Rescuers with Juana Reyes and her iPhone. Source; ABC7 Eyewitness News
A hiker in California's Angelos National Forest was rescued when she was able to use her iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature.
First introduced in the US with the iPhone 14 range in September 2022, Emergency SOS via Satellite lets users send text messages to rescue services. Since that launch, it was immediately responsible for saving lives, such as the rescue of two stranded women in Canada.
Now according to local ABC7 Eyewitness News, the feature was used to get emergency services to the aid of Juana Reyes. She was hiking with friends in Trail Canyon Falls, Tujunga, when the trail collapsed under her.
"We tried to get a hold of 911 but there was no service on our phones," Reyes told ABC7 Eyewitness News. "Luckily, my phone has that SOS satellite feature that we were able to connect to... I don't know exactly how it works, I'm assuming satellites, and so that's how we got EMS in contact."
The EMS team posted a video of Reyes being airlifted by helicopter.
Ankle injury hoisted by @LACoFireAirOps after we were notified via iPhone 14 911 sos satellite feature. pic.twitter.com/Z7e18VLgQs
— Mike Leum (@Resqman) June 24, 2023
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department told reporters that this was the department's third "iPhone rescue" of the year so far.
Reyes has reportedly left hospital and is recovering well at home.
When in a region without cellular service, the option to use Emergency SOS via Satellite appears automatically on the iPhone 14 range.
