Ask HN: Murder, rape etc: could an AirTag with an SOS button be a solution?

I believe Apple AirTag relies on passing iPhones and other devices to forward the location of the AirTag to Apple's servers.

I believe what you envisioning requires more reliable communication to Apple's servers. Perhaps an Apple Watch with a LTE/5G connection. The Apple Watch already has a feature to alert emergency services in case you "fall" or involved in a car crash. The hard part is teaching non technical folks how to use the Apple Watch. I know several seniors who would benefit from this technology but I hesitate to recommend it to them because they can't even figure out their iPhone despite owning one for 10+ years!

https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/contact-emergency-serv...

It might get the police to the location of the AirTag an hour too late but I don't see it doing much else.

Then again false hope sells. Might be a good business plan but end up lacking in practicality.

Who would come fast enough?

I think a device that you can use to take a picture of an approaching suspect's and it uploads it to an online database - available to the police and friends - with your location would be more of a deterrent - if it's usage was known to perpetrators.

iPhones have emergency calling by holding down either of the volume buttons and the side button. The same is also available in most Androids, though the procedure might be different between models, e.g. pressing the power button 5 times or more. How long or how many presses are needed can be different between which country the user is in. Depending on the country and implementations available, emergency operators get instant location on the phone. Similar features are available in smart watches, like holding the side button on an Apple Watch.

I could see it being profitable. I wonder what the ratio of false positives to murders would be? Do we have any statistics on how many people with an iPhone are kidnapped each year?