Emergency SOS via Satellite

In iOS 18, Apple further enhanced its satellite connectivity features for iPhone users with the introduction of Messages via satellite. Keep reading to learn how it works. Available in the United States and Canada to owners of iPhone 14 models and newer, Messages via satellite enables users to exchange iMessages and SMS texts, including emoji and Tapbacks, through satellite connections when...

Today marks two years since Apple made its Emergency SOS via satellite feature available on all iPhone 14 models in the U.S. and Canada. Apple has since expanded its suite of satellite-based features, and they all remain free to use for now. Below, we recap the rollout of Apple's satellite features and what's next. November 2022: Apple launches Emergency SOS via satellite in the U.S. and...

Apple's Roadside Assistance via Satellite feature for iPhones is now live in the United Kingdom, based on a recent update to Apple's support documentation. The quiet launch follows Apple's announcement during its iPhone 16 event in September that the feature would expand to the UK later in the year. Roadside Assistance via Satellite enables iPhone users to contact breakdown services in...

Apple today announced that new satellite-based communication features are heading to the UK and Canada with iOS 18. The company today said that Canada will also receive the new Messages via Satellite feature in ‌iOS 18‌. Initially announced for the United States alone, the feature allows users to send and receive end-to-end encrypted texts, emojis, and even Tapbacks through iMessage and SMS...

Emergency SOS via satellite expanded to Japan with the iOS 17.6 update that was released yesterday, according to Apple. Japanese customers with an iPhone 14 or an iPhone 15 can use Emergency SOS via satellite to get in touch with emergency services even when a Wi-Fi or cellular connection is unavailable. Apple first introduced Emergency SOS via satellite in 2022 alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 14...

The Roadside Assistance via Satellite feature that Apple introduced for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models now works with the Verizon Roadside Assistance program, according to an updated Apple support document. As of iOS 17.2, U.S. customers that have a Verizon SIM can connect to Verizon via satellite to get roadside assistance on the ‌iPhone‌, with this option joining the already existing...

Apple announced during its "Wonderlust" event that Emergency SOS via Satellite and Find My via Satellite will be available in Spain and Switzerland later in September. Both features are currently available in 14 countries and regions, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, the U.K., and the U.S....

At today's iPhone 15 event, Apple introduced an add-on feature to Emergency SOS via Satellite called Roadside Assistance via Satellite. The feature is similar to Emergency SOS, but it allows iPhone users to contact roadside assistance if they have car trouble in an area without cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. Roadside Assistance via Satellite is available for the ‌iPhone 15‌ models, but it...

Apple satellite partner Globalstar is paying Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch new satellites that will be used to update the communication network for the Emergency SOS via Satellite iPhone feature, reports Nola. Globalstar will pay SpaceX $64 million according to the details of the arrangement, which were disclosed in an SEC filing. Payments will be made from 2023 to 2025, which is when SpaceX...

The iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature played an important role in the rescue of a family in Maui that became trapped by the wildfires spreading across the region. Twitter user Michael Miraflor said that five people related to his brother's girlfriend were caught in a vehicle in Maui after the wildfires surrounded them. There was no cell service available at their location, so...

A man was saved by his iPhone 14's emergency features on Friday evening after he drove his car off a cliff and plummeted 400 feet into a canyon in the Mount Wilson area near Los Angeles, according to the local CBS affiliate. The two iPhone 14 features that helped to save the man's life were Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite. First, the iPhone automatically detected a severe car ...

Emergency SOS via Satellite, a feature introduced with the iPhone 14 models, over the weekend saved a hiker who was injured on a trail. As reported by ABC7, Juana Reyes was hiking a remote part of the Trail Canyon Falls in the Angeles National Forest when she suffered an accident. A part of the trail collapsed underneath her, breaking her leg. She had no cellular service, nor did the people...

Apple today announced that Emergency SOS via satellite is now available in Australia and New Zealand. Available on all iPhone 14 models, the feature enables users to send text messages to emergency services via satellite when cellular and Wi-Fi coverage is not available. Users can also share their location via satellite in the Find My app. Emergency SOS via satellite is enabled by default on ...

The iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature last week saved a trio of students who went canyoneering in Utah and got stuck in an area with no cellular signal. Introduced last September, Emergency SOS via Satellite is designed to let ‌iPhone‌ 14 users access satellite communications to get help in emergency situations. The students who were involved spoke to Utah's KUTV and described...

As planned, Apple today expanded Emergency SOS via Satellite to Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal. In a press release, Apple said the feature requires the iOS 16.4 update released today to function in these countries. Emergency SOS via Satellite enables iPhone 14 models to connect to Globalstar satellites in countries where the feature is available, allowing...

Alongside the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in Yellow, Apple today announced that the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will be available in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal later this month. The feature allows iPhone 14 models to connect to a Globalstar satellite, enabling users to send text messages to emergency services when outside the range of...

In a press release this week, Apple said the iPhone 14's life-saving Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will be supported in additional countries next year. However, Apple did not provide a list of countries where the feature will be expanding to next. Emergency SOS via Satellite first launched in November in the U.S. and Canada and requires an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or...

Apple today shared an ad titled "The Rescue" that demonstrates the iPhone 14's new Emergency SOS via Satellite safety feature in action. The video was first shared during Apple's September event for the iPhone 14, and it has now been shared on a standalone basis and will likely air as a TV commercial over the coming months. The dramatic video shows first responders boarding a helicopter and...

Apple today announced that the iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will begin rolling out to customers in the United States and Canada starting today, with other countries coming later next month. Alongside the announcement, Apple also gave select YouTubers and media outlets early access to the feature, offering a closer look at how it works. The service will be free for the...

The iPhone 14 lineup's Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite features will launch in four additional countries next month, Apple today announced. In its press release announcing that Emergency SOS and ‌Find My‌ via satellite for the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models will roll out later today, Apple mentioned that the feature will be coming to France, Germany, Ireland,...

Apple has announced that the iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite service will officially start rolling out today, the company said in a press release. Apple announced the feature during the ‌iPhone‌ 14's event in September, saying it would officially launch to customers in November. To use the feature, users must be running iOS 16.1 or later. At launch, Emergency SOS via Satellite will...