iPhone 14’s Satellite Emergency SOS feature is coming to New Zealand and Australia

iPhone 14’s Satellite Emergency SOS feature is coming to New Zealand and Australia. A feature that has already saved lives.

function Satellite Emergency SOS The iPhone 14 was launched in the US and Canada last year. He soon arrived in France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Now she too Available in New Zealand and Australia, two countries with large areas of very little cellular service. As in other countries, the option is available to all iPhone 14 users running iOS 16.4 or later, regardless of who they are, and the service is free for several years after the device is activated.

iPhone 14’s Satellite Emergency SOS feature is coming to New Zealand and Australia

“Australians are well aware of the importance of staying connected in rural areas far from civilization, especially in the event of an emergency,” Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland explained in a press release. “The ability to contact Triple Zero via satellite with an emergency SOS when there is no mobile coverage is an important safeguard to connect Australians to rescue.”

Satellite emergency SOS is activated by long pressing the power button and volume button or by quickly pressing the power button five times. The interface guides the user in which direction to point the iPhone to get the best signal. Once connected, you can open a message interface with emergency services and the phone will report your location. If all goes well, you’ll get a message that emergency services have been notified and to stay where you are.

A feature that has already saved lives

Find My app lets you share your location with loved ones in non-emergency situations. Users can open the Me tab, swipe to “Location via Satellite” and tap “Send My Location.” It works with crash detection and fall detection on iPhone and Apple Watch. There’s also a demo mode that lets you practice using Satellite Emergency SOS, so you can react quickly in the event of a real emergency.

“Since launching last year, Emergency SOS via satellite has already saved lives in 12 countries where the feature is available,” Apple said. He added that due to low bandwidth and high satellite speeds, users should be patient when using the feature as “even short messages can take a few minutes”.