Description
Two women stranded in British Columbia in Canada were reportedly rescued using the iPhone 14's satellite emergency SOS feature, which launched in November 2022. According to a report by The Times Colonist, the women were en route to Alberta when an accident closed the main road. . To find another way, they used Google Maps, which told them to take Holmes Forest Service Road. However, this road had only been "partially plowed" after heavy snow storms and the women came to a dead end in the McBride Wilderness located in the Robson Valley area after driving nearly 20km. Stranded without cell service, one of the women, who had an iPhone 14, activated Emergency SOS via satellite and alerted an Apple Support Center. The call center then notified Northern 911 in Canada, who then contacted BC emergency services and relayed the GPS location.
According to Dwight Yochim, a senior official with BC Search and Rescue, the team that rescued the women, this may have been the first use of the feature in British Columbia. He called it a "game changer" adding that without the SOS, the rescue operations would have lasted a week involving multiple teams.
Yochim also said the team is in contact with Apple to organize courses for SAR administrators to learn more about this technology, which has the "potential to reduce the time and effort required to save lives."
The security feature works without WiFi or cell service, as it allows users to send text messages to emergency services via satellite. The feature, which is currently available in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK, does not work in India due to strict satellite connectivity laws.
This is not the first time that Apple devices have saved the lives of their users. In December 2022, a man traveling from Noorvik to Alaska found himself stranded in a remote location. He activated the Emergency SOS function via satellite, which the tech giant's emergency response center used to alert the search and rescue service.
