A useful tip for emergencies
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325929)
Rockingham, Australia
January 14, 2022 11:48pm CST
This tip came up on Vince’s Facebook page and I thought it worth passing on.
If you are ever lost while hiking, get stranded with a broken-down car, etc, and you notice your mobile phone is either low on battery or has no signal, here is a tip that very well may save your life.
Change the voicemail on your phone to a message that gives your approximate location, the time, the date, your situation (lost, out of gas, car broken down, injured, etc) and any special instructions such as you are staying with the car, you are walking toward a town, etc.
The best part of this is that even if your mobile phone dies or stops working, voicemail still works, so anyone calling your phone looking for you will hear the message and know where to find you or where to send help.
I don’t know enough about mobiles to know if the information is correct. Does voicemail still work if your phone dies? I don’t know. But it all sounds a good idea to me.
The photo is of typical Australian 'bush’.
31 people like this
32 responses
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
15 Jan 22
Yes, that is a useful tip... Voicemail is stored on your server, not on your phone, so it continues to deliver your message whether your phone is still powered or not.
4 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45508)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
15 Jan 22
But if the phone is out of power, how are you going to reprogram the voice mail?
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
15 Jan 22
@JudyEv You're very welcome. I agree.
1 person likes this
@Vikingswest1 (6305)
• United States
15 Jan 22
This is absolutely true and a great idea for an emergency situation.
It should be shared everywhere
3 people like this
@Vikingswest1 (6305)
• United States
15 Jan 22
@JudyEv
It could. I hadn't thought of it before I saw your post. Such a great idea!
1 person likes this
@cacay1 (83223)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
15 Jan 22
Yes, that's correct the caller can hear the voice mail despite the other party's mobile phone is off. That's a very good tip and the alert saves someone. I better program my mobile phone voice mail. Thanks for sharing this, it's very informative.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (325929)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Jan 22
You would only need to do it in an emergency. Thanks for the info.
@LeaPea2417 (36460)
• Toccoa, Georgia
15 Jan 22
That's a great idea. I never thought about it before.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156498)
• United States
15 Jan 22
I don't know enough about mobile phones to change the message even! ... but it's a good tip.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325929)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jan 22
@LindaOHio I have Vince's old one but he has forgotten a lot about it and has nearly as much trouble operating it as I have.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156498)
• United States
16 Jan 22
@JudyEv Me too. My husband has a basic flip phone too; but his new one has a camera. We haven't even tried to learn how to operate that.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (34381)
•
22 Jan 22
Now that's a useful bit of information, thanks!
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54411)
• United States
15 Jan 22
as an avid phone technologies, yes it works when the phone is off.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325929)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Jan 22
@DocAndersen We sometimes watch the police helicopter (on the computer) tracking someone and they hide among trees but they can be seen by the helicopter because of the heat of their body so it's not long before police on the ground catch up with them.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54411)
• United States
16 Jan 22
@JudyEv it really is, there is also a series of tools you can use, but it will send out a broadcast text of your current location.
that uses the GPS coordinates rather than your projected estimation of where you are!
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79799)
• United States
15 Jan 22
That's a great tip and not something I ever would have thought about doing. You just never know when you might get stranded
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79799)
• United States
15 Jan 22
@JudyEv this was a big help for us here. Thanks for sharing
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325929)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jan 22
True but probably 99% want to be found. Or maybe not! 
And some probably get found despite their best efforts. 
And some probably get found despite their best efforts. 
@mildredtabitha (16049)
• Nairobi, Kenya
15 Jan 22
This a good idea and I hope it has ever worked for someone. I'll try it too someday. I won't forget this. Thanks for sharing
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16049)
• Nairobi, Kenya
16 Jan 22
@JudyEv Yes I will. I will share the tip with friends too
1 person likes this
