A published Apple patent revealed a new iPhone feature that will allow users to quickly and discreetly call for help.
The innovation will look to help users who suddenly find themselves in dangerous situations. Will it be ready for Apple's upcoming premium smartphone, the iPhone 8?
Apple's Panic Command Feature
The Apple patent, published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, depicted technology that is capable of calling 911 depending on how a user touches the screen of an iPhone. The "panic command" can be activated, for example, through a particular sequence of finger touches, a certain level of applied force, a specific gesture, or a certain order of taps on the iPhone's screen.
Once the iPhone panic command is activated, the device will provide its location to emergency services. The iPhone could also start streaming audio or video taken from the smartphone's speakers and cameras.
Most smartphones in the market allow users to call 911 from a locked screen, but doing so would be very obvious for instances when someone, such as a criminal, is watching. Through the feature, users will be able to call 911 without drawing any attention.
The panic command can also trigger other functions aside from calling 911, such as deleting all sensitive information stored in the iPhone.
Will There Be An iPhone 8 Panic Command Feature?
The iPhone 8, a premium smartphone packed with more upgrades compared to the also upcoming iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, looks like the perfect device to introduce the panic command feature. However, due to the feature still in the patent stage, it is highly unlikely that it will be available for the iPhone 8.
The patent, while recently published, was first filed in 2013. The documentation mentions the usage of a headphone jack, which Apple has phased out from iPhones, as well as fingerprint scanners, which may also be on the way out to give way to facial recognition technology.
There is also the very real chance that the technology described in the patent may never come to fruition, which is a usual thing among patents filed by technology companies.
The bigger question, however, is whether the iPhone panic command feature will really improve the safety of iPhone owners. The effectiveness of the panic command will be limited by the speed of responders, which vary between states and countries.
Apple is certainly trying to make the world a safer place with the panic command feature, but until it is implemented in iPhones, the jury is out on how effective it will truly be.
