Apple Expected to Expand Emergency SOS via Satellite to the UK on December 13 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Expected to Expand Emergency SOS via Satellite to the UK on December 13

by

Apple could expand the Emergency SOS via Satellite and Find My via satellite functionality to the United Kingdom as soon as next week, according to a source that spoke to MacRumors. Emergency services personnel in the country have been told that calls from the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will be routed to local emergency services facilities starting on Tuesday, December 13.

Emergency SOS via Satellite iPhone YT
Emergency SOS via Satellite launched in the United States and Canada last month, and at the time, Apple said that it would expand to France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December. Apple did not provide a specific date, but the December 13 date we've heard from the UK source makes sense. It is not clear if the expansion will also include France, Germany, and Ireland, but it seems likely, and this could also be the day we see iOS 16.2 launch.

Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature is available to all iPhone 14 users running iOS 16.1 in supported countries and it is free to use for two years. It is designed to allow iPhone users to make emergency calls using satellite connectivity outdoors when no cellular or WiFi connection is available.


Satellite connectivity can also be used to update a ‌Find My‌ location without WiFi or cellular connectivity through the ‌Find My‌ app.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

Apple Preparing 'Most Significant Overhaul in the iPhone's History'

Sunday March 29, 2026 8:18 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone. In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history." "iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said. Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
Read Full Article • 142 comments
Apple Event Logo

Apple to Launch These 15+ New Products Later This Year

Friday March 27, 2026 2:03 pm PDT by
March has been an incredibly busy month for Apple, with the company unveiling more than 10 new products and accessories. We said hello to the MacBook Neo at the start of the month, and we bid farewell to the Mac Pro at the end of it. Nevertheless, there is still a lot more to come this year. Beyond the usual annual updates to iPhones and Apple Watches, Apple's all-new smart home hub is...
Read Full Article • 63 comments
Apple Apps Grid

Apple Releasing Two New iPhone Apps This Year

Saturday March 28, 2026 8:00 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release two new iPhone apps this year, including an Apple Business app and a Siri app with chatbot-like functionality. With the Apple Business app, employees at businesses using the new Apple Business platform will be able to install apps for work, view contact information for colleagues, and request support. Apple Business is launching on April 14, and it replaces Apple ...
Read Full Article • 10 comments

Top Rated Comments

B
bigchrisfgb
43 months ago

Never being more than 5 mins from a McDonalds or a greggs it seems fairly pointless in the UK 😂
A few years ago my sister and some work colleagues did a charity walk up a mountain in Northumberland. The weather unexpectedly turned and starting snowing heavily, and they got stranded. One person lost a shoe in the snow and almost lost their foot due to hypothermia. They had no signal and couldn’t my get in contact with anyone.
Fortunately they were all NHS staff and the charity they were walking for was the air ambulance, so people in the emergency services went looking for them when they never showed up at the agreed time.

Emergency SOS could have got them all down much quicker that day, and saved them from having to endure as much as they went though.

There is still many areas of the U.K. without a phone signal, and these tend to be the most dangerous areas in bad weather etc.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
markfc Avatar
markfc
43 months ago
Never being more than 5 mins from a McDonalds or a greggs it seems fairly pointless in the UK 😂
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Danfango Avatar
Danfango
43 months ago

Pretty useless in the UK given the good network coverage by all the main network providers
Not as good coverage as you might expect, particularly in hilly areas.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Danfango Avatar
Danfango
43 months ago
Oh goody. I still can't get lost in the middle of nowhere here (the UK). I've tried.

Was out in one of the most remote bits of Peak District in the middle of last winter at night, unzipped to go for a pee and someone appeared with a head torch!

Same bloody thing happened a few years back when I was bagging some Munros.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
Lihp8270
43 months ago

Pretty useless in the UK given the good network coverage by all the main network providers
Chances are that if you’re lost somewhere in the UK with risk to your life you’ll unlikely have regular signal. Even passing over Pennines can leave you with no connection. Never mind in more mountainous regions.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
schmidt65
43 months ago

Pretty useless in the UK given the good network coverage by all the main network providers
Wouldn’t say useless at all. I was in the middle of the cairngorms this summer and was without any service for most of the trip - would have been great if my wife/family could have tracked me on ‘find my’ - we used a satellite tracker that cost around £70 for the trip instead
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments