What amazing stories our favorite gadgets don’t get into! And us along with them. Maybe one of you has bravely helped to make a vital call in the last percent of the charge? Or, in general – saved from hunger or cold? Or it helped not to get lost in a dark forest. In this feature, we’ve compiled some incredible “one in a million” stories of gadgets that saved a life, survived a plane crash, and caught a bullet.
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iPhone X survived a plane crash
In 2021, the pilot of a small Diamond DA40 plane was on a private flight from Colorado to Atlanta. He was struck by the amazingly beautiful cumulus clouds overhead during the flight. The man reached for his beloved iPhone X to take a memorable photo. But because of sudden turbulence, the device jumped out of the pilot’s hands and was caught by the air current, flying into a small passenger window, as such tiny planes are often equipped with.
After landing in Atlanta and having already come to terms with the loss of his smartphone, the owner nevertheless decided to look for it through the Find My app to try to salvage the data left on the device. The smartphone was found in Arkansas, close to a cell tower. But what was the surprise of the clumsy pilot when it flew about 3500 meters in free fall iPhone X not only did not break the display but continued to work as if nothing had happened!
Siri voice assistant saved a truck driver crushed by a truck
Sam, a 19-year-old mechanic from Tennessee, was working under a truck with a wrench when he heard a metallic clang. The next thing he knew, he was in terrible pain. One of the jacks gave way, and the big truck crushed the kid with its two-ton weight. Sam panicked, for there was no one around to help him. But at that moment, the voice of Apple’s Siri rang out of his breast pocket. Sam asked his rescuer to dial the emergency number. In less than an hour, police officers arrived in time to pull the hapless mechanic out from under the truck and send him to the nearest hospital. He miraculously escaped serious injury.
An old Nokia helped to find a lost hiker in the mountains
The 70-year-old Taiwanese pensioner Liu Kunming is not the person who lies on his couch all day watching TV. Despite his advanced age, his grandfather often liked to go for walks with his friends in the countryside. But during one of these hikes, he lost his company and got lost in the mountains. To make matters worse, the elderly hiker dropped his phone somewhere – an old Nokia “brick” without the latest high-tech features. But in the end, it saved the man’s life.
The phone withstood all the weather’s adversities and continued receiving calls. Finally, based on the device’s geolocation, the rescuers made a precise plan to find Liu. The traveler was found on the fifth day of the rescue operation. According to doctors, he only got away with a couple of scratches.
The iPhone XR sat in a river for almost a year and survived
Shortly before his wedding in 2021, Briton Owain Davis arranged a noisy bachelor party: he went canoeing with his best friends. Unfortunately, after the descent, the man discovered that he had lost his favorite smartphone – the iPhone XR, which had served him for almost three years. Worst of all, the gadget left behind photos dear to the groom’s heart. But what can you do?
Owain accepted the smartphone’s loss and continued preparing for the celebration. But ten months after the accident, another rowing enthusiast, Miguel Pacheco, found the same smartphone nailed to the shore. When he got home, he cleaned the device of silt and mud and sent it to dry. And the following day, the iPhone worked! Miguel posted a photo of the device and the pictures left in the smartphone’s memory on social media, where he gathered a lot of reposts and found Owain! So the iPhone returned to its rightful owner after almost a year of underwater wanderings.
AirTag beacon prevented car theft
The AirTag beacons from Apple help not only to find the necessary thing in time but also to prevent crime! And even in those cases, when these beacons belong to the criminals themselves. For example, in 2021, an American bought a used truck and drove it to work. Suddenly, he received a notification on his smartphone that someone else’s AirTag beacon was nearby. Suspecting surveillance, the man went to the police, where his fears were confirmed: the vehicle was listed as stolen, and, apparently, the criminals would steal the truck again after selling it to a random person. So the transaction to buy the car was canceled, and a few days later, the real owners of the truck showed up.
Apple Watch Saves Teacher Drowning in an icy river
American schoolteacher William Rogers was used to skating on the river on weekends in the freezing season. But one sunny Sunday, the ice beneath William’s feet failed, and he plunged headfirst into the icy water. At first, the man panicked and tried to escape the river alone. But the ice around him just kept cracking. That’s when he remembered that he had an Apple Watch on his wrist. So William contacted the emergency services through the emergency call function and described the situation. Luckily, rescuers arrived on the scene in just five minutes and retrieved the teacher from the river before he could be seriously hurt.
The smartphone catches a bullet and keeps working
There are few cases in which a gadget has taken a bullet meant for its owner. But the story of a patrolling soldier from the Philippines caught in a firefight, and his faithful smartphone-budget OPPO Reno 4 stands out even against their backdrop. During a combat encounter with unnamed intruders, the phone was in the soldier’s pants pocket and received a bullet that flew into the man’s thigh. The incredible thing was that the phone continued to work! The bullet hit the display and shattered it, but it did not go through: the battery, the processor and all the other insides of the gadget were unharmed. The man gave the phone, which he now considers his lucky charm, to be repaired and plans to continue using it.
