iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS Satellite Feature Will Arrive Later This Month

Your iPhone 14 or 14 Professional will have the ability to contact emergency providers through satellite tv for pc later this month, Apple mentioned Thursday in a launch about its $450 million funding to assist the know-how. Apple says the service will permit individuals to contact assist and share their location after they’re out of cell service vary. It will likely be free to iPhone 14 customers for the following two years.

When it is reside, Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc, as Apple calls the service, will permit individuals to textual content emergency providers and share some details about their scenario with emergency contacts. With a transparent view of the sky, messages might be despatched through satellite tv for pc in as little as 15 seconds, Apple mentioned. 

Apple’s funding helps to develop and improve the satellite tv for pc and communications community of its accomplice, Globalstar, which operates a fleet of 24 satellites for communication functions.

The precise timing of Emergency SOS through satellites launch is not clear, although Apple mentioned it’ll require an iOS 16 software program replace coming in November. To start out, it will likely be obtainable to anybody with an iPhone 14 or 14 Professional within the US (together with Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) and Canada. It is going to exclude iPhones bought in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao.