An emergency SOS feature on iPhones has gone viral on social media after it was highlighted as a way of helping to keep women safe.
The little-known feature – which uses the iPhone lock button to sound a siren, as well as contact the emergency services and the emergency contacts saved in the phone’s address book – has been shared by thousands of people on both Twitter and Instagram over the last 24 hours.
The feature has gone viral following the tragic disappearance of Sarah Everard.
The 33-year-old Marketing Executive vanished after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham at about 9pm last Wednesday and beginning a 50-minute walk home to Brixton.
Since her disappearance – which has been widely reported on in global news outlets – a serving Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested for her suspected kidnap and murder, and investigators searching for her confirmed yesterday evening that human remains had been found in woodland in Ashford, Kent – although the remains have not yet been identified.
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A woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Since Ms Everard was reported as missing, social media has been flooded with women sharing their personal experiences of safety fears when out in public, particularly at night, alongside tips they have picked up to help protect themselves.
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The iPhone Emergency SOS feature is one safety hack that’s been described by some as a “life-saver”.
Please share this far & wide. Feel so sad about the #SarahEverard news and can’t even begin to imagine how her family & friends are feeling right now ❤️ pic.twitter.com/sYixcMXSnL
If you press your lock button 5 times in a row, your iPhone makes a loud siren, counts down to 3, calls emergency services, then texts your emergency contacts alerting them of the situation and your location. Search ‘Emergency SOS’ to set up #Shewaswalkinghome#SarahEverard
So, how exactly does the feature work then? What does it do? How can it be set up?
The description for the Emergency SOS feature on the Apple website reads: “When you make a call with SOS, your iPhone will call the local emergency number automatically. In some countries and regions, you may need to choose the service that you need.
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“You can also add emergency contacts [meaning that] after an emergency call has finished, your iPhone can alert your emergency contacts with a text message, unless you choose to cancel this option [and] your iPhone then sends them your current location, and, for a period of time when you have entered SOS mode, it sends updates to your emergency contacts when your location changes”.
Got an iPhone 8 model or later? Here’s how to activate Emergency SOS:
Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the ‘Emergency SOS’ slider appears.
Drag the ‘Emergency SOS slider’ to call emergency services. If you continue to hold down the side button and volume button, instead of dragging the slider, a countdown will start and an alert will sound. If you hold down the buttons until the countdown has finished, your iPhone will automatically call the emergency services.
If you have an iPhone 7 model or earlier, here’s how to activate Emergency SOS:
Rapidly press the side (or top) button five times and the ‘Emergency SOS slider’ will appear.
Drag the ‘Emergency SOS’ slider to call emergency services.
After the call has finished, your iPhone will send your emergency contacts a text message with your current location, unless you choose to cancel this option and in the instance that ‘Location Services’ is off, it will temporarily turn on.
If your location changes, your contacts will get an update and you’ll get a notification about 10 minutes later.
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Chatting with girlfriends about being afraid to walk home at night in London after the disappearance of Sarah Everard. One pointed out that it’s important to set up the emergency SOS feature and add emergency contacts if you have an iPhone. Sharing in case it’s useful for anyone.
If you have an iPhone 8 model or later, you can also choose how you make the emergency call by pressing the side button five times.
Here’s how to change the setting:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap ‘Emergency SOS’.
Turn ‘Call with Side Button’ on or off – Pressing and holding the side button along with the volume button will continue to work when this is on.
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You can find more information and FAQs about how to set up iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature via the Apple website here.
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‘Hairy men’ needed to play soldiers in returning major fantasy TV series
Thomas Melia
A huge TV series has issued an urgent casting call for, very specifically, ‘hairy men’ to play soldiers.
The exact show hasn’t been named in the casting call, but it’s definitely a major returning fantasy, and is reportedly House of the Dragon, the hit Game of Thrones spin-off.
This big on demand show is set to start filming in just two months’ time, meaning anyone considering shouldn’t wait to apply.
There are a list of key characteristics candidates should have if hoping for this role, including a great work ethic and a professional attitude, something all Mancs like to think we have.
The job description states that no prior acting experience is required, one of the only other things you need to be good at is waking up early (well that’s me out).
Most importantly, headhunters are looking for individuals to take on that have one big factor in common… lots of hair.
On the official website where you can submit your headshots and photos, you will find a mood board filled with ranging hairstyles that fit the desired look the show is going for.
Just one example of a long-haired man who fits the criteria for the returning series.Another similar hair style choice to the guide from the casting call.Credit via Unsplash
Most of the pictures on the site range from long curly locks to big bushy beards – it’s a shame Santa will be back in the North Pole by now.
All candidates must have grown-out hair, ‘overgrown scruff to longer beards’, this means no short, back and sides, or any ‘modern fades’ as stated by the casting team.
If the rumours are true and this turns out to be a shoot for House Of The Dragon, it would be great to see even more Northern talent feature in this show.
It wasn’t too long ago that fans and Mancs alike realised that actor Olivia Cooke, who plays Lady Alicent Hightower, was a local lass herself, born not too far away in Oldham.
One final and important note is that anyone who is likely to apply must make sure they’re 18+ and have a right to work in the UK.
Filming will take place across North Wales and the South East from March onwards, with rate of pay roughly £140-£300+ per day (depending on hours worked).
To apply for a chance to feature in the returning major fantasy series, you can do so by visiting the site HERE.
Greater Manchester set to be battered by ‘impactful’ heavy rain and wind this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester is set to be battered by some heavy rain and wind this week, according to the Met Office.
While things have seemed surprisingly more settled for the time of year over the last week or so, with clearer skies and chilly winter mornings being fairly commonplace, all that will change very soon, as the Met Office has forecasted that the UK is set to be battered by some ‘impactful’ heavy rain and strong winds as the week goes on.
Low pressure systems will bring a more ‘unsettled’ spell of weather, with a severe weather warning for wind issued for certain parts of the UK.
Today is expected to be filled with grey skies and light rain here in Greater Manchester, with cloud covering much of the rest of the country, and other outbreaks of rain elsewhere, whereas on Wednesday, the focus of rain will shift to southern England instead.
The weather looks set to turn more unsettled during the forthcoming week 🌧️ 🌬️
Thursday is where it’s set to take the biggest downturn though, as a front bringing heavy rain moves eastwards through the day, and it’s us here in North West England that are expected to see the highest accumulations too, with 20-30mm could falling over the hills, and some hill snow even possible over the Scottish mountains too.
A deep area of low pressure will also have ‘deepened rapidly’ by Thursday, bringing ‘strengthening winds’ to western parts of the UK along with it overnight, followed by more heavy rainfall.
Greater Manchester is set to be battered by ‘impactful’ heavy rain and wind this week / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“A very deep area of low pressure will bring a very unsettled, potentially disruptive, spell of weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday,” explained Chris Almond, who is the Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist.
“Winds will begin to strengthen on Thursday night, with the peak gusts forecast through Friday in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The wind will also be accompanied by heavy rain bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.
“We have issued a Yellow weather warning for wind, and with several days before the impactful weather, the forecast details are likely to be fine-tuned during the week, so stay tuned to your local forecast and keep up to date with Met Office warnings.”
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2021 
