Apple Launches Emergency SOS via Satellite Today
Intro
Apple today announced that one of the highlight features of the iPhone 14 series, Emergency SOS via satellite, will be available for users as of today. The service will initially be available for people living in Canada and the United States. Apple has already planned to launch the service in four additional regions, France, Germany, Ireland and the UK, in December. The service is available for all four iPhone 14 devices.
Service Description
Apple finally shared more details about the specifics of the new service. It has been once more clarified that this new feature allows users in emergency to send a text message to their emergency contacts through satellite networks. This will work even if the iPhone is unable to call 911 as long as a satellite connection can be established.
As Apple describes: “A short questionnaire appears to help the user answer vital questions with a few simple taps, which is transmitted to dispatchers in the initial message, to ensure they are able to quickly understand a user’s situation and location. “ Then an: “intuitive interface guides the user where to point their iPhone to connect and sends the initial message. This message includes the user’s questionnaire responses; location, including altitude; iPhone battery level; and Medical ID, if enabled. The questionnaire and follow-up messages are relayed directly via satellite to dispatchers that accept text messages, or to relay centers staffed by Apple‑trained specialists who can call for help on the user’s behalf. The transcript can also be shared with the user’s emergency contacts to keep them informed.”
Users in emergency can also update their location on Find My through this process. In this way, emergency contacts will be able to gain insight on the current location of their favourite person in emergency. During the process the users can respond to a set of pre-defined questions that help emergency services to respond more promptly and accurately.
Apple adds another useful feature, on top of car crash detection, which aims at assisting iPhone users to recover from any emergency incidents.
Demo
Apple has enabled a service demo for all iPhone users in the US and Canada. This is gradually rolling out in these two markets, Canada and the US. If you still cannot view the Demo option under Settings - Emergency SOS, try again later.
Apple’s press release is available here.
