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Imagine wandering off the beaten track in the Angeles National Forest, only to find yourself lost as darkness falls. For one hiker in Southern California, this nightmare came true, but luckily an unexpected hero appeared: the iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS feature.
As reported by KTLA, on that fateful Sunday night, the lost hiker activated his iPhone’s emergency SOS feature. This feature, exclusive to iPhone 14 and newer models, utilizes satellite technology to pinpoint your location even when you don’t have access to cellular data or his WiFi. Much like the GPS tracking system found in the popular Find My Friends app, this emergency tool has proven to be a ray of hope in a dire situation.
Enabling the Emergency SOS feature is easy. Users simply press one of the lock and volume buttons on the side at the same time until the emergency SOS slider appears on the screen. In this case, the hiker’s distress call was received by local volunteer rescue teams around 8 p.m., and immediate action was taken.
In response to the alert, search and rescue volunteers led by Mike Reum quickly entered the forest and found the stranded hiker. They communicated with the hikers using satellite text messages and advised them to remain where they were until they made their way to their destination. After an hour and a half of intensive searching, they succeeded in locating the hiker and embarked on a two-hour journey through difficult terrain to bring him to safety.
Rheum later shared the success of the rescue operation on social media, celebrating, “Another iPhone 14 saved!” This incident is not isolated. A similar rescue took place in California, all thanks to the iPhone’s excellent emergency SOS feature. As recently as December 2022, a stranded traveler in Alaska used this feature to alert emergency responders.
Apple’s safety features have undoubtedly saved lives, but they are not without flaws. There have been instances where Siri has incorrectly interpreted sounds or movements, resulting in false emergency calls. Despite these occasional hiccups, the potential to save lives in critical situations remains a strong aspect of Apple’s technology.
In the age of smartphone ubiquity, knowing how to utilize their capabilities in an emergency can make a big difference and turn a potentially dire situation into a story of survival and rescue. The story of a hiker who got lost in the Angeles National Forest is a testament to the amazing power of modern technology in the great outdoors.
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