iPhones to Get These New Satellite Features

Friday April 17, 2026 11:59 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Amazon this week announced plans to acquire Globalstar, the satellite company that powers Apple's satellite features on the iPhone 14 and newer and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. In turn, Amazon announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features.

Emergency SOS via Satellite iPhone YT
The transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in 2027. At that point, Apple's features will be powered by Amazon Leo satellites.

Apple's current satellite features:

Emergency SOS via satellite
Find My via satellite
Roadside Assistance via satellite
Messages via satellite

All of the features are currently free to use in supported areas without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity. Availability varies by country.

There were already five more iPhone satellite features or enhancements rumored to be in the works, even before Amazon announced this deal with Apple. At least some of the improvements may be part of iOS 27, which is expected to be available in beta starting in June and widely released in September this year.

Those enhancements are as follows:

5G via satellite (may be exclusive to iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max)
Apple Maps via satellite
Photos support for Messages via satellite
Third-party apps in the App Store will be able to integrate Apple's satellite features
The ability to connect an iPhone to a satellite without pointing the device toward the sky

Amazon's announcement mentioned future features, too, so Apple's suite of satellite functions should expand even more over the coming years.

Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27

Tag: iPhone Satellite Features

Related Forum: iOS 27

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Top Rated Comments

chucker23n1

7 months ago

This could be precursor to Steve's long unstated goal of bypassing the telecoms.

The latency can't compete with cell towers.

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ipedro

7 months ago

The latency can't compete with cell towers.

And the latency of cellular networks couldn't compete with copper wire phone lines.

Original internet satellites were in geostationary orbit while Starlink and now Amazon LEO are in low Earth orbit (only 550KM up), with latencies rivalling LTE cellular networks which is why we're seeing latency — now suitable for gaming — and bandwidth issues — not just text — already beginning to be solved. This technology is moving fast.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

jz0309

7 months ago

I suppose this is cool, just, don't expect anything free other than maybe the "emergency" services ...

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ipedro

7 months ago

This could be precursor to Steve Jobs' long unstated goal of bypassing the telecoms. There was discussion in Apple early on to become an MNVO but it never came to be. Apple wanted to control the entire experience and the telecoms were the notoriously bad bottleneck. "What makes Apple special is that we make the whole widget" — Steve Jobs

If they could lease satellite bandwidth, Apple could sell connectivity subscriptions inside of Apple One for not just iPhones, but Watches, iPads and even Macs.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)