Apple improves iPhone's emergency location-sharing service for Korean users

Visitors test iPhones at an Apple retail store in central Seoul, Sept. 19, 2025. Yonhap

U.S. tech giant Apple Inc. has improved an emergency location-sharing feature on iPhones for South Korean users at the request of the Seoul government, officials said Wednesday.

The expansion of the service's duration, from the previous five minutes to 30 minutes, came at the request of the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) to better help emergency responders to accurately identify the locations of iPhone users in need of emergency assistance.

The agreement was reached after a series of meetings among the KMCC, Apple, the National Police Agency, the National Fire Agency and the Korea Internet & Security Agency.

"Samsung Electronics smartphones do not have such limitations as they operate based on a different mechanism," a KMCC official said, noting Apple decided to offer the extension especially for South Korean users.

"We welcome Apple's decision and will continue to work with global companies and related organizations to improve the quality of location-sharing services to better protect people's lives and safety," KMCC Chair Kim Jong-cheol said in a release.