While Apple introduced the iPhone 14 series in September 2022, Emergency SOS via satellite was one of the prominent innovations. However, this feature has not been used so far. Later this month, it seems that iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max owners will finally have this feature.
An emergency signal via satellite is a feature that allows you to send an SOS message with details about your emergency and GPS location when out of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. Apple says users in the US and Canada will first access the feature “late this month”.
How does the Emergency SOS feature work?
In addition to announcing the imminent availability of Emergency SOS over satellite, Apple shared details on its $450 million investment in US satellite infrastructure. Most of the funding goes to Globalstar through its network of satellite and ground stations, providing iPhone 14 users with the ability to contact emergency services. When a user sends an emergency SOS, the message travels to one of 24 low-earth orbit satellites that send the message back to ground stations for delivery to emergency services or Apple-trained experts.
Emergency SOS via satellite is a free service available to all iPhone 14 users for two years. Apple has yet to reveal the price of the feature or whether it will be available beyond the stated time. On the other hand, collision detection, another security feature exclusive to iPhone 14, is available for free without any limitations.
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