Two 911 emergency dispatch platforms – Prepared and RapidSOS Unite – will officially support Apple’s Emergency SOS Live Video, coming to iPhones this fall alongsideiOS 18,The Vergesays. The feature lets dispatchers request a livestream during a call, as well as recorded media from the iOS Camera Roll. Typically 911 services only support voice calls and text messages, so the feature could help iPhone owners provide a clearer picture of what’s happening during life-threatening situations.
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Both Prepared and RapidSOS Unite are focused on the US market. Live Video should eventually spread to other countries, however, since there aren’t any inherent regional restrictions.
The bigger obstacles to global adoption may be cellular bandwidth and the popularity of iPhones. Even in developed countries, many areas don’t have 4G or 5G fast enough to handle a smooth livestream. And while iPhones are extremely popular in North America, countries like China and India are dominated by Android devices. Conceivably, some emergency services might not consider support for an iPhone-exclusive feature worth the effort.
What is Emergency SOS?
Emergency SOS is an umbrella for a number of Apple technologies. The most basic of these lets users ping both personal contacts and emergency services at the same time, sharing location data when possible. Others include Fall Detection and Crash Detection, the latter reserved for more recent devices such as theiPhone 14andApple Watch Series 8. People with an iPhone 14 or 15 can take advantage ofEmergency SOS via satellite, although that could eventually become a paid add-on.
Emergency SOS Live Video was first announced during Apple’s 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference. At the time Apple didn’t have much to say on the topic, and we might not get a complete picture of launch coverage until the company’siPhone 16event this September.
