The iPhone 14 series comes with the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature which allows users to contact emergency services when there is no cellular connection. This feature managed to save a man who got lost in Alaska.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Alaska state police received a notification that a man driving a snowmobile from Noorvik to Kotzebue had suddenly lost his way.
The man was in a cold and remote area with no cellular connection. He then activated the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature on his iPhone 14 to notify authorities about his condition.
Apple's Emergency Response Center immediately worked with the local SAR team and the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator to deploy volunteers directly to the GPS coordinates sent to Apple using the emergency feature.
The straggler was rescued and was not injured. It was found in a remote area almost unreachable by satellite connections.
According to Apple's information, the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature may not work in areas above 62 degrees latitude, such as northern Canada and Alaska. Meanwhile, Noorvik and Kotzebue are approaching 69 degrees latitude.
The authorities assisting the rescue process praised the accuracy and completeness of the information submitted by the first notification, as quoted from MacRumors, Sunday (4/12/2022).
The Emergency SOS via Satellite feature was launched with the iOS 16.1 update and will be available to all iPhone 14 series users. This feature can be activated when the user is in an emergency and cannot get a cellular or WiFi connection.
This feature can be used free of charge for two years, and Apple has not provided information on how much it will cost after the two years are over. Currently the satellite connectivity feature on the new iPhone 14 is available in North America and will be available in France, Germany, Ireland and the UK.