This should come in handy.
Apple’s forthcoming video expansion to its Emergency SOS via Satellite feature for iOS 18 will be supported by RapidSOS, a platform linking millions of users to 911 and other emergency services.
Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature launched with the iPhone 14, and helps to connect stranded users to first responders and allow very brief text message exchanges. With iOS 18, Apple is adding support for longer messages and video. RapidSOS has announced its support for the forthcoming change.
Per RapidSOS:
“[Emergency Communications Centers (ECC)] telecommunicators will be able to access Emergency SOS Live Video from within RapidSOS UNITE. This service will be at no cost to ECCs and available to the 5700+ ECCs who use RapidSOS UNITE core modules, which cover over 99 percent of the US population.”
RapidSOS is a clearing house that routes callers to 911 or other emergency services. Even before the new Live Video option, RapidSOS would simultaneously route the call to 911 and transmit what it calls “hybridized emergency location” information to the first responders.
With the new Live Video feature in Emergency SOS, first responders will be able to better assess any injuries a caller has, and see the terrain they are stranded in. This, in turn, can help first responders decide on an appropriate rescue technique and the best assets to deploy given the situation.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and RapidSOS.com