Oliver Haslam·

iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS Via Satellite Has Already Saved A Life In Alaska

Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup has a new Emergency SOS via Satellite feature that can summon emergency services even when there is no cellular or WiFi connectivity.

Now we have the first recorded instance of the feature potentially saving a life after someone became stranded in Alaska.

Authorities report that on December 1, 2022, at around 2:00 am, Alaska State Troopers “were notified that an adult male traveling via snowmachine from Noorvik to Kotzebue had activated an Apple iPhone Emergency SOS via satellite on his iPhone after becoming stranded.”

The person was rescued without incident and no injuries occurred. The report goes on to say that they were able to locate the person thanks to GPS coordinates provided by an Apple Emergency Response Center.

Apple’s announcement of the features said details would be relayed to an emergency center and then handed off to emergency services as required, as was the case here. The feature uses Globalstar satellites to help locate users so long as they have line of sight.

The Emergency SOS via Satellite feature is available on all iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max phones and is free for the first two years – although Apple has yet to confirm how much it will cost beyond that time.

The feature is now live in the United States and Canada and will become available in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK later this month.

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