It may be the first successful rescue operation to be documented live, as a result of Apple's new "Emergency SOS" service.
Two people were in a vehicle driving through the Angeles National Forest when their car went off the road and off the side of the mountain. The impact stripped the front bumper off the car, which fell into a valley below the highway.
The pair decided to try out the new satellite communication service for the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro because of the lack of cell coverage in the area.
The service requires users to point their phone at a passing partner satellite, and when a connection is established their location is sent along with any circumstances. In this case, the message goes to a relay service, which then passes it to the appropriate authorities. If I hear back, I will update you on how the experience was from the team's point of view.
The rescue team said that the call center gave them an accurate location for the victims. Rescue 5 was able to locate the victims and get them to a hospital. The patients were a male and female in their 20s. The helicopter was able to bring the victims to the hospital.
People may be able to use satellites directly from their phones in the future. T-Mobile is partnering with Starlink to enable a regular exchange of data for emergency alert purposes, as well as a regular exchange of data for text messages.
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