14 DAY TRIAL // This fall you'll want to update your iPhone to Apple's forthcoming iOS 12 mobile operating system if you live in the United States, as it will securely and automatically share your location with first responders during 911 emergency calls.
Now that more than 80 percent of 911 emergency calls come from mobile devices, Apple believes it's wise to enable automatic location sharing in its iOS mobile operating system starting later this year after the release of iOS 12, which the company announced earlier this month during the WWDC 2018 developer conference.
"Communities rely on 911 centers in an emergency, and we believe they should have the best available technology at their disposal," said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook in a press announcement published today. "When every moment counts, these tools will help first responders reach our customers when they most need assistance."
iOS 12 to use Apple's HELO (Hybridized Emergency Location) for sharing location data
In 2015, Apple launched HELO (Hybridized Emergency Location), a technology that can estimate a caller's location using Wi-Fi Access Points, GPS, and cell towers during 911 emergency calls. Now, Apple partnered with the RapidSOS emergency technology company to securely share location data of mobile callers with 911 centers.
Apple said that users' location data would only be used for emergency purposes and will only be shared with the responding 911 center during an emergency call. While this feature is coming first in the United States, we believe it's a lifesaving smartphone functionality everyone must have enabled on their mobile devices.
Apple's iOS 12 mobile operating system debuts this fall with numerous new features and improvements, such as grouped notifications, group FaceTime, Siri shortcuts, revamped Apple Books, Apple News, Stocks, CarPlay, and Voice Memos apps, and enhanced parental control options to fight iPhone and iPad addiction among children.