An improved feature for the iPhone might get you out of a sticky situation — and it’s not Apple Intelligence.
Announced at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Messages via satellite will let users send iMessages and texts when both cellular reception and Wi-Fi fail.
The new feature will be included in iOS 18 for iPhone 14 and 15.
Users will be prompted to connect to a satellite on the app when they take their iPhone outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
A screen will show whether there is a satellite overhead, along with several options:
- Emergency SOS
- Send messages
- Find My app
- Call for roadside assistance
The iPhone should be used outdoors without obstructions to create a direct connection.
As of now, only text and emojis can be sent using the feature due to file-size restrictions.
Apple has yet to announce how much it will charge for the service, though it did offer qualifying users free satellite messaging for the first two years.
Apple's Satellite Technology
Apple first introduced satellite messages as Emergency SOS in 2022.
Since then, the feature has reportedly contributed to many lives being saved.
"From a man who was rescued after his car plummeted over a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles, to lost hikers found in the Apennine Mountains in Italy, we continue to hear stories of our customers being able to connect with emergency responders when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s VP of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, said in a news release.
The procedure for using Emergency SOS via satellite requires users to answer questions about their circumstances, which Apple forwards to the appropriate authorities.
With the release of the iPhone 14 in 2022, Apple became the first manufacturer to offer satellite connectivity with a standard mobile phone.
Specialized hardware and software were created to enable the phone’s antennas to connect to satellite frequencies, while infrastructure was built on the ground to facilitate sending data to emergency services.
Apple partnered with Globalstar, a satellite communications company, for the venture.
Since then, many other cell providers have followed suit, with SpaceX currently testing a potential service utilizing Starlink satellites, in partnership with T-Mobile.
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Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
