iPhone: Emergency Satellite Feature A Life Saver

With iOS 16.1, Apple introduced Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, which allows iPhone 14 users to contact emergency services even without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

First reported by MacRumours, a man traveling from Noorvik to Kotzebue in Alaska got stranded in a cold, remote location on December 1, 2022, when his snowmobile went down. Thankfully, he was an iPhone user and was carrying the iPhone 14.

He activated the emergency SOS via satellite feature on his iPhone 14. Apple’s Emergency Response Center then altered the search and rescue department and shared his GPS coordinates shared by iPhone 14.

On receiving the alert, Alaska State Troopers worked with the local search and rescue teams and the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator to rescue the stranded man. He was eventually rescued without any injuries.

What is impressive here is that Apple satellite feature was not supposed to work in the area  he was located as it was on the fringes of where satellite connectivity is available.

According to Apple, satellite connectivity might not work in places above 62° latitude, such as northern parts of Canada and Alaska.

Noorvik and Kotzebue, where the man was stranded, are close to 69° latitude. The man was rescued successfully and there were no injuries, according to the report.

He was in a remote area with limited satellite coverage.

Apple says, as Noorvik and Kotzebue are close to 69Ao latitude, satellite connectivity might not be available in places above 62Ao latitude, such as northern parts of Canada and Alaska, the report added.

The team of rescuers later said that they were “impressed with the accuracy and completeness of information included in the initial alert,” sent by the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature on iPhone 14.

Last month, Apple revealed that it invested $450 million in developing the critical infrastructure that supports Emergency SOS via satellite for iPhone 14 models.