Apple’s new Emergency SOS via satellite feature for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models is arriving later this month. iPhone 14 and 14 Pro owners in the US and Canada can start using satellite connectivity to relay messages and location information to emergency services when out of range.
The service is free for new iPhone 14 and 14 Pro owners for the first two years and will rely on the phone’s antennas to connect to satellite frequencies. During the service’s initial announcement, Apple said it could take less than 15 seconds to send a message with a clear view of the sky. You can also use the Find My app to share your location with friends and family.
This new satellite emergency SOS feature is made possible through Apple’s partnership with Globalstar and a $450 million fund for satellite infrastructure. This funding is part of a larger Advanced Manufacturing Fund at Apple that the company has used to manufacture iPhone glass with Corninglaser components for Face IDeven covid test kits.
According to Apple, more than 300 Globalstar employees will support the new satellite emergency SOS service. When the feature is used, Apple says that “the message will be received by one of Globalstar’s 24 satellites in low Earth orbit at speeds of about 16,000 mph.”
Apple hasn’t specified exactly when the new Emergency SOS feature via satellite will launch later this month, but the company has. originally say it would be “available with an iOS 16 software update coming in November.” Apple has already released iOS 16.1 and iOS 16.2 is currently in beta testing. Code in the iOS 16.1 beta also revealed that there could be a satellite SOS demo mode, so you may want to familiarize yourself with this new feature before you actually have to use it.