While it may seem that humans have walked the entire Earth and sailed all the seas and oceans, there are in fact lots of places yet to be explored.
And while commercial services like Google Maps can reach the far end of the world with high accuracy, internet coverage doesn't cover the same amount of area.
Even in developed countries like the U.S., there are still places that lack cellular coverage.
And this time, a man and a woman were stranded in the Angeles National Forest, when their car plunged 90 meters down a cliff.
It was fortunate for the couple to only suffered mild to moderate injuries in the crash, and that they were also able to extricate themselves from the vehicle by themselves.
But it was also fortunate because the couple owns an iPhone 14, which helped them out of this dire situation.
Vehicle 250 feet over the side, Monkey Canyon, Angeles Forest. #Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Air Rescue 5 on scene to conduct the rescue. LASD SEB Tactical Medics deployed and hoisted 2 victims out of the canyon. Airlifted to a trauma center. Saving lives priority 1. pic.twitter.com/uRS2qlKHWu
— SEB (@SEBLASD) December 14, 2022
It all began when the victims, both in their 20s, had been involved in a single-vehicle crash near mile marker 18.87 in Monkey Canyon.
The car went "off the side of the mountain," according to the Montrose Search & Rescue Team.
"They were in a remote canyon with no cellular phone service," the team said in a statement.
According to reports, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Crescenta Valley station received a notification from the iPhone 14 via satellite service at around 2 p.m., with a text message and the location's latitude and longitude.
Quickly, the center contacted the station, which dispatched the Search & Rescue Team, L.A. County firefighters, sheriff's patrol units and a helicopter to the said position.
"The center contacted our station who dispatched us, Los Angeles County Fire Department, patrol units and [the Los Angeles Sheriff Department's Special Enforcement Bureau] Air Rescue 5. The call center gave us an accurate latitude and longitude for the victims," the team continued.
It was only because of iPhone's emergency SOS feature, that the two were able to communicate, even without cellular coverage.
After the couple were rescued by the helicopter by lowering a paramedic via a cable, the two were hoisted, and then transported to a hospital, authorities said.
Deputies, Fire Notified of Vehicle Over the Side Via iPhone Emergency Satellite Service
This afternoon at approximately 1:55 PM, @CVLASD received a call from the Apple emergency satellite service. The informant and another victim had been involved in a single vehicle accident pic.twitter.com/tFWGMU5h3V— Montrose Search & Rescue Team (Ca.) (@MontroseSAR) December 14, 2022
At this time, Apple's iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are the only phones from Apple that have satellite connectivity, besides Apple Watch Ultra.
And the Emergency SOS safety feature is only available for users in the U.S. and Canada.
The feature uses a hardware embedded inside the device, which can locate the locations of the closest satellite.
With the feature, users can then route users to Apple’s dispatch service to answer a few questions and enter text descriptors about their situation.
In this case, the place where the two motorists were stranded, is often a dead zone for cellular services due to its remote location.
Before this, the first time the Apple feature saved life, was in Alaska, when it helped a man stranded in a remote location far from civilization, with no connectivity.
