A family stranded in the devastating Maui wildfires has been rescued thanks to the Apple iPhone’s satellite emergency call feature. The Hawaiian island of Maui burned as a result of wildfires that destroyed entire neighborhoods. The family of five were in the car when they suddenly saw the flames surrounding them. The only way to call emergency services was with the iPhone as there was no network service at the time.

The news was first reported on X (formerly Twitter) by Michael J. Miraflor. Fortunately, all five family members were rescued in 30-40 minutes. Ms. Miraflor also shared screenshots of the meeting with the emergency services. This is another feature available via satellite on iPhone Emergency SOS. You have the option to share the conversation with your emergency contacts and notify them of the situation.

iPhone 14 line announces emergency call function via satellite. The first two years after activation are free. When the feature is enabled, the user receives answers to a few emergency questions while the phone connects to the satellites. Once the satellite connection is established, the signal is sent to the relay centers and then forwarded to the appropriate emergency service provider.

Satellite emergency call is currently available in the USA, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, United Kingdom and Portugal. This feature is not supported on iPhone 14 models purchased in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. This can be applied even if the user is traveling to a supported country.

This is another layer of security and protection that Apple offers with its tech products. The satellite emergency call feature is expected to be inexpensive for users in case of natural disasters or other emergencies. Apple is already preparing to announce the iPhone 15 series, and we expect some additions to the SOS over satellite feature.