It’s an iOS feature which will save your life.
In a natural disaster, there’s a high likelihood of losing cellphone and web service, making it inconceivable to contact family members or emergency services.
Nonetheless, a little-known feature called Apple Emergency SOS on the iPhone could possibly be a literal lifesaver.
Michael Miraflor recently shared a story on X, formerly often known as Twitter, of the devastating Maui wildfires that provided a real-life example of how invaluable the feature could be.
“My brother’s girlfriend’s cousin and his family were caught of their vehicle in Maui while the wildfires suddenly erupted around them,” Miraflor explained within the tweet, which has topped 8.7 million views since being posted Aug. 9.
“No cell service, so Apple Emergency SOS was the one way they may get involved with first responders,” he continued. “Literally saved their lives.”
The feature sends messages to emergency responders using a satellite, even when you don’t have any cellular service.
Miraflor shared a screenshot of the Emergency SOS texts between the fireplace department and dispatchers, which pinpointed his family’s location and sent this info to the dispatcher.
That enabled the endangered residents to speak the conditions surrounding them.
In a comment, Milafor said the family was safely evacuated inside half-hour due to Emergency SOS satellite feature.
The family was found on the Outlets of Maui, a shopping center in Lahaina near the fires, in response to the Economic Times.
The Apple feature was first released in November 2022. In line with Apple’s website, when a user makes a call with SOS, the iPhone robotically calls the local emergency number and shares your location with emergency services.
You may also add emergency contacts, who might be alerted with a text message after the decision ends. An extra Phone 14 feature allows texts between Emergency SOS and emergency services via satellite when there isn’t a cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.
In May, the emergency feature helped save 10 hikers who found themselves lost in California’s Santa Paula Canyon with no cellphone signal, AppleInsider reported.
They used the Emergency SOS feature to contact the Ventura County sheriff’s department and were found and brought back safely by a search and rescue team.
The best way to make an emergency call:
Make the decision on iPhone 8 or later:
- Press and hold the side button and one among the amount buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears.
- Drag the Emergency Call slider to call emergency services. For those who proceed to carry down the side button and volume button, as a substitute of dragging the slider, a countdown begins and an alert sounds. For those who release the buttons after the countdown, your iPhone robotically calls emergency services.
Make the decision on iPhone 7 or earlier:
- Rapidly press the side (or top) button five times. The Emergency Call slider will appear.
- Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services
