, Germany, France, and Ireland, at some point this month.
The satellite link can be preserved even if your phone display is locked; however, it may suffer when near hills, mountains, canyons, and high structures or even when around thick vegetation. Apple mentions that a message sent using the satellite function can take 15 seconds to deliver in optimal situations with an unobstructed view of the sky and over a minute to send under trees with light or medium foliage.
Latitude can additionally influence the link. Apple has mentioned that being in areas over 62 degrees latitude can make it harder for the function to work. However, Noorvik and Kotzebue are close to 69 degrees latitude.
Apple has pointed out that Emergency SOS is free for two years after the activation of iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro, yet it has not specified what it will cost afterward. You can test the Satellite function without signaling rescue services via the settings menu on your iPhone 14.
Originally published by: PCMag
Read More: How To Make Use Of Smartphone SOS Feature?
