We Tried Apple’s New SOS Tool When You Don’t Have Cellular Service

CNN Business
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When Apple announced its closely watched product launch in September Event Which will be presented soon SOS Emergency Feature Powered by a network of Earth-orbiting satellites, Brooklyn may not have been the secluded location he had in mind to use it.

But on a rainy afternoon last week, I found myself trying to stay in touch with a satellite from Prospect Park as part of a demo of an upcoming feature. I came out from under a giant oak tree and It started to rain more. Then I moved my device a little to the right and quickly regained access to the signal and continued messaging with the emergency dispatcher.

The rain wasn’t the problem. Leaves were bordering my phone Sky view.

Tuesday, Apple

(AAPL) The emergency SOS feature will be launched via satellite for iPhone 14 owners in the US and Canada, with plans to roll out In the UK, France, Germany and Ireland next month. The free feature promises to allow iPhone users to call dedicated emergency dispatchers via satellite when the cellular network is unavailable.

Hikers, emergency responders, and intrepid travelers may well be familiar with the current world of satellite phones, which provide voice, SMS, and data services anywhere on Earth. But today’s satellite phones often have large, prominent antennas. Apple has said it wants to invent technology that allows direct communication with satellites that are still within the iPhone’s form factor.

“It started with finding frequencies that worked on the iPhone that were also available for use on satellites,” Aaron Mathias, Apple’s vice president of wireless technologies and ecosystems, told CNN Business. “Then we made the necessary hardware adjustments on the iPhones, but without the bulky antennas.” He added that Apple 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 show this year to consumers that its devices not only help them live better, but also live safely. In the process, it can make their expensive products look a little too expensive indispensable In an uncertain economic environment it has some rethinking expenses.

Apple recently invested 450 million dollars At Globalstar, a global satellite service, other providers support the development of 24 low-orbit satellites that fly 16,000 miles per hour at an altitude higher than the International Space Station. The investment is part of Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which was previously used to produce glass using Corning technology and laser technology for facial recognition.

During the test with iPhone 14 given by Apple, I tried to call 911 but was automatically redirected to Emergency SOS via satellite dispatcher for demonstration purposes. When the device was unable to connect to cellular service, a small green icon appeared at the bottom right of the call screen to start a text conversation with emergency services.

I was asked to fill out a questionnaire and used a few short multiple choice questions; I noticed I lost but I wasn’t hurt. Apple said that because the user may be in distress, the questionnaire helps collect important information more quickly. (It’s the same set of questions that a 911 dispatcher asks.)

“When we went out and tested this with dispatchers in the field, they told us that in some situations, the answers they get from the survey, along with the user’s location, might be enough for them to send a message,” said Tre Forgetti, Apple’s director of software engineering for emergency systems: “The decision is, right at the beginning, and this is huge in terms of minimizing to get help getting field responders to the user.”

Approximately 20 seconds later, I received confirmation that my geolocation coordinates had been sent to the sender, along with my medical ID, emergency contact information, and answers to my questions. I was told to keep the responses short, and it would likely reduce the amount of data needed to transmit to the satellite and back to the sender. I was also asked to indicate the nearby landmarks and where I entered the park. My total exchange lasted about four minutes.

Apple said the texts have been reduced to about a third of their original size, by running them through a compression algorithm. This allows the satellite to more efficiently route messages to ground stations located all over the world. Once received, text messages are sent to local emergency services or a relay center with Apple-trained emergency specialists who can dispatch assistance.

But even in the city, I lost contact with the satellite several times when I couldn’t see the sky clearly. A grayscale circle appeared with a green signal image When contacted but turns yellow when conditions are poor and red when contact is lost. .I walked About 200 feet from my original location to find a satellite. he was there, I held the device in my hand normally; Apple said there was no need to lift or wave it.

“Because the satellites are moving, sometimes the phone may need to go from one satellite to another, and there may be short gaps where there is no satellite available,” Matthias said. “The phone knows this and will show the user that there is such a gap and let them know when the next satellite will be available.”

When it works, the life-saving potential of such a feature is obvious. But there is Some caveats. To start, it’s text Just; Users will need to physically hold the device in their hands to initiate the exchange, which may not always be possible in the event of an infection. However, the tool works with the fault detection feature of the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch, so it can automatically call emergency services or send coordinates to the dispatcher when the user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.

At the moment, the emergency SOS satellite service operates only in English, Spanish and French, although the file dispatchers You have professional translation services available for many other languages. Apple said it also may not work in all areas, such as places above 62 degrees latitude, including northern parts of Canada and Alaska.

For iPhone 14 users who want to see how the tool works, and test the process of searching for a satellite, a demo is now available in Settings under “Emergency SOS via satellite.” Apple said the feature is available for free for two years, after which it will re-evaluate the offer based on what it has learned about usage during that time.