![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewayneThis capability is new to the 14 and will presumably be continued and improved upon in future generations. In an emergency, with some restrictions, the phone will connect to emergency services via satellite. In this case, the dude was driving across Alaska wilderness in a Snow Machine was stranded when the machine broke down. His iPhone 14 was able to make a connection, transmitting precise GPS coordinates to emergency services and he was rescued!
The satellite SOS becomes a subscription feature after an initial trial period.
I understand a future Google phone will have similar satellite SOS functionality.
I don't have a link to it, but another person was saved with an iPhone. She was at a family gathering, went home, and no one heard from her. The iPhone has a feature called Find My Friend that lets you see the general location of where other people are - they have to send you an invitation and can cancel it.
Family used Find My Friend and got a consistent, non-moving signal off the highway. Turned out she'd rolled her car off an embankment that was not visible from the road. Family were able to find her and call emergency services, though it took some work as the car was inverted in a culvert and she was rescued.
And before people start replying with "I don't want to be tracked!", regardless of whether you use a smart phone or not, your cell company has precise location data on you - it's the only way cell towers can work. If you choose not to further share your location info, that's fine. Me, I'm seriously thinking about upgrading my wife's phone when the contract is up in December to get this satellite SOS feature - a lot of the drive to the observatory has no coverage, and when she hit an elk and totaled her car a few years ago she was was in such a dead zone. Fortunately someone came upon the accident shortly after it happened and took her to a place with signal.
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/12/01/iphone-14-satellite-sos-in-action/
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/22/12/02/2143226/iphone-14-satellite-feature-saves-stranded-man-in-alaska
The satellite SOS becomes a subscription feature after an initial trial period.
I understand a future Google phone will have similar satellite SOS functionality.
I don't have a link to it, but another person was saved with an iPhone. She was at a family gathering, went home, and no one heard from her. The iPhone has a feature called Find My Friend that lets you see the general location of where other people are - they have to send you an invitation and can cancel it.
Family used Find My Friend and got a consistent, non-moving signal off the highway. Turned out she'd rolled her car off an embankment that was not visible from the road. Family were able to find her and call emergency services, though it took some work as the car was inverted in a culvert and she was rescued.
And before people start replying with "I don't want to be tracked!", regardless of whether you use a smart phone or not, your cell company has precise location data on you - it's the only way cell towers can work. If you choose not to further share your location info, that's fine. Me, I'm seriously thinking about upgrading my wife's phone when the contract is up in December to get this satellite SOS feature - a lot of the drive to the observatory has no coverage, and when she hit an elk and totaled her car a few years ago she was was in such a dead zone. Fortunately someone came upon the accident shortly after it happened and took her to a place with signal.
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/12/01/iphone-14-satellite-sos-in-action/
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/22/12/02/2143226/iphone-14-satellite-feature-saves-stranded-man-in-alaska
