by The new Satellite Emergency SOS feature for iPhone 14 users has only been available for a month, but we’re already seeing stories emerging that show the power of this feature. Now, first responders in California are accrediting Emergency SOS via satellite And Crash Detection by helping them perform an amazing rescue in the Angeles National Forest.
According to law enforcement and first responders, a car with two passengers veered off Angeles Forest Highway in Angeles National Forest and plunged 300 feet into the canyon. One of the passengers’ iPhone 14s recorded this crash thanks to the new Crash Detection feature.
In the canyon, the passengers didn’t have cell phone service, which is where Emergency SOS via satellite comes into play. After the iPhone 14 recorded the crash, the iPhone 14’s satellite connectivity function kicked in to connect victims to first responders. The iPhone 14 was connected to one of Apple’s new relay centers, and that relay center then communicated the situation with first responders.
The iPhone 14’s satellite connectivity feature transmitted accurate latitude and longitude data, and first responders and rescue teams were dispatched. Using a helicopter, the rescue team was able to lift the victims out of the canyon and transport them to a local hospital.
This situation occurred yesterday, like described by the Montrose Search and Rescue team on Twitter.
This afternoon at approximately 1:55pm, @CVLASD received a call from Apple’s Emergency Satellite Service. The informant and another victim had been involved in a single automobile accident on Angeles Forest Hwy near mileage 18.87, Angeles Forest.
Their vehicle had exited the side of the mountain, about 300 feet. They were in a remote canyon with no cell phone service. The victims managed to extricate themselves from the car. Using emergency satellite service on their iPhone 14, they were able to communicate with a relay center via SMS. The center contacted our station who sent us, @LACOFD, patrol unit and @SEBLASD Air Rescue 5.
The call center provided us with the precise latitude and longitude of the victims. Air Rescue 5 managed to locate the victims and insert a paramedic. The paramedic learned that the patients, a 20-year-old male and female, had minor to moderate injuries. The helicopter was able to lift the victims out of the canyon and transport them to an area hospital.
First responders also shared some video footage of the rescue on Twitter, and it’s pretty incredible:
9to5Mac’s opinion
This is an insanely impressive use of Apple’s two latest security features for iPhone 14 users. While Crash Detection and Satellite Emergency SOS are impressive in their own right, it’s even more impressive to see the two features work together. In fact, I wasn’t even aware that the two features I could working together.
In its support document for iPhone 14 Crash Detection, Apple points out that this is actually possible:
If you have iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro, crash detection notifications to emergency services may be communicated by the Emergency SOS system via the satellite system when you are outside cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, where SOS is available satellite emergency.
We’ve already seen some stories of satellite Crash Detection and Emergency SOS saving lives, and the features are only available this fall. We expect stories like this to continue, but whether we’ll ever see one this impressive remains to be seen.
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