Service providers prepare for Apple's "Emergency SOS Live Video"
Apple's iPhone already has an accident rescue function. In future, you will not only be able to communicate with rescuers via audio, but also via video.
Emergency SOS Live Video: Comes with iOS 18.
(Image: Apple)
When iOS 18 is (presumably) released for the iPhone in September, there will also be improvements to the so-called emergency SOS feature: after it has been possible to contact rescuers by phone for some time, video is now also being added. Apple has now started to implement interfaces for this. The providers RapidSOS and Prepared, which sell platforms for emergency call centers in the USA, want to implement Apple Emergency SOS Live Video via updates. Allegedly, this should quickly enable almost nationwide coverage in North America.
Integration via update
"With the release of iOS 18 this fall, dispatchers using [our platform] will be able to see in real time what iPhone users with Emergency SOS Live Video are seeing," writes Prepared. Competitor RapidSOS will implement the feature as part of its UNITE platform, which can centralize calls, text messages, videos and sensor data.
Apple has announced that the images will be transmitted via an encrypted connection to the respective supervisor at the control center. In addition to the position data already transmitted, the video material can then help rescuers on site to find casualties more quickly or to make initial assessments of injuries or risks. It is also conceivable that video footage transmitted in this way could be used as evidence, says Apple.
Problems with false alarms
It initially remained unclear whether the feature would also be implemented in Europe. Apple likes to introduce such features in its home market first and then distribute them globally. In the USA alone, 80 percent of calls to emergency call centers come from cell phones. iPhone and Apple Watch can already detect accidents, although there are always reports of false alarms. However, Apple is constantly optimizing the features.
How useful a live video connection actually is for emergency responders remains to be seen in practice. Communicating by voice is stressful enough for accident victims - and it is impossible to tell whether they are holding the camera correctly in an emergency. Apple also offers emergency call functions via satellite.
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