One of the new options that arrived alongside the iPhone 14 handsets in September 2022 was a function that Apple calls “Emergency SOS via satellite”—and the title tells you just about all you want to know.
Apple says it is supposed for “exceptional circumstances when no other means of reaching the emergency services are available.” When you are in hassle and you may’t get a Wi-Fi sign or a lock on a cell tower, your iPhone 14 will make contact with a satellite tv for pc and ship out your plea for assist that approach.
Be warned, although, this is not a backup web connection for private use. The satellite tv for pc connection is sluggish and restricted, and it is actually solely appropriate for transmitting key details about your state of affairs: the place you might be, what situation you are in, and what you need assistance with.
To use the Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc perform, you want an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or an iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple hasn’t mentioned long-term pricing but, but it surely has made the service free for 2 years once you purchase a suitable system.
How Emergency SOS through Satellite Works
Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc turns into accessible solely once you’re in an space with none Wi-Fi or mobile protection—in any other case it is anticipated which you could get in contact with emergency companies or your trusted contacts in the regular approach. Ideally, you want a transparent view of the sky and the horizon, as obstructions like foliage and mountains can sluggish and even block your satellite tv for pc connection.
Even in good situations with the greatest satellite tv for pc lock, messages can take 15 seconds to ship. That may appear primitive, however there’s a whole lot of spectacular expertise right here—not least the approach that Apple has fitted satellite tv for pc connectivity into one thing as svelte as the iPhone 14. (Check out the measurement of an everyday satellite tv for pc telephone to see what we imply.)
As you’d need in a annoying emergency state of affairs, your telephone will information you thru every thing you want to do, and that features transferring the iPhone to keep locked to a satellite tv for pc. (This will be carried out even when the handset itself is locked.) The function works together with the different security choices on the iPhone, so you possibly can ship emergency responders data from the Medical ID part of the Health app, for instance.
