Missing hikers in Red River Gorge found using iPhone SOS feature
The iPhone SOS feature helped a search & rescue team find a family lost in the Red River Gorge area Tuesday evening, according to the Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team.
The family of three, including a small child, was hiking on the Osborne Bend Loop, but they didn’t know how long the route was, according to the search & rescue team. From Osborne Bend, the family jumped over to the Sheltowee Trace off Lost Branch Trail and ran out of daylight.
The family used the SOS messaging feature on an iPhone to alert an Apple Dispatch Center of their location. The search & rescue team said they received the coordinates and quickly found the family.
The family was about 2 1/2 miles from the Bison Way Trail Head along the northern section of the Sheltowee Trace, according to the search & rescue team. They were uninjured.
The search & rescue team said it’s the second time in the past couple of weeks that hikers used the SOS feature after getting lost.
“If you carry an iPhone, we strongly encourage you to learn how to use this life-saving tool,” the search & rescue team said in a Facebook post.
What is the iPhone SOS feature?
The iPhone SOS feature allows people with iPhones 14 or newer to share SOS messages via satellite to emergency services, even if they have no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. The service is free for two years after the activation of an iPhone 14 or newer.
People are first encouraged to call 911 using cellular connection, but if the call won’t connect, the phone will give you the option to text emergency services via satellite.
Once connected to emergency responders, the phone will start a conversation so you can share critical information, such as your medical ID and emergency contact information, the emergency questionnaire answers, your location and remaining battery life for your iPhone.
Those who set up emergency contacts in the health app can also notify and share information with the contacts when the SOS feature via satellite is activated.
