When a hunter crashed his e-bike, injuring his ankle in a remote part of the White River National Forest in September 2023, he could barely move — and he didn’t have cell service to call for help.

But a new Apple iPhone emergency satellite function allowed the hunter on Hay Park Trail near Mount Sopris to contact 911 via text message. The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office launched a search and rescue team, getting the hiker back to safety within hours.

That rescue was one of the first times the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center received an emergency SOS text message from someone in trouble in the backcountry. But it wouldn’t be the last.

Pitkin County Emergency Communications Chief Brett Loeb said that as of November, the dispatch center had received 70 calls for service from the backcountry so far in 2024 — the most it has ever received in a calendar year. 

Emergency satellite text messages from iPhones accounted for 18 — or 25% — of those calls for service, Loeb said. While it’s hard to say for certain, he said it’s possible that satellite technology being available on the most popular smartphone on the market helped lead to Pitkin County’s record-breaking year for backcountry 911 calls.

“It used to be that everyone either had to get to the top of the mountain to get cell service or get out of the mountains to call 911. So, it was often hours before they could get help,” Loeb said. “Now, it’s right in their hands.”

Technology ‘is advancing really, really quickly’

Apple rolled out the emergency SOS satellite texting function in the U.S. and Canada when the iPhone 14 went on sale in late 2022. It has more recently rolled out the ability to send text messages via satellite to friends and family, even outside of emergency situations.

Apple initially said that the satellite SOS function would be free on the iPhone 14 and later models for two years. But two years later, the function remains free, and Apple has not indicated whether that will change.

Meanwhile, Google has started offering satellite SOS functionality on the Pixel 9, T-Mobile has announced plans to start rolling out satellite coverage in collaboration with SpaceX and other companies are not far behind.

“Technology in the 911 space is advancing really, really quickly, which is exciting, but it can be hard to keep up with sometimes,” Summit County 911 Center deputy director Trina Dummer said.

In Summit County, the first satellite SOS message the dispatch center received from an iPhone came in in August 2023, Dummer said. Since then, she said that 24 incidents have been relayed to the 911 center via the iPhone’s satellite SOS function.

While satellite communication devices have been on the market for years, it is only in the last year and a half that satellite communications have really taken off with the new smartphone technologies, Dummer said.

“Prior to this technology, it had been pretty limited,” Dummer said. “We did have some avid backcountry users who have the Garmin inReach and traditional satellite technologies. But it was nothing like what we’re seeing now.”

The iPhone’s satellite SOS function has proved helpful in the backcountry where cell service is scarce. But as satellite technology becomes more widespread, Dummer said it is also making it easier to call for help if an emergency occurs off the side of the highway or from a home in a remote area where there isn’t cell service.

Still, there are limitations to the technology. Dummer said the Summit County 911 Center has been upgraded to function with the new smartphone satellite technologies, but other dispatch centers might not yet be set up to receive these satellite SOS alerts.

“Keep in mind that physical objects like trees and mountains can obstruct a satellite connection,” Dummer said. “Even with this new technology emerging, it’s a good idea to have additional methods of communication — like a Garmin inReach or traditional satellite phone — if you are traveling in the backcountry.”

‘Can I ditch my Garmin inreach?’

With satellite communication now available on smartphones, outdoor forums online have been full of enthusiasts asking whether the iPhone’s new satellite features mean they can ditch their Garmin inReach, one of the most popular satellite devices on the market.

Colorado Search and Rescue state coordinator Bruce Beckman has a simple answer to that: No.

“On the iPhone, I can text you back and forth. I can get coordinates as well. But what happens when the phone dies or is broken?” Beckman said. “I have no coordinates for you. I don’t know where you are.”

Smartphones often power off in conditions that are too cold or too hot, and they’re not made to withstand heavy impacts that can occur in the backcountry, Beckman said. People also tend to use their iPhones for other activities like recording their route on Strava or taking photos, draining battery life that could prove crucial in an emergency situation, he said.

But another reason to carry a second satellite communication device is because many of the devices on the market offer capabilities that the iPhone doesn’t.

The Garmin inReach and the Spot X satellite devices, for example, include mapping features and continuous tracking that can indicate an individual’s location even if they can’t hit an SOS button, such as if they’ve been knocked unconscious, Beckman said. The Garmin inReach Messenger Plus can even convey photos and short voice memos via satellite.

But no matter what satellite device someone chooses — whether a smartphone or a Garmin — all satellite devices will require a user to have a clear view of the sky in order to get a message out, Beckman said. Tree cover, canyons, mountains and even a storm passing over can disrupt the device’s ability to communicate with satellites traveling in orbit around the earth, he said.

Beckman encouraged anyone heading out into the backcountry to test out their satellite communication device before heading out, so that they are familiar with how the device works, whether it be an iPhone or a Garmin, before they are in an emergency.