When he fell into a crevasse while snowboarding, he was able to call for rescue thanks to the iPhone’s Emergency SOS capability.
Skier and personal trainer Tim Blakey was on a snowboarding trip in March to a glacier near Zermatt when he got into difficulties on one of his runs downhill. On the disastrous solo descent, he slid into a concealed crevice in the snow at an altitude of around 10,000 feet.
In an attempt to free himself from the position, he stumbled and fell five metres (16 feet) before coming to rest on a thin snow bridge. When he went to check the battery level on his iPhone to contact for assistance, he discovered that it was only at 3 percent, according to 7 News.
His iPhone’s Emergency SOS function, which can also transmit text messages of the iPhone’s position to emergency contacts, as well as emergency services, was a lifesaver when his battery was at its lowest.
Blakey was retrieved from the gap by rescuers and sent to the hospital with a damaged ankle. He made it back to London on time that evening.
On Instagram, the snowboarder thanked the rescue squad, saying he was “still bewildered” about how to repay them. Perhaps the first step is to raise awareness of the incredible work these men and women perform on the mountain and encourage others not to be as reckless as I was, he says.
Apple’s “side button 5 click to emergency services” is “particularly helpful when your screen is continuously being splashed on,” Blakey continues. ” Also, “for giving me 3G connectivity and 3% battery 5 metres below the ice,” he compliments his carrier.
To activate Emergency SOS on an iPhone, either hold down the side button until the Emergency SOS slider appears and then slide it across, or hold down the side button and the volume control until the countdown period expires.
There’s an iPhone version, which is activated in the same way. Emergency SOS may be easily activated, which can lead to unwanted calls, and in the instance of one family in February it allowed naughty youngsters to make the calls.