Emergency SOS Satellite for iPhone 14 Is Coming Later This Month

Later this month, your iPhone 14 or 14 Pro will be able to make satellite calls to emergency services, according to a release issued by Apple on Thursday regarding its $450 million investment in the technology. When a person is beyond the cell service coverage area, Apple claims that the service will enable them to communicate their location and contact assistance. For the following two years, it will be free for iPhone 14 customers.

When the service goes online, it will let users text emergency agencies and give emergency contacts some details about their predicament. Apple calls the service Emergency SOS via satellite. According to Apple, communications can be relayed by satellite in as little as 15 seconds if the sky is clear.

Apple’s investment is assisting its partner, Globalstar, which manages a fleet of 24 satellites for communication purposes, in growing and improving its satellite and communications network.

The precise release date for Emergency SOS via satellites is unknown, however Apple has stated that it would require the iOS 16 software upgrade, which will be available in November. It will first be accessible to everyone in the US (including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) and Canada who owns an iPhone 14 or 14 Pro. It won’t apply to iPhones bought in Hong Kong, Macao, or the Chinese mainland.