A family trapped in the horrific Maui wildfires has been rescued thanks to the Apple iPhone’s Emergency SOS via Satellite functionality. The Hawaiian island of Maui had gone up in flames as a result of wildfires decimating whole neighborhoods. The family of five was in their car when they suddenly saw themselves surrounded by flames. The only option for calling emergency services was via the iPhone feature, as network service was absent at the time.

The news was first reported in X (formerly Twitter) by Michael J. Miraflor. Thankfully, all five members of the family were rescued within 30-40 minutes. Mr. Miraflor also shared screenshots of the conversation with Emergency Services. This is another feature that is available on the iPhone Emergency SOS via Satellite. You have the option of sharing the conversation with your emergency contacts and letting them know what the situation is.

The iPhone 14 lineup heralded the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature. It is free for the first two years after activation. When the feature is activated, the user gets to answer a few questions about the emergency while the phone is connecting to the satellites. Once the satellite connection has been established, the signal is sent out to relay centers and subsequently routed to the appropriate Emergency Service Provider.

The Emergency SOS via Satellite feature currently works in the US, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, the UK, and Portugal. The feature is not supported in iPhone 14 models purchased in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. This is also applicable even when the user travels to a country where the facility is supported.

It is just another layer of safety and protection offered by Apple with its tech products. It is expected that the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will ultimately be cheap for users during natural disasters or other emergencies. Apple is already preparing to announce the iPhone 15 series and we expect some additions to the SOS via satellite functionality.

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