TL;DR
- The iPhone 14’s satellite communication tech has already saved someone’s life.
- An Alaskan man used the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature to send an emergency alert.
The iPhone 14 series is equipped with satellite communication functionality, allowing users to send emergency SOS messages via satellites in case there’s no Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity. Now, it turns out that the feature has already saved one person’s life.
MacRumors reports that an Alaskan man traveling via snowmobile became stranded at 2 AM on December 1, subsequently using his iPhone’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature to send out an emergency alert.
Four volunteer searchers were dispatched to the coordinates sent by the man, who was found uninjured and transported to his destination.
Nevertheless, it’s an impressive demonstration of the technology and shows just what a lifesaver it can be. The feature is currently available free of charge to iPhone 14 series users for two years, but there’s no word on pricing thereafter. In saying so, similar services from the likes of Garmin cost $15 a month.
