iPhone's hidden feature that could save your life in an emergency

One of the first instincts during an emergency is to call someone for help and tell them that you’re in danger. Unfortunately, our mobile phones are somehow the first things that lose network and get all kinds of problems during an emergency. However, Apple's technology has some good news. iPhones have an in-built feature that is life-saving during emergencies and is a must-know! The hack came to light after Michael Miraflor (@michaelmiraflor) shared on X how it saved the life of someone he knew when they were stuck in a fire.

“My brother’s girlfriend’s cousin and his family were caught in their vehicle in Maui while the wildfires suddenly erupted around them,” he said. He added that there was no cell service and they had no means to contact anyone for help. Despite having no service, the Apple SOS feature allowed them to contact first responders. “No cell service, so Apple Emergency SOS was the only way they could get in contact with first responders. Saved their lives,” he wrote. He also shared a screenshot of the conversation the man was able to have with the SOS team via Apple's system.

Right from requesting help, informing the team about his situation and guiding him through till he was rescued, the feature allowed the man to be in touch with the personnel. Thanks to the same, he was able to immediately share details to ease and hasten the rescue process. So what is Apple’s SOS system and how does it really work? Apple’s Support team shared that a user can make an emergency call using SOS. The feature connects the user to an emergency service and automatically shares relevant information like location with the team.

An SOS sign appears in the status bar on the phone, indicating that there is a mobile network available for emergency services despite the lack of a signal. The feature also allows users to add emergency contacts whom they can choose should they be in danger. The system will also share location details with the emergency contacts and will update them with changes of the same during any crises. The SOS system can be accessed using the power button. However, the process is slightly different for each iPhone model. The person who Miraflor posted about was able to be evacuated within 30 minutes thanks to the life-saving feature, per the New York Post.

The feature was used to contact the police department and fire department and rescue the family in time. The added benefit of having real-time conversations back and forth with the emergency services to be updated on the man and his family’s situation was a relieving boon for them as well. Miraflor also shared a screenshot of the real-time quick conversation the man had. @CryptoKing wrote, “They have some amazing tech built into new phones. Satellite positioning and SOS services.” @Lakshyalark added, “Looks like this feature is a lifesaver.” @Kathikruse remarked, “I’m so glad they made it out safely. This is an incredible story.” @EeshuMarneedi wrote, “Just another prime example of Apple hardware saving lives.”