While someone considered the latest generation of iPhone 14s an incremental upgrade over their immediate predecessors, they do include a few features that are unique to them. The iPhone 14’s newfound ability to send SOS text messages via satellite to alert emergency services was one of the first of these features. I intend the feature to function in areas where there is no cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity, leaving satellites as the only means of communication. While it took Apple a few months to activate this SOS feature on all iPhones, as of December 2022, Apple’s satellite-based emergency SOS service is available across most of North America and select parts of Europe.
Because of this feature’s potentially life-saving capabilities, Apple discussed it extensively during the September launch event for the iPhone 14 lineup. A little over three months after the release of the iPhone 14, we have the first confirmed report of the satellite-based emergency SOS feature saving a person’s life, according to BGR. The incident occurred in the early hours of December 1st in the Alaskan wilderness, and the Alaska Department of Public Safety has also confirmed it.
The incident occurred in the early hours of December 1, 2022, according to a press release issued by State Troopers from the Alaska Department of Public Safety. State troopers received an emergency SOS text message sent via Apple’s satellite-based Emergency SOS system around 2 a.m. local time. An adult male who became stranded in the area while traveling by snowmobile between the towns of Noorvik and Kotzebue sent the SOS.
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State Troopers launched a rescue operation after receiving the SOS message from Apple’s Emergency Response Center, local rescue teams, and the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator (NWAB SAR). A volunteer search team could locate the stranded individual quickly thanks to the iPhone’s accurate GPS location. The individual was unharmed, according to the agency, and was safely transported to the town of Kotzebue. The identity of the stranded person has yet to be revealed.
