Apple has introduced a new feature in the iPhone 14 with the 16.1 updates to the operating system.
The feature includes the facility to send messages without Wi-Fi, called Emergency SOS via satellite.
According to media reports, the feature, compatible with the iPhone 14 series, allows users to contact emergency services in areas where there is no mobile phone or Wi-Fi connectivity.
According to a recent story published in the journal Macrooms, a man tried this feature when he was stranded in a rural area of the US state of Alaska.
On Dec. 1, Alaska State Troopers said they received a message from the man who was traveling in a snowmobile from Norwalk to Kotzebue, where there was no cell phone signal.
Apple’s Emergency Response Center team worked closely with local authorities, rescue teams, and the Northwest Arctic Bureau Search and Rescue Coordinator.
They dispatched several volunteers to GPS locations that Apple was notified of when the person in question sent an SOS message.
Rescue officials soon located the man very close to where he had shared his location and successfully rescued him.
Apple says that satellite connectivity may be available in locations with latitudes greater than 62 degrees.
This feature of the iPhone 14 worked without a hitch in Norwich and Kotzebue, which are close to 69 degrees latitude.
The SOS via satellite feature is currently available for the entire iPhone 14 series.
Apple has said that the feature can be used for free for two years, but the company has not yet said what it will cost after two years.
It should be noted that the facility of communication through satellite is currently limited only to North America, but soon it will be available in other countries including France, Ireland, Germany, United Kingdom.
