Apple confirmed in a press release that Emergency SOS via Satellite will be introduced for iPhone 14 models in the US and Canada later this month. However, no specific date was given.
Apple announced in the course of the press release announced that the company is investing $450 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to develop critical infrastructure for Emergency SOS via Satellite, with much of the funding going to Apple's satellite partner Globalstar. With the investment, Apple plans to improve Globalstar's satellite network and ground stations in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, Puerto Rico, and Texas to ensure iPhone 14 users can contact emergency services even without a network connection.
All four iPhone 14 models can connect directly to the Globalstar satellites, allowing them to send text messages to emergency services even when outside of cellular and Wi-Fi range and share their location via satellite using the Find My app. This feature allows users to point their iPhone at a satellite using on-screen indicators. Apple says that under ideal conditions with a direct view of the sky and horizon, a satellite message can be sent in 15 seconds. But it can take more than a minute for the message to be sent "under trees with light or medium foliage." In environments with "heavy foliage" or "other obstructions," an iPhone may lose connection to a satellite altogether.
Apple wants to offer satellite emergency calls in other countries
As a result of the investment, Globalstar's ground stations have already been upgraded to use new high-performance antennas designed and manufactured specifically for Apple. Apple has provided further details on how the feature will work:
When an iPhone user makes a satellite emergency call, the message is received by one of 24 Globalstar satellites in low Earth orbit at about 16,000 miles per hour. The satellite then sends the message to special ground stations located at key points around the world. Once the message is received by a ground station, it is relayed to an emergency response center that can dispatch help, or to a relay center staffed by Apple-trained emergency specialists if the nearest emergency response center cannot receive text messages.
In a support document explained Apple said Emergency SOS via Satellite will be available with the iOS 16 software update in November.
The service will be free for the first two years, suggesting that Apple plans to make it a paid service in the future. Apple has reportedly confirmed that the feature will be expanded to more countries by the end of next year, but has not elaborated on these plans. It remains unclear when exactly the service will be introduced in this country. (Image: Apple)
