The new iPhone 14 iPhone 14 ProThere are tons of new features like Crash Detection, great battery life, and the Dynamic Island, but there’s one feature that hasn’t arrived yet: Emergency SOS via satellite. But it won’t be missing for much longer.
In Press release about the technology and infrastructure behind the feature, Apple confirms that Emergency SOS via satellite will be arriving “later this month” for customers in the U.S. and Canada. It’s not clear whether it will coincide with the launch of iOS 16.2Or, you can arrive via a separate upgrade.
Apple developed the service in partnership with Globalstar with an investment of $450 million to provide the “critical infrastructure” for the new feature. Apple explains that Emergency SOS via Satellite uses spectrum in the L- and S bands as designated by ITU Radio Regulations to be used for mobile satellite services. Here’s how it works:
When an iPhone user makes an Emergency SOS via satellite request, the message is received by one of Globalstar’s 24 satellites in low-earth orbit traveling at speeds of approximately 16,000 mph. The message is then sent to custom ground stations at key points around the globe by the satellite.
When a message is received, it’s then routed to emergency services or a relay center with Apple-trained emergency specialists if the closest location is unable to receive texts.
Globalstar executive chairman Jay Monroe calls Emergency SOS via satellite a “generational advancement in satellite communications” thanks to new high-power antennas designed and manufactured specifically for Apple that were installed in all Globalstar worldwide ground stations.
The feature will be available for free for two years to all iPhone 14 owners in the U.S. and Canada. This includes Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. However, Apple says Emergency SOS via satellite isn’t available in Guam or American Samoa, and might not work in places above 62 degrees latitude, such as northern parts of Canada and Alaska.
