After Helen caused devastating flooding and cut off communities, parts of western North Carolina found it difficult to get a cell phone signal. FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minnaar talks about the difficulty of accessing Boone, North Carolina, and the damage she saw while covering the floods.
new york – In the face of severe weather or life-threatening emergencies, traditional communication networks can fail, leaving individuals isolated and at risk.
However, if you have an iPhone 14 or newer or a Google Pixel 9, you can use the power of satellite technology to connect you to emergency services in even the most remote and difficult situations by sharing your location. or contact your loved ones. , no cell phone or Wi-Fi coverage.
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Marie O’Neal looks at her smartphone in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen at the Batcave in North Carolina on October 1, 2024.
(Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Hundreds of North Carolina residents remain missing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen. The storm’s destructive force caused widespread damage to infrastructure, leading to communications failures and hampering search efforts for missing people.
Apple introduced emergency SOS via satellite in 2022 for customers in the US and Canada, and later extended it to users in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK.
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Apple introduced emergency SOS via satellite in 2022.
(apple)
Satellites move fast, have limited bandwidth, and are located hundreds of miles from Earth. This means that sending and receiving messages via satellite is very different from using mobile phone networks.
Now that the latest version of iOS 18 has been released, your iPhone must have compatible software to use Apple’s satellite connection.
Apple says it’s best to try the demo in an open area with a clear view of the sky and horizon to learn how to connect to the satellite before disaster strikes your area. If you haven’t turned on satellite-connected location services, you’ll be prompted to turn them on before continuing.
iPhone users: Try the demo
Here are the steps to access the satellite connectivity demo provided by Apple:
Apple says the best way to learn how to connect to a satellite is to try the demo in an open area with a clear view of the sky and horizon.
(apple)
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone to open Control Center.
- Tap the Cellular button on the right side of Control Center.
- Tap Satellite, then tap Try Demo. To learn how to connect to a satellite, tap Try Connecting to a Satellite. To see how Emergency SOS via satellite works, tap Try Emergency SOS. You can also tap on a satellite feature to see more details.
- To learn how to connect to a satellite, tap Try Connecting to a Satellite.
- To see how Emergency SOS via satellite works, tap Try Emergency SOS.
- You can also tap on a satellite’s characteristics to see its details.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to practice connecting your iPhone to the satellite.
If you run into any issues, you can also directly open the Emergency SOS via Satellite or Messaging via Satellite demo by going to the following options in your phone’s settings:
- Emergency SOS via satellite: Settings app > Emergency SOS
- [設定アプリ]>[アプリ]>[メッセージ]Select and scroll down to[衛星接続デモ]Tap.
According to Apple, satellite functionality is included for free for two years when you activate your iPhone 14 or later models.
Android users: Use satellite SOS via your Pixel phone
For Android users, the Google Pixel 9 series is the only device with the ability to contact emergency services via satellite and is currently only available in the US. To take advantage of this feature, click here for more information.
Google says you should set Google Messages as your default messaging app.
