Apple’s iPhone 14 Emergency SOS Service Goes Live in the UK
Apple announced this service during the iPhone 14 launch but it’s now officially live in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland following it launching in the USA and Canada.
The feature, which is available on the iPhone 14 series of phones, utilises a new built-in satellite connection that you can use to send emergency SOS messages even when you have no mobile coverage.
The service can be used by anyone with an iPhone 14 series phone with iOS 16.1 in supported countries and is free for the first two years.
How to activate Emergency SOS via Satellite on an iPhone 14
To service is activated by a long press on the power and volume buttons, or pressing the power button five times in quick succession. Once connected, you can open a message menu with emergency service providers, and the phone will transmit your location. Once connected, you’ll receive a message that the emergency service responders have been notified, and to stay put and await help.
In the UK, if you dial 999 but have no coverage, the iPhone will prompt you to try and connect via a satellite. The iPhone then sends a text message which is picked up by Apple’s safety team.
The team will ask questions about the nature of the emergency and pass the location and message details on to emergency responders.
You can also share your location with family members in a non-emergency using the Find My app. Open the Me tab, swipe up to see My Location via Satellite, and tap Send My Location. It also works with iPhone and Apple Watch’s Crash and Fall Detection services.
Support for more countries is coming soon according to Apple. The feature is likely to be useful to walkers, skiers or climbers so it’s reassuring to see Apple continuing to roll it out globally.
