iPhone’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature ‘literally saved their lives,’ rescue team says after wildfire left hikers stranded

A group of stranded hikers in British Columbia is crediting Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature for allowing them to call for help. As reported by the CBC, the hikers were stranded on a glacier after wildfires began to approach them—and the conditions were so bad that first responders nearly had to abandon their rescue attempt.

The four hikers were stranded on Macbeth Ice Fields, about 390 kilometers east of Kelowna. They were camping when the wind picked up and a wildfire approached them.

“Embers were falling on their tent so they ran for their lives,” said Kaslo Search and Rescue manager Mark Jennings-Bates. “It’s like a war zone. We were very fortunate to get a helicopter in there, we nearly had to abandon the rescue attempt.”

According to Jennings-Bates, the only communication outlet for the four hikers was Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature. They were able to use this feature to send text messages and share their location with first responders. Rescue teams had to navigate “thick smoke near an approaching wildfire” in a helicopter to locate the hikers.

“We were just able to sneak over a ridge and found them exactly where the cellphone ping said they were, which is really unusual and very satisfying,” he explained. “In this instance, their cellphone literally saved their lives.”

Emergency SOS via satellite enables messaging with emergency services when outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. Satellite connectivity can also be used to share your location with friends and family via Find My. Because it takes some time to establish a connection with the satellites, your iPhone will ask a few preloaded questions while the device is searching for a signal.

New features coming in iOS 18

iOS 18, which will be released to everyone this fall, brings further improvements to the Emergency SOS and satellite features. First, iOS 18 introduces Messages via satellite. This feature will automatically prompt users to connect to their nearest satellite in the Messages app, allowing them to send and receive texts, emojis, and Tapbacks over iMessage and SMS.

Separately, Emergency SOS Live Video is a new feature that allows users to share streaming video and recorded media with emergency dispatchers. “In the middle of an emergency call, participating emergency dispatchers can send a request for a user to share live video or media from the user’s camera roll over a secure connection, making it easier and faster to get help,” Apple explains.