Travelers Stranded in Snow Rescued After iPhone SOS Feature Alerts Colorado Emergency Workers

The feature kicked in despite the travelers not having any cell phone service

Travelers stranded in the Colorado snow on Christmas were able to get help despite not having any cell phone service - thanks to their iPhone's SOS satellite feature.

According to a press release obtained by PEOPLE, the Gilpin County Dispatch Center received information from the iPhone Satellite Emergency Relay Center at 6:10 p.m. on Monday that a Toyota Tacoma was stranded in the mountains of Gilpin County, which lie west of Denver.

By 6:50 p.m., Gilpin County sheriffs contacted Colorado 4x4 Rescue Group and Recovery for assistance. At 8:15 p.m., the Colorado 4x4 group was dispatched to the area of the stranded vehicle and located the stranded party at 9:40 p.m. All members of the party were in good condition, other than being very cold, the release read.

"They're like, 'Hey, stuck Tacoma. We don't know what's going on. We just know that people are stuck,'" Colorado 4x4 Rescue's public information officer Kimi McBryde told local outlet KMGH of the communication they received from the sheriff's office.

"So pro of the iPhone: we found out they needed help. Con, you don't necessarily get all the information," McBryde explained.

Since there was no cell service in the area and the travelers couldn't communicate with authorities, the search and rescue team "weren't sure how many people were out there" and didn't know what their conditions were, including if they needed "food, water, layers, where they were from," she added.

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But thanks to the SOS, the travelers were rescued three hours after it was sent out.

According to Apple's website, the emergency SOS via satellite feature connects iPhone owners "with emergency services under exceptional circumstances when no other means of reaching emergency services are available."

When cell service isn't available, the iPhone then attempts to connect with emergency services through satellite, for those who are outside with "a clear view of the sky and horizon." The feature is available for owners of the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 and or iPhone 15 Pro.

Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery, which shared the story on its Facebook page this week, uses gear that incorporated satellite communication devices and has been operating since 2014.

McBryde shared with PEOPLE in a statement on Thursday that changes in accessibility for satellite communications are "a game changer for enjoying the outdoors safely."

"We are huge believers in everyone enjoying the outdoors, safely. It's not uncommon for us to receive asks for help via sat comm devices, but the associated costs of sat comm may be prohibitive to people purchasing and using them, while everyone has a cell phone," McBryde said.

"We are very excited to see this technology become more accessible to everyone, and hopefully spread across the other phone devices and carriers as well."

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Read the original article on People.