One of the most notable updates that Mansana introduced this year in the iPhone 14 series emergency SOS via satellite. It allows you to send text messages to emergency satellite services if you need help and are out of cellular coverage.
The company hopes you won’t need to use this service, but if you find yourself injured and in need of rescue in the wild, it may not be the right time to start learning how to send emergency messages via satellite. By the way, experts warn of a dangerous side effect.
For this reason, today Apple launched the Emergency SOS demo mode via satellite so that the public can see how it works. Remember that you must have an iPhone 14 to use this feature.
After updating your iPhone 14, you will need to go to the “Emergency SOS call” section in settings to find the demo.. It’s worth checking out, as not many people will know what to expect, or that the first step is to dial 911 (112 in Spain) instead of searching for an app.
Apple Tested Satellite Communication Through Several Means
If you use demo mode, you will not be connected to a real emergency services agent or relay center: the company system will direct demo users to a server that sends automatic responses. This prevents people from overloading emergency centers.
As explained in Engadget, some media have already tested this tool a few months ago. But also last week they used the satellite feature in a demo in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
Using iPhones that Apple has modified to disable cellular servicesreporters were able to locate and connect to passing satellites, as well as find out how long it would take to have a text conversation with an emergency responder.
Those who have experienced this technology say that it was revealing to get an idea of the slowness of satellite transmissions compared to mobile At the same time, they realized that the ideal is to use as few words as possible in such a situation.
The raw text you submit will include an emergency questionnaire, your medical ID (if you have configured one), and your location. There will be some messages back and forth, mostly so you can give emergency services a description of your location. Once you’ve been notified that emergency services are on their way, it’s time to wait. (they say the process is very slow).
Journalists have gone through this process a couple of times, and you can’t exactly predict how long it will take to send or receive each message. After a while, you should learn to make the text descriptive and fast to minimize the wait.
For example, it will be much faster if you send “By a big rock on a hill near an oak tree” than a few sentences. It seems slow compared to regular text messages, but the whole process takes three to five minutes on average, they say.
Apple doesn’t recommend you try it yourself (meaning you’re looking for a place with no cell coverage, just to see what it’s like). Instead, if you’re interested in learning about the interface and how it works, that’s what this demo is for.
How to practice in demo mode
The last thing you need is to learn how to use it during an emergency. Fortunately, there is a demo mode. You can access it by going to Settings > Emergency SOS > Satellite Emergency SOS > Try Demo.
The demo mode gives you a good idea of how the real function works. You will be shown a brief description of how it works and then you can turn off your phone temporarily to try to connect to the satellite. After that, you will be able to take part in a trial conversation with fake emergency services.
Both the Satellite Emergency SOS feature and demo mode are launching in the US and Canada today. Apple also announced that it will expand the service to France, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom in December. We’ll see when this iPhone 14 tool comes to Spain.
Source: Computer Hoy
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.