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Does the SOS have a major impact on the battery life? I wonder if it drains the battery a lot faster since it's communicating with the satellites and maintaining the signal. 📡🛰️
I would tend to doubt that it would be a huge battery drain, but it you're way out & about it'd be advisable to have a fully charged iPhone before you depart your home or vehicle, I'd say.
 
It might. So, while you're lying there with your leg broken in 3 places, don't use SOS so you have battery left for playing a game while you may be dying. And if you're going off grid, why haven't you taken a external battery for your phone?
It might. So, while you're lying there with your leg broken in 3 places, don't use SOS so you have battery left for playing a game while you may be dying. And if you're going off grid, why haven't you taken a external battery for your phone?
If you're to be way out & about it'd be advisable to have a fully charged iPhone before you depart your home or vehicle or carry an external battery to recharge your iPhone as you lay there waiting for help.
 
If you're in a car accident that triggers crash detection, it doesn't ask you questions. It starts making a god awful racket like fall detection and if you don't stop it, it automatically calls emergency services and provides your location, the triggering event (crash, fall, etc) and the information you entered into your medical app.

It's clearly not a panacea, but another option when all other options have been exhausted. Most people aren't going to carry an additional device like an InReach when they travel from day to day.

Even if you were injured, and this feature never existed, you would still have to call 911 and let a call taker know where you were and what was wrong. So the whole "answer a series of questions" argument is moot. You may, or may not have to stand up to access the service, depending on your orientation and the circumstances of your emergency, or you may not.

But in a situation where all other connectivity options are off the table, it's nice to know you have SOME sort of option.
Everything you posted doesn't apply to the new emergency feature, according to the Apple support document. Starting with the phone needs a clear view of the sky so no reliable worky in car. No mention of automatic crash detection being able to use the Globalstar feature. Also if you call 911 and stay silent they know something is wrong and sends responders. Given the amount of false crash detection on iPhones and falls on Apple Watch I doubt Apple wants that headache.
 
I tried it. Pretty neat, went fast. For anyone wanting to know their location, goto your compass, press and hold on the coordinates and copy and then past them into the message should you ever need this feature. Although it surprises me this is not already in the emergency message although it already could be??
 
I tried it. Pretty neat, went fast. For anyone wanting to know their location, goto your compass, press and hold on the coordinates and copy and then past them into the message should you ever need this feature. Although it surprises me this is not already in the emergency message although it already could be??
I'm sure it is, along with other relevant metadata.

Edit:

"In order to route your text messages to a local emergency services organization, and to assist responders in reaching you, your location will be shared with Apple and its partners when you use Emergency SOS via satellite."

This is also pretty cool:

"If you set up emergency contacts in the Health app, you can choose to notify and share information with them when you text emergency services with Emergency SOS via satellite. When you choose to share this information, your emergency contacts get these messages automatically.

If your emergency contacts use iMessage on iOS 16.1 or later, you can share a live transcript of your conversation with emergency services. "

 
Something that's nice to have but hope you never need. I was traveling in the Southwest this past summer and I was driving up a long stretch of highway in the middle of nowhere with my iPhone 13 pro at the time, and had no service for at least a good half hour to 45 minutes at a time. I guess part of the issue was being on a carrier that served the East mostly but it was major carrier nonetheless and it is 2022 after all. It really would have been a dire situation if something happened on that highway. The Sat SOS is pretty ingenious imo. And if you pair the SOS feature of the iphone 14 with the Apple Watch Ultra's safety and emergency features, you should be sitting pretty confident in almost any situation.
 
Dang, the snark in this comment feed is off the charts. Lots of people seem to have the answers here, and clearly more expertise than, say, the development team that had to learn to make the phone communicate with freaking satellites. Someone call Apple HR, these people need to be hired right now!
Spot-on. And with all the juvenile snark, cheap shots, anger, hate, childish put-downs, etc it's astonishing many people here really believe Apple monitors this site taking suggestions and company criticism to heart from the same people continuously berating Apple.

Go figure.
 
Emergency SOS is showing up on my 13. But maybe it only uses cellular signal.
Prior to 14, iPhones will "SOS" by making an emergency call (over cellular, or if wifi calling is available, over wifi).

In all 14s, they can also SOS over Globalstar's satellites. To use satellite SOS it has to be a 14. There were rumors the 13 could but Apple says it's 14 only.

 
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A thought experiment.

Suppose that making the emergency call permanently destroyed your phone immediately after you’ve successfully reported your situation.

Would you even hesitate slightly before making the emergency call in such circumstances?

I can’t imagine any scenario in which I’d prefer having a working phone to alerting emergency services to my precise location and dire need for help. Even in cases where you’d really want to give updates as the situation progressed … I’d still prioritize the initial call for help over everything else.

b&
Maybe they want to know if there's going to be enough battery to make a second or third call in case no one shows up?

C'mon people.
 
If you are doing that then you know the answer and have the correct marine emergency equipment. If not sell your boat now.
You are not allowed to bring those devices on a cruise ship and suppose you go somewhere on that ship and (a) it has an accident or (b) you are at a port and do a day trip and they don't have such a device.

This is a valid question: it says US, what about international waters? Sure the satellite will work, but what happens then? I haven't researched yet.

Likewise, garmin may be fine, but realistically, how many people are going to have it driving out in the middle of nowhere and then having an issue?
 


Apple today officially launched the new Emergency SOS via satellite feature that's available for the iPhone 14 models, so we thought we'd test it out to see just how it works.


Emergency SOS via satellite is designed to allow users to connect to emergency services when no cellular or WiFi connection is available, such as when out hiking, camping, or driving in remote areas.

It is a feature that only becomes available to use when you don't have a connection and attempt to make a phone call or send a text, but Apple has a built-in demo feature so that users can get familiar with it without having to place an emergency call.

Under Settings > Emergency SOS, there's a new Emergency SOS via satellite section with a "Try Demo" option.

To get help quick, Emergency SOS via satellite starts off by asking a series of questions about your situation, such as whether you're lost, have been in an accident, or are injured. That information, along with your Medical ID (if activated) and location is sent along to the local emergency services.

If the local emergency services location accepts texts, the information is sent directly, and if not, it goes through a relay center with Apple-trained operators that pass the information along.

Details are sent through a text message interface that allows emergency responders to text back and forth with you to garner the information that's needed for a rescue. If you're in a car accident, for example, rescuers might ask for more details on location, your iPhone battery level, what happened, and whether you're in immediate danger from a gas or fluid leak.

Emergency SOS via satellite is meant to work outdoors with a clear view of the sky, and this facilitates the best connection. Reduced size texts can send in just 15 seconds if you have a clear view, and the iPhone guides you where to hold your iPhone for the best connection.

You'll see directions to turn left or turn right to connect to the satellite, and you'll be alerted on screen when you have a poor connection and the steps you can take to improve it, such as moving to a spot with a better view of the sky.

If there isn't a strong connection, it can take several minutes for texts to be sent back and forth, but the iPhone aims to direct you to an ideal location for communication. Emergency SOS via satellite is limited to emergency texts with emergency responders, and it is not able to be used to text friends and family.

The feature can, however, alert your emergency contacts if you are calling for help via satellite, and it can also be used to update your location via Find My when you don't have a cellular or WiFi connection. When no connection is available, you'll see an option to update your location through the "My Location via Satellite" feature under the "Me" tab in the Find My app.

Emergency SOS via satellite is available on all iPhone 14 models, and it is rolling out today. You need to be running iOS 16.1 or later to use the feature, and no software update is required. Emergency SOS via satellite is available in the United States and Canada right now, and it is expanding to France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December.

You can use Emergency SOS via satellite for free as of right now, and Apple has said it will be available at no cost to all iPhone 14 owners for a period of two years. There is no word as of yet on what it will cost when that two-year period expires.

Article Link: Testing Apple's New Emergency SOS via Satellite Feature
So is it made possible by a special chip in the 14 that previous model do not have? Anyone knows?
 
If you're in a car accident that triggers crash detection, it doesn't ask you questions. It starts making a god awful racket like fall detection and if you don't stop it, it automatically calls emergency services and provides your location, the triggering event (crash, fall, etc) and the information you entered into your medical app.

It's clearly not a panacea, but another option when all other options have been exhausted. Most people aren't going to carry an additional device like an InReach when they travel from day to day.

Even if you were injured, and this feature never existed, you would still have to call 911 and let a call taker know where you were and what was wrong. So the whole "answer a series of questions" argument is moot. You may, or may not have to stand up to access the service, depending on your orientation and the circumstances of your emergency, or you may not.

But in a situation where all other connectivity options are off the table, it's nice to know you have SOME sort of option.
This feature doesn't work with crash detection as initiating this is manual. It's certainly a great feature but I can't help but wonder if the amount of questions and inputs required could be reduced. With someone who is likely in a panic situation, it seemed awfully wordy. And it would be nice to have a Siri option to do hands free.
 
You are not allowed to bring those devices on a cruise ship and suppose you go somewhere on that ship and (a) it has an accident or (b) you are at a port and do a day trip and they don't have such a device.

This is a valid question: it says US, what about international waters? Sure the satellite will work, but what happens then? I haven't researched yet.

Likewise, garmin may be fine, but realistically, how many people are going to have it driving out in the middle of nowhere and then having an issue?
My guess every owner of an InReach to answer your question, kinda the whole point of owning one and paying the subscription. Seriously the ship with thousands of people has an accident and you would save the day with two way texts? Stop it I can’t breathe from laughter. I and travel companions have carried InReach and other sat communication equipment on trains, planes, ships big and small.
 
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You are not allowed to bring those devices on a cruise ship and suppose you go somewhere on that ship and (a) it has an accident or (b) you are at a port and do a day trip and they don't have such a device.

This is a valid question: it says US, what about international waters? Sure the satellite will work, but what happens then? I haven't researched yet.

Likewise, garmin may be fine, but realistically, how many people are going to have it driving out in the middle of nowhere and then having an issue?

All boats/ships should have an EPIRB on board. I suspect cruise ships will have a variety of other more robust systems as well. Satellites have been around for awhile. :)
 
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Garmin inReach.
I have Garmin inReach. If I didn’t do so much remote camping, I’d probably just go for the iPhone and skip the inReach cost. I’ve been in situations where I had inReach service for 5-10 minutes per hour because I was in a canyon. A storm was coming in and I was texting my sister for weather updates (this was before inReach had a weather function) and it was not ideal. In the end, the weather was a lot more severe than the reports my sister reported but obviously I’m ok. It was scary to hear a roaring sound ramp up in the pitch black of the night but exciting when we woke up in the morning and realized that we camped in just the right spot. I was talked into making a trip presentation for my kayak trip to a paddling group. A youtube version of the slideshow is here:


You can see all the waterfalls around us a little after the 8:20 mark

All that said, because I‘m an Apple fanboy, I’ll eventually have both when I upgrade my phone.
 
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Lets see how long it takes for some Youtuber to try and live test this feature out!

For those of you that don't know, while this service may be free for 2 years depending on what is needed to rescue you will NOT be free, if you need rescue teams etc to come to help you or find you, you will get that as a bill. This is why companies like SPOT offer insurance for stuff like this.

(If you just need local help from regular Fire and Police those should fall under your tax dollars and will not be charged, I'm referring to if you need 3rd party rescues from private companies like deep mountain rescue etc.
 
I thought there were going to be some quick replies available. Seems like a lot of typing if you are really in an emergency.
 
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