With iPhone 14, Apple introduced Emergency SOS via Satellite, which lets users contact emergency services in places where there’s no…

  • deleted@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’d upgrade my iPhone just for this feature. Unfortunately, it’s not available yet where I live.

    In my country, we have people missing in dessert on daily basis. Thankfully, many are found by volunteers with the help of last known location or by if sharing their trip plan before leaving.

    This feature would save their lives.

    The other option is to buy satellite phone which cost $300/mo just to keep it for emergencies.

    • Rykzon@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 year ago

      Or you know, just get a dedicated gps device like Inreach for a a few hundred $ one time + gps plan as you need. I wouldn’t rely on my iPhone for truly expedition like situations you actually plan for.

      • deleted@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s not the case people get lost or missing because they don’t have a gps.

        They mostly do have a gps but either they get injured (falling in a well or between rocks) or their car breaks down / get stuck.

        • Rykzon@discuss.tchncs.de
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          1 year ago

          Yeah I didn’t mean gps as in navigation, Inreach is a dedicated satellite communicator. I meant I wouldn’t trust an iPhone for emergency communication if I plan to go somewhere extremely remote

          • deleted@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Ooh… I didn’t know such products exists.

            I thought consumer satellite communications is purely for expensive phone calls.

      • deleted@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I didn’t know such products existed. I don’t even think they’re available in the middle east.

        The prices of satellite phone have came down lately to $1000 for the device and $60 per month for the service and call cost range between $5.5 to $8 a minute.

        It’s operated by asia satellite co.

      • deleted@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s not spying… actually it’s to send your location one time upon your request. And you need to manually aim your phone.

        Id not be surprised if one time location send would take 3-5% of the battery as it’ll take 15-60 seconds to transmit you location.

        The satellite is 1400km away so not your average 3km cellular tower.

      • Asudox@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I mean, the connection to the satellite is already barely powerful to send a few bytes of text.

            • Rooki@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              But with spots without? For those that could be the use case…Nit even to track you down to the meter but know the facinity you are in

              • Cupcake1972@mander.xyz
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                1 year ago

                Duh, that’s what the damn location service is for, if you don’t want to be tracked don’t use a damn phone in the first place.