You can try a demo of Apple's Emergency SOS feature before you go on your next adventure

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Apple will let you try Emergency SOS via Satellite with a demo mode to get familiar with it before you actually need it.

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• Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite service allows you to contact emergency services while outside of cellular or Wi-Fi range. 
• You can practice sending an Emergency SOS text in a new demo mode. 
• I tried Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite and it was incredibly simple and intuitive.

Apple's new Emergency SOS via Satellite lets you contact emergency rescue services should you need help in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal. It is one of the iPhone 14 lineup's most compelling new features and works by communicating with satellites instead of cell towers.

It's a genuinely helpful feature if you plan on going off the cellular grid, and seasoned trekkers who have experience with chunky satellite phones can ditch them for a comparatively lightweight and compact iPhone. 

Apple gave me a demonstration of the new safety feature in Brooklyn, along with a walk-through of the new demo mode, which is designed to get you familiar with the feature before you set off on your off-grid adventure.

How Emergency SOS via Satellite works

Emergency SOS via Satellite starts from the phone app if you don't have cell service while calling 911.

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If there's no cell service while you're trying to dial 911, a green call button on your iPhone automatically changes to say "Emergency Text via Satellite." 

After pressing the button, you answer a series of questions with preset answers to determine the severity of your emergency, and follow the directional prompts to obtain a satellite signal. As soon as you're connected to a satellite, you can start a text message conversation with emergency services to give more details about your situation that could facilitate your rescue.

Behind the scenes, the iPhone 14 series connects to a satellite to reach a nearby emergency services call center, which can then direct the nearest emergency rescue services to your satellite-based location with the information you provided from the questionnaire and texts.

Text messaging is an integral part of the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature to give as much useful detail as possible to emergency rescue services about your situation. Some emergency services call centers support text messages, while others don't. 

For emergency services call centers that don't support text messaging, your satellite communications are sent to relay centers with Apple-trained emergency specialists, who then relay your location and emergency details to the emergency services call center.

How to demo Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite

Emergency SOS via Satellite starts from the phone app if you don't have cell service while calling 911.

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The Emergency SOS via Satellite demo mode goes through the process of connecting to a satellite and what a text message conversation with emergency services would look like, except it doesn't contact or connect you to real-life rescuers.

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app. 

2. Tap Emergency SOS.

3. Scroll down and tap Demo mode.

Note: If Demo mode is unavailable, you may need to update your iPhone. You can update your iPhone from the Software Update section of the Settings app.

What it's like to try Emergency SOS

The Emergency SOS via Satellite feature asks you a few simple questions that you answer with preset options to avoid typing and wasting too much time.

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Apple gave me a demo of the feature that went through all the steps, including answering the short questionnaire, obtaining a satellite signal, and texting. At the risk of a Blackhawk helicopter rescuing me on the perilous hilltops of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, the company ensured the messages didn't actually go to emergency services.

The iPhone picked up a satellite connection in under a minute while I was surrounded by trees that had lost most of their leaves from the fall season. For the connection to work, you must be outdoors with a clear view of the sky — which admittedly could limit its usefulness in certain situations.

Once you're connected to emergency services with the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, you can add finer details about your situation.

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Emergency SOS via Satellite was easy to use in a mock setting — the only danger around me during Apple's demo included wet grass, some dogs on a walk, and a mom group with kids. Those kids sure looked hungry, though.

However, I'd be frazzled if I broke my ankle or got lost in the Tetons, and I wouldn't know how to even start the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature if I hadn't tried it out before. Figuring it out while in a stressful situation is the last thing you should be worried about, and you can't Google it when you're off the grid. That's why the Emergency SOS via Satellite demo mode is such a key feature. 

Any seasoned adventurer worth their mettle would tell you to get familiar with emergency gear and features before you'd actually need them. Whether you're panicked or collected, your mind should be focused on survival rather than figuring out how to use an iPhone feature for the first time.

One more thing: Even city slickers who anticipate they'll never wear a pair of hiking boots should try out the Emergency SOS via Satellite demo on their iPhone 14 series iPhone.

Emergency SOS via Satellite is often contextualized with the great outdoors. However, it would be just as useful and work just the same in the middle of a city if power and wireless communications were knocked out during some kind of disaster.

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