
By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business
When Apple announced at its closely watched product launch event in September that it would soon introduce an Emergency SOS feature powered by a network of satellites orbiting above the Earth, Brooklyn may not be the remote location that most people imagine using it.
But on a rainy afternoon last week, I found myself trying to stay connected to one of the satellites from Prospect Park as part of a demo of an upcoming feature. I came out from under a giant oak tree and the rain started to fall harder. I then moved my device slightly to the right and quickly regained access to the signal and continued to message an emergency dispatcher.
Apple’s iPhone Emergency SOS launches – see how it works
The rain is not the issue; it’s the leaves that limit my phone view of the sky.
On Tuesday, Apple launched the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature for iPhone 14 owners in the United States and Canada, with plans to roll it out. in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland next month. The free feature promises to allow iPhone users to contact dedicated dispatchers in emergency situations via satellites when the cell phone network is unavailable.
Hikers, emergency responders and intrepid travelers can become well-versed in the ever-present world of satellite phones, which provide voice, SMS, and data services anywhere on Earth. But existing satellite phones often have large antennas. Apple said they wanted to invent a technology that would allow direct communication with satellites that were still in the form factor of the iPhone.
“It starts with finding frequencies that can be used on the iPhone that can also be used on satellites,” Arun Mathias, Apple’s vice president of wireless technology and ecosystem, told CNN Business. “Then we made the necessary hardware changes to the iPhones, but there were no more antennas.” Apple, he added, first built new software that enabled the iPhone to communicate with satellites and then designed the user experience around that.
The effort is part of a broader pitch this year to consumers that its devices will not only help them live better, but also live safer. In the process, it could make its premium products more valuable in an uncertain economic environment with some rethinking costs.
Apple recently invested $450 million in Globalstar, a global satellite service, and other providers to support the development of 24 low-orbit satellites flying 16,000 mph at a higher altitude than International Space. Station. The investment is part of Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which was previously used for the production of glass with Corning and laser technology for facial recognition.
During my attempt at an iPhone 14 provided by Apple, I tried to call 911 but was automatically redirected to Emergency SOS by Satellite dispatchers for demo purposes. If the device cannot connect to cellular service, a small green icon will appear on the bottom right of the call screen to start a text conversation with emergency services.
I was prompted to fill out a questionnaire and tapped on some short multiple choice questions; I noticed that I was lost but not injured. Apple says that since the user may be in a distressed state, a questionnaire can help gather critical information more quickly. (This is the same set of questions the 911 dispatcher is asked.)
“When we went out and tested it with dispatchers in the field, they even told us that in some situations the answers they get from the query, along with the user’s location, can be enough for them to make a you dispatch. decision, in the beginning, and that’s big in terms of reduction to get help to get the responders to the user’s field,” said Mathias.
Almost 20 seconds later, I received confirmation that my geo-location coordinates had been sent to a dispatcher, along with my medical ID, emergency contact information and the answers to my questions. I was told to keep the answers short, presumably to minimize the amount of data needed to be transferred to the satellite and back to a dispatcher. I was also asked to identify nearby landmarks and where I entered the park. My entire exchange lasted about four minutes.
Apple says that the size of the texts is reduced to about a third of their original size, by running it through a compression algorithm. This allows the satellite to more efficiently route messages to ground stations located around the world. Once received, the texts are sent to local emergency services or a relay center with Apple-trained emergency specialists who can dispatch help.
But even in a city, I lost access to the satellite several times when I wasn’t in clear view of the sky. A grayscale circle with a green signal image appears when connected but turns yellow when conditions are bad and red when connection is lost. I’m walking about 200 feet away from my original location to see a satellite. When there, Naturally I held the tool in my hand; Apple says there’s no need to lift or wave it.
“Because the satellites are moving, the phone sometimes has to move from one satellite to another, and there can be short gaps where no satellite is available,” said Mathias. “The phone knows this and will make it very clear to the user that there is such a gap and let them know when the next satellite is available.”
If it works, the life-saving potential for such a feature is clear. But there is some caveats. For starters, it’s text only; Users must have physical equipment in their hands to initiate an exchange, which is not always possible when injured. The device, however, works with the iPhone 14 and the Apple Watch’s crash detection feature, to automatically dial emergency services or send coordinates to a dispatcher if a user unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.
Currently, Emergency SOS via satellite is only available in English, Spanish, and French, although the dispatchers there is a professional translation service available for many languages. Apple says it also doesn’t work in all areas, such as areas above 62° latitude, including northern Canada and Alaska.
For iPhone 14 users who want to see how the tool works, and test the search process for a satellite, a demo is now available in Settings under “Emergency SOS via satellite.” Apple said the feature will be available for free for two years and will then reevaluate the offer based on what it learns about usage during that time.
The CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.