Samsung Galaxy S8 might be a two-year-old smartphone, but it is still serving an important purpose. The Samsung smartphone reportedly helped rescue 20 people in the Philippines. According to a report, a boat with 20 people onboard capsized off the coast of Malapascua Island near Cebu in the Philippines about two weeks ago. However, all of these passengers were rescued because of the water-resistant Galaxy S8 smartphone. Jim Emdee, one of the 20 passengers, managed to call for help, when he found his submerged Galaxy S8 under the boat.
Samsung Galaxy S8 saves 20 lives in Philippines
The rescue team got their location with the help of Galaxy S8’s GPS positioning system. Emdee told media that only his Galaxy S8 was able to connect among all 20 passengers. The smartphone reportedly worked all the way until they made it to the shore. He also added that his smartphone stayed alive for much longer than he thought possible underwater. The incident highlights how a simple feature like water-resistance and IP rating could come as a boon and save lives.
The Inquirer further reports that the boat came from Malapascua, a known diving spot in Philippines. It carried 13 foreign divers, three dive instructors and a local divemaster along with three Filipino crewmen. The rescued foreigners included an Australian, a Swiss national, a Hong Kong national, two Spaniards, five Americans, three Germans, an Israeli, an Italian and a Canadian.
“We are glad to hear that the passengers are all safe, and that a Samsung phone was helpful in the rescue effort. We will continue to work towards producing devices that can come to users’ aid when they find themselves in dire situations,” James Jung, Head of Samsung Electronics Philippines, said in a statement.
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Samsung even recommends its Galaxy smartphone users to enable emergency GPS locator feature while traveling. The feature can be activated via Settings -> Advanced Features -> Send SOS message. In case of emergency, Galaxy users can tap on the power button three times to send an SOS message to up to four contacts. Samsung also has an option to include an instant photo from the camera and an audio recording. The incident raises questions as to whether all premium smartphones should be IP certified and thus help avert disaster.