Forum Index > Trail Talk > Deep dive - iPhone 14 call for help via satellite
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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostWed Nov 16, 2022 12:08 pm 
fourteen410 wrote:
Yay for iPhones, but are android users SOL?
This is brand spanking new. I think it went live yesterday? Android users will be next. Existing phones probably won't work for this as new communications hardware seems to be necessary to talk to the satellites.

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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostWed Nov 16, 2022 1:18 pm 
With any device like this, you have to weigh the risks of where to carry it. Pocket, it could fall out. Backpack could get separated from you, eg crossing a river. Inside a zipper pocket is great unless you break both your hands and can't operate the zipper. There's no such thing as perfect fool proof. Best we get is a choice between different kinds of vulnerabilities. Pick the one that's least likely to be a problem for you the way you hike and use technology. (Except that, for now, the iPhone is very limited compared to a SPOT or inReach. That will change but it'll take a few years.)

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joker
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PostWed Nov 16, 2022 10:17 pm 
Cyclopath wrote:
People, especially hikers, have learned how to keep phones running. They're really not as brittle as people are making out here, but things like cases, zippered pockets, and battery packs are really helpful. I mean, hikers have been carrying paper maps around for generations without falling victim to spontaneous combustion and origami gangs.
Yeah, it's true, you can always put the phone in a Pelican case. And high school kids can package an egg such that it can drop off a roof and not break. We all have our way of weighing the tradeoffs. BTW there have been at least a few threads on this forum discussing how to waterproof maps. I think it was here where I learned about a waterproof paper I can put into my inkjet printer for printing maps. I'll use that if I think the map might be travelling through some rain. And I can spray a "fixative" over the ink so it won't run if wet. It may not survive as much rain as my inReach would, but it will last longer than my phone! biggrin.gif And I’ve never seen a paper map break from being dropped onto a rock

Cyclopath
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philfort
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philfort
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PostSat Nov 26, 2022 5:29 pm 
philfort wrote:
Can't wait to test this next time I'm out of cell range.
I tried the demo mode today from near the Middle Fork campground, and it took around 30-60s to get a satellite connection, and I was able to send a couple of messages (or so it claimed - maybe it's all smoke and mirrors!).

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cryptobrian
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PostSun Nov 27, 2022 10:49 am 
Olympic Hiker wrote:
I visited a spot that didn't have cell service and saw that my iPhone 14 displayed SOS
FYI - this doesn't indicate that you don't have cell connectivity. It indicates that the phone is getting a signal from a tower, but it isn't authorizing you onto a network. So, for example, if you have a phone without a SIM card, or a phone that is connecting to a third-party carrier without a roaming agreement or with roaming disabled. So it's connecting but not to YOUR carrier's network. In the US, when this occurs, third-party carriers must still allow an emergency 911 call. This is what the SOS is indicating. You can still use your phone for emergency calls. And this applies to any phone, not just iPhone 14. So, users with older phones may also see this SOS indicator. On your iPhone 14, when there is truly no signal at all, you'll see a satellite icon when it is able to connect to the globalstar satellite network.

-- Brian www.wilderromp.com

Cyclopath
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Olympic Hiker
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Olympic Hiker
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PostSun Nov 27, 2022 3:18 pm 
With my previous smartphone I was able to get cell service at the place I was at. I figured I would have had better service with a new smartphone. Go figure, a 5 year old smartphone could get service, but a current generation smartphone couldn’t.

If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. - Lincoln
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George Winters
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PostSat Dec 17, 2022 9:20 am 
From the Seattle Times: “Their car fell 300 feet into a canyon. A new iPhone satellite SOS system likely saved them Dec. 16, 2022 at 5:03 pm Updated Dec. 16, 2022 at 5:03 pm By Grace Toohey Los Angeles Times” https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/their-car-fell-300-feet-into-a-canyon-a-new-iphone-satellite-sos-system-likely-saved-them/ A couple whose car fell into a rocky canyon in the Angeles National Forest likely survived not just with a lot of luck, rescuers said, but also thanks to a new iPhone feature that immediately alerted first responders to the crash. Their vehicle fell about 300 feet off a treacherous section of the Angeles Forest Highway where there is no cell service. It’s a spot, said Sgt. John Gilbert of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Montrose Search and Rescue Team, where he can remember his team responding only to fatal crashes. “Not only is it a big fall distance-wise, but that particular canyon is extremely steep,” Gilbert said. He called it a “miracle in itself” that the couple survived and then were also able to communicate for help.

When you are "miles from nowhere" you must have finally arrived at somewhere.
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Randito
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Randito
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PostSat Dec 17, 2022 1:34 pm 
Here is another article about the iPhone 14s automatic 911 call feature https://siliconangle.com/2022/10/09/good-intentions-gone-awry-iphones-calling-911-users-rollercoasters/

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