The feature that will be available only on the iPhone 14 Series, as announced by Apple in September 2022, is about to go live. Later this month, owners of the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max will be able to send out emergency SOS messages via satellite.
You can send an SOS message with specifics about the emergency and your GPS location using the emergency SOS via satellite feature if you are not within range of cellular or Wi-Fi networks. Users in the US and Canada will be the first to have access to the feature, according to Apple, “later this month.”
Along with announcing the Emergency SOS via satellite feature’s upcoming release, Apple provided information on its $450 million infrastructure investment in the US. With its satellite and ground station network, Globalstar receives the majority of the funding, enabling iPhone 14 users to connect with emergency services when they are off the grid. When a user sends an emergency SOS, one of the 24 low-earth orbit satellites receives the message and sends it back to ground stations so that emergency services or Apple-trained professionals can receive it.
All iPhone 14 users have free access to Emergency SOS via satellite for two years. Apple has not yet disclosed the feature’s cost or whether it will continue to be offered after the designated time period. On the other hand, car crash detection, another safety feature exclusive to the iPhone 14, is unrestrictedly free.
Check out our Specs Appeal article, where we thoroughly compare four new iPhones side by side, if you’re looking to purchase an iPhone 14.
