JAKARTA - Apple's rising new feature, Emergency SOS via satellite is now available to British, French, German and Irish citizens. This feature is devoted to users of the iPhone 14 series.
Emergency SOS via satellite was previously launched in the United States (US) and Canada. This feature can be used by anyone with an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max running iOS 16.1 or later to contact emergency services while they are in an area with no cellular coverage or Wi-Fi.
When using this feature, users will be treated to questions about their situation via questionnaires. Then, users will be guided to direct their iPhone to the sky to connect to the satellite and send an initial message to Apple's Emergency Response Center.
That includes user questionnaire responses, locations, altitudes, battery levels, and Medical IDs (if activated). This ensures they can quickly understand the user's situation and location.
Apple is working with experts to review standard questions and protocols to identify the most common reasons for calling emergency services.
It should be noted, the satellite is moving very fast, has a low bandwidth, and is located thousands of miles away from Earth, so it takes a few minutes to send a short message. With an Emergency SOS via satellite, users can send and receive messages in just 15 seconds.
What's more, users can send their location via satellite using the Find My app to convince friends and family about their whereabouts or conditions, if they are in an area with no cellular coverage or Wi-Fi.
Launching Neowin, Wednesday, December 14, Apple does not expect its users to need this emergency service, but if they are curious to try it, users can visit demo mode. Once users activate this service, they will get two free years.
It is not known for sure how much Apple will charge after the two-year period expires. There is no word on whether the company will launch this feature globally, or only certain countries.
As previously reported, the SOS Emergency feature managed to save a man in Alaska some time ago. In the early hours of December 1, the Alaska State Forces received a SOS message with a location known as Nimiuk Point, where a man in his car was stranded due to snowfall in the area while traveling between the city of Noorvik to Kotzebue.
Drivers were found using his iPhone 14 to connect to Apple's Emergency Response Center for assistance.
Rescue crews were then sent to GPS coordinates that had been transmitted by their cellphones, then the man was rescued and there were no injuries. The area where he is far from the city, but satellite connectivity is available.
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