The new Apple Emergency SOS via satellite feature could roll out to other countries later this year, with more coming in 2023.
- What is happening? Sources say Emergency SOS via satellite could expand to more countries later this year, with even more in 2023.
- Why care? The satellite SOS emergency call feature could potentially save your life, but is it available in your country?
- What to do? If emergency SOS service via satellite is not available in your country, maybe you should not go hiking in areas without a cell signal where 911 is not available?
Emergency SOS service via satellite may soon hit other countries
Satellite SOS emergency service launches on iPhone 14 lineup in November. At launch, the feature will only be available in the US and Canada, but German-language MacPrime says Apple will bring it to additional countries later in 2022 and 2023. The report does not name the countries that will receive this feature.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with that.
Some Apple features are rolling out to US customers first and then gradually expanding internationally, such as Apple News and Apple Pay. For emergency SOS calls via satellite, Apple works with satellite companies.
To make this feature more accessible, Apple will need to make more deals with satellite providers, which takes time. But make no mistake, this is one of those features that will eventually become available to all users.
What is Emergency SOS via satellite and how does it work?
As the name suggests, Emergency SOS via satellite uses dedicated radios in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pros to communicate directly with a satellite in low Earth orbit. The user is prompted to use it when there is no cellular or Wi-Fi connection and emergency calls fail. Read: How to set up emergency contacts on iPhone
You must point the handset towards the nearest satellite following the prompts on the screen. You will also need to answer a few questions assessing your situation in order to expedite the process. You will receive a confirmation message and then you can send a text message to the emergency services with any additional information.
The feature is free for the first two years. After that, you’ll need to pay to continue using satellite communications for Emergency SOS, although Apple didn’t say how much.
This feature is not available on older iPhones.