New iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite feature saves man in Alaska

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited December 2022
After becoming stranded in a remote area of Alaska, a man used the new iPhone 14 SOS feature to call for help.

Emergency SOS via Satellite
Emergency SOS via Satellite


The man, traveling from Noorvik to Kotzebue on a snowmobile, became stranded on December 1 around 2:00 am.

Fortunately, he could use his iPhone 14 to send an SOS via satellite, alerting Alaska State Troopers to his location.

Working with local search and rescue teams, the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator dispatched four search volunteers to the GPS coordinates provided by the Apple Emergency Response Center.

According to a post made by the Alaska Department of Public Safety spotted by MacRumors, there were no injuries reported.

The new feature rolled out in November after it was announced at WWDC 2022.

When activated, users are asked a series of questions to classify the kind of emergency, along with other important details that are combined into a compact message, similar to a text.

The text is then sent via satellite to either an emergency response center that supports compressed messages, or routed through an Apple Emergency Response center and passed to the correct location.

For those interested, AppleInsider has a guide on how to use Emergency SOS via Satellite.

Read on AppleInsider
gregoriusm

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    I bet he would say iPhone 14 was worth the upgrade lol…
    radarthekatracerhomie3chiawatto_cobradavgreg
  • Reply 2 of 12
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,291member
    I did not think we would get a genuine rescue report using this technology so soon after it was implemented. Very glad he had it to use, I shudder (or perhaps shiver is the right word) to think of what might have happened to him. Delighted there were no injuries

    That said, is snowmobiling your way along a very remote route at 2am really a good idea? I can't help but think that alcohol might have played a role here ...
    williamlondonwatto_cobradavgreg
  • Reply 3 of 12
    JFC_PAJFC_PA Posts: 932member
    That far north, above the Arctic Circle and in December, there’s probably not much difference between 2 A. M. and 2 P. M… 

    okay given sunset (today) is at 3:13 P. M. It’d be a tad lighter… Sunrise, 11:54 A. M. ….

    thiugh maybe Notsomuch: check out the UV index on Apple weather for Noorvik: it’s a flatline at zero. Hysterical. 
    edited December 2022 dewmebloggerblogwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 12
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,570member
    He may not be the first person to use this feature. Apple has no obligation (and probably has no right) to report on when this feature is used.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 12
    Stabitha_ChristieStabitha_Christie Posts: 439member
    22july2013 said:
    He may not be the first person to use this feature. Apple has no obligation (and probably has no right) to report on when this feature is used.
    Operating emergency services contact centers is fairly regulated. That said I’d wager that Apple could say how many contacts they got. They likely would not be able to provide details of any situation or customer without consent. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 12
    Stabitha_ChristieStabitha_Christie Posts: 439member
    chasm said:
    I did not think we would get a genuine rescue report using this technology so soon after it was implemented. Very glad he had it to use, I shudder (or perhaps shiver is the right word) to think of what might have happened to him. Delighted there were no injuries

    That said, is snowmobiling your way along a very remote route at 2am really a good idea? I can't help but think that alcohol might have played a role here ...
    It’s okay to not make up things about other people. 
    dewmestompyuraharawilliamlondonwatto_cobralarryjwStrangeDays
  • Reply 7 of 12
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    That was quick. 
    chasm said:
    That said, is snowmobiling your way along a very remote route at 2am really a good idea? I can't help but think that alcohol might have played a role here ...
    Up there, snowmobiles are not recreational vehicles. They are how you get places in the winter. 
    dewmemobirdstompyJFC_PAMadbumuraharawatto_cobraStrangeDays
  • Reply 8 of 12
    omasouomasou Posts: 572member
    chasm said:
    I did not think we would get a genuine rescue report using this technology so soon after it was implemented. Very glad he had it to use, I shudder (or perhaps shiver is the right word) to think of what might have happened to him. Delighted there were no injuries

    That said, is snowmobiling your way along a very remote route at 2am really a good idea? I can't help but think that alcohol might have played a role here ...

    Need to watch more Reality TV ;) He may have been running his trap line.
    edited December 2022 watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 12
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,130member
    chasm said:

    That said, is snowmobiling your way along a very remote route at 2am really a good idea? I can't help but think that alcohol might have played a role here ...

    According to acquaintances who've lived there, snowmobiles are often the best way, and sometimes the only way, to get anywhere, no matter the time of day.
    stompyJFC_PAuraharawatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 12
    JFC_PAJFC_PA Posts: 932member
    beowulfschmidt said:
    chasm said:

    That said, is snowmobiling your way along a very remote route at 2am really a good idea? I can't help but think that alcohol might have played a role here ...

    According to acquaintances who've lived there, snowmobiles are often the best way, and sometimes the only way, to get anywhere, no matter the time of day.
    His route back from Noorvik would be across the bay over the ice: a lightweight snowmobile is the logical vehicle choice. 
    DAalsethwatto_cobrabeowulfschmidt
  • Reply 11 of 12
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    chasm said:
    I did not think we would get a genuine rescue report using this technology so soon after it was implemented. Very glad he had it to use, I shudder (or perhaps shiver is the right word) to think of what might have happened to him. Delighted there were no injuries

    That said, is snowmobiling your way along a very remote route at 2am really a good idea? I can't help but think that alcohol might have played a role here ...
    Safe to say you haven’t been around rural snow much….
    williamlondonwatto_cobrabeowulfschmidt
  • Reply 12 of 12
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    Just this story alone makes the iPhone 14 upgrade worth it
    watto_cobra
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