Seoul: US tech giant Apple has improved its emergency location-sharing feature on iPhones for South Korean users, officials said on Wednesday.

The service duration has been expanded from five minutes to 30 minutes to help emergency responders accurately locate iPhone users in need of assistance, following a request from the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC), according to Yonhap news agency.

The extension was agreed upon after consultations among the KMCC, Apple, the National Police Agency, the National Fire Agency, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency.

KMCC Highlights Apple’s Commitment

A KMCC official noted that “Samsung Electronics smartphones do not have such limitations as they operate based on a different mechanism,” emphasizing that the extension was specifically for South Korean iPhone users.

KMCC Chair Kim Jong-cheol said, “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.”

Google Urged to Support Shared Growth in App Ecosystem

Meanwhile, KMCC Chair Kim Jong-cheol also called on Google to foster shared growth in South Korea’s application ecosystem as the company revamps its app store commission policy.

During a meeting with Wilson White, Google’s vice president of global affairs, in Gwacheon, Kim discussed cooperation ahead of the implementation of Google’s new commission structure, which splits its 30% fee into a 15-20% service charge and a 5% transaction fee, while allowing third-party payment options.

Kim emphasized that the app market ecosystem could see significant changes with these steps and urged Google to implement the new pricing in South Korea ahead of the scheduled December rollout. He also requested Google to propose measures that support small and medium-sized developers and to establish a fair and sustainable app ecosystem.