Emergency SOS

With iPhone 14, Apple introduced Emergency SOS via Satellite, which lets users contact emergency services in places where there’s no cellular connection. This feature has already proven to save lives since its launch, and it continues to do so. Earlier this week, a family was rescued from wildfires in Maui thanks to the iPhone’s Emergency SOS via Satellite.

Last year SpaceX and T-Mobile announced somewhat vague plans to turn Starlink into cell service for dead zones. A new filing with the FCC provides an update on the state of play so far.

Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature is set to expand to six new countries later this month. This expansion follows Apple’s initial launch in the United States and Canada, and its first expansion to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Ireland.

Android Emergency SOS via Satellite equivalent services look set to become the norm on higher-end phones, within a few months of Apple first activating the service late last year.

MediaTek is the latest company to offer a radio chip with support for satellite comms, following earlier announcements by Qualcomm and Samsung …

Last year saw rumors of Samsung satellite comms connectivity in the Galaxy S23, following the launch of Emergency SOS via Satellite in the iPhone 14 lineup. That didn’t happen, but the company has now announced its own modem chip that includes the feature.

The company apparently plans to try to leapfrog Apple, however, by beating the company to photo and video sharing via satellite …

Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite service got a lot of time in the keynote, with the company proudly announcing that the service is free for the first two years.

What Apple hasn’t told us is what happens at the end of those two years. There’s one obvious answer, of course, but there are other possibilities …

The Emergency SOS via Satellite feature rolled out to four new countries yesterday, but a patent granted the same day suggests that Apple satellite plans may extend much further than getting help in an emergency.

While the emergency service is limited to text-based communications, Apple’s patent describes how it could use satellite comms for voice, video, and more …

Apple’s new Emergency SOS iPhone via satellite feature is live in the US and Canada with support for more countries coming soon. Read on for how to test iPhone Emergency SOS messages via satellite so you know how to use it in case you ever need to rely on it.

Update 12/13: Now available in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and France.

In what appears to be the first reported use of Emergency SOS via Satellite, a snowmobiler in Alaska was successfully rescued when he became stranded in an extremely isolated area.

Alaska State Troopers received an alert from the Apple Emergency Response Center in the early hours of yesterday morning …

When Apple announced the iPhone 14 line-up, it said that the Emergency SOS via satellite service would be launching in November. It last week reiterated that, providing a little more information. Today, the service is live in the US and Canada.

Additionally, Apple has also revealed that the feature will go live in four more countries sometime next month …

At their Far Out event, Apple announced that satellite connectivity will be available on the iPhone 14 lineup. But a few weeks earlier, SpaceX and T-Mobile made an announcement that they will be bringing satellite-based connectivity to basically any 5G phone. So, how do these two services compare, is one better than the other, and should it affect your decision on which phone to go with?

*Content Warning: This article contains information that may not be suitable for all readers.

One woman credits iPhone SOS with saving her life after a terrifying night at the beach, according to Wavy.

iOS 15.4 is certainly a big update ,as it brings features like Face ID while wearing a mask and Universal Control, but it seems there’s more to come. Following the release of iOS 15.4 beta 3 to developers on Tuesday, some people have noticed that the system now prompts users to review their Emergency SOS settings after the update.

iOS includes a feature called Emergency SOS that makes it easy to call 911 in times of need, but the feature has also reportedly led to a slew of accidental phone calls to emergency officials.

A report from CBS Sacramento says that emergency dispatchers in Elk Grove and Sacramento County in California have seen an influx of false alarm calls that appear to be originating from an Apple repair and refurbishing center in the area…

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