We tried Apple’s new SOS tool for when you don’t have cell service

CNN Business — When Apple announced at its closely-watched September product launch event that it would soon introduce an Emergency SOS feature powered by a network of satellites orbiting above Earth, Brooklyn probably wasn’t the secluded location most had in mind for using it. On Tuesday, Apple will launch the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature for those with an iPhone 14 in the United States and Canada, with plans to roll it out in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland next month. During my test with an iPhone 14 provided by Apple, I attempted to call 911 but was automatically redirected to Emergency SOS via Satellite dispatchers for the purposes of the demo. “When we’ve gone out and tested this with dispatchers in the field, they’ve even told us that in some situations the answers they get from the questionnaire, along with the user’s location, could be enough for them to actually make a dispatch decision, right at the beginning, and that’s huge in terms of reducing to get help to get field responders out to the user,” said Trey Forgety, software engineering manager of emergency systems at Apple. For iPhone 14 users who want to see how the tool works, and test out the process for searching for a satellite, a demo is now available in Settings under “Emergency SOS via satellite.” Apple said the feature is available for free for two years and then it will reevaluate the offering based on what it’s learned about usage during that time.