In a story that is going to make airplane staff re-think asking passengers to turn off their phones, an Apple iPhone is credited with helping authorities find a crashed Chilean plane thanks to the “Find My iPhone” feature. The tragic crash killed 21 people without any survivors, but the passenger with an iPhone that provides location data allowed military officials to track down the CASA 212.
” One of the passengers carried (an iPhone). When it fell into the sea, it was located and one of the relatives sent us that information,” the military official reportedly said.
The accident is quite a sad one, and the plane was apparently wrecked so badly that no pieces larger than 20 inches were recovered (though recovery and search efforts are reportedly hampered by bad weather at the moment). It does show an interesting benefit to GPS-enabled phones; more than just being able to help you find directions to the local burger joint, the iPhone that broadcasts your location (not without your permission, of course) can help with more than simply finding a stolen phone. It can help people to find you.
Source: Infobae
Via: AppleInsider