Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. As someone living in a small B.
C. mountain town known for adventure sports and outdoor activities, I hear about search and rescue calls on a weekly basis. Some of them revolve around highly skilled athletes who have ventured into dangerous avalanche terrain or elite climbers who got stuck on a ledge trying to outdo an extreme personal goal.
Most of the calls are for everyday people who have unintentionally gone off grid while exploring this beautiful patch of Earth, and have simply gotten in over their heads. I’ve long been an Apple user — I have the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max and an ancient MacBook Air circa 2014 that just won’t die (unsurprisingly, the model is no longer available but here’s the new one .) The thought of switching to Android/PC terrifies me (I’ve done so, in the name of research, but always come back to my Apple products), yet I have never tried the Apple Watch .
When I heard about the SOS features on the newer iPhones and Apple watches, I was determined to test them firsthand. Could they really help to save my life in an emergency situation? Equipped with the latest in Apple technology, I set out into the wilderness to understand how the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 9 work in tandem to help keep nature lovers of all ability levels safe in the backcountry. Before goin.