Not sure, actually – I wouldn‘t be surprised if a helicopter would actually still appear if I‘d press the big red button on mine, but I haven‘t tried.
False alerts are probably a real concern. I had to provide two emergency contacts for the service I‘m using. The operators will call them before dispatching emergency services to catch accidental activations.
A big problem with stolen phones, is that the thieves are often kids, and use the 911 (999, in EU) feature to call in false emergency calls, as that is the only thing on a locked phone that works.
Really, phones are a bad bet, for stealing, these days; especially Apple kit.
Yes, because satellite phones are not normal service. Both immersat and iridium connect 112 and 911 to their own operator who will then try to contact authorities where you tell them you are. I'm not surprised that this isn't available unless you're on a monthly plan.
> Both immersat and iridium connect 112 and 911 to their own operator
Not unless that’s changed recently. The last time I tried with Iridium (when in an actual emergency) calling 911 wasn’t supported in any capacity. I had to call someone else and have them relay my call.
> this article from 2014 says that all satellite providers support it
That link actually says only 2 of 4 supported 911/112 in 2014. It explicitly states:
> You will need to obtain the full international access code, country code, and phone number for the local fire, police, or ambulance depending upon the nature of the emergency and store it in your contacts.
for Thuraya and Globalstar (at least back then).
Either way, I said Iridium didn’t and apparently I was wrong (as my example was from 2016). Maybe I had a Globalstar phone that time? Iridium definitely didn’t in 2008 though.
With something like a Garmin inReach, the service is turned completely off if you're not subscribed, so even an SOS message wouldn't be transmitted through the satellite
False alerts are probably a real concern. I had to provide two emergency contacts for the service I‘m using. The operators will call them before dispatching emergency services to catch accidental activations.