If you get lost during a hike and your phone battery is dying or you can’t get service, you should update your voicemail with your location, the time, and an explanation of your situation: So says a viral post about wilderness safety that has been making its way through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok this week.
“The best part of this is that even if your cell 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,” the post says.
This seems like a convenient solution, but according to search and rescue officials, this is reckless and not that helpful. Halifax Search and Rescue wrote on Facebook: “To be blunt. Wasting time changing your voicemail could be the last thing you do. If you don’t call for help, and you didn’t leave a trip plan, NOBODY IS COMING TO GET YOU.”