iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are all compatible with satellite connectivity. This advantage allows contact the emergency services in the event of a problem, without having to rely on the traditional network. However, it turns out that this is precisely not always accessible everywhere. This is the case, for example, in the mountains, where hundreds of square kilometers are sometimes isolated from the rest of the world.
In British Columbia, the tool has just made its first happy people. In this province of Canada, two women lost in the extreme cold at the end of December were able to call 911 while neither 4G nor SMS were available. It is the snow that will have blocked the survivors and their car, while the driver had originally planned a classic route from which she will have diverted because of an accident. In the end, the search teams will have found them nearly thirty minutes from the first major road.
Apple has it all planned
When someone decides to take advantage of the iPhone’s satellite connectivity feature, the iPhone can transmit its GPS position to emergencies. This is what happened here, making it possible to quickly identify the geolocation of the victims. To achieve this, mobile relies on a low orbit mesh in partnership with Globalstarwhich will have cost nearly half a billion dollars in Cupertino.
This isn’t the first time the iPhone 14 has saved a life in this way. Indeed, a little earlier, last November more precisely, the occupants of a car had been rescued by a helicopter after falling more than ninety meters high at the bottom of a ravine. This time the incident took place in the United States, but satellite connectivity has also been offered on the French iPhone 14s for a few weeks.
How to alert the emergency services with satellite connectivity in the event of a problem?
For the satellite emergency SOS functionality to be triggered correctly, it must above all be located outdoors and on open ground. To avoid sending a signal for help without reason, Apple offers test the “for butter” option. Here’s the procedure to follow :
- open the Settings app
- to touch Emergency call
- under Satellite Emergency SOS, touch Try the demo
- follow detailed instructions
For now, iPhone 14 satellite connectivity is free. But Apple has clarified that users will soon have to payer to continue enjoying it.