iPhone 14 Users Get Free Emergency SOS via Satellite for Another Year
Apple today announced that its Emergency SOS via satellite service is being extended for an additional free year for existing iPhone 14 users. Apple originally gave new iPhone 14 owners two free years after device activation, which would have expired in November 2024.
![Emergency SOS via Satellite iPhone YT](https://images.macrumors.com/t/pogLyrYuznLwG6DK_vApvqv8yRk=/400x0/article-new/2022/11/Emergency-SOS-via-Satellite-iPhone-YT.jpg?lossy)
Emergency SOS via Satellite is now free for two more years starting today or at the time of activation of any iPhone 14 model. Apple says the free trial will be extended for iPhone 14 users who have activated their device in any country that supports Emergency SOS via satellite prior to 12 a.m. Pacific Time on November 15, 2023.
"Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save lives around the world. 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," said Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing. "We are so happy iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users can take advantage of this groundbreaking service for two more years for free."
Available on all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models, the feature enables users to send text messages to emergency services via satellite when cellular and Wi-Fi coverage is not available. Users can also share their location via satellite in the Find My app.
With the service, Apple says users can send and receive messages in as little as 15 seconds in clear conditions. Users are prompted to complete a short questionnaire with vital information, and the interface then shows users where in the sky to point their iPhone to connect and send the initial message. This message includes the user's questionnaire responses, location, altitude, iPhone battery level, and Medical ID info if set.
Apple says the service is designed to work outdoors with a clear view of the sky. Apple warns that foliage or other obstructions can result in emergency messages taking longer to send or failing to send, and satellite connectivity might not work in places above 62° latitude, such as northern parts of Canada and Alaska.
Popular Stories
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
In November, Apple announced that the iPhone would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting "later" in 2024, and Google has now revealed a more narrow timeframe. In a since-deleted section of the revamped Google Messages web page, spotted by 9to5Google, Google said that Apple would be adopting RCS on the iPhone in the "fall...
Thieves in Montreal, Canada have been using Apple's AirTags to facilitate vehicle theft, according to a report from Vermont news sites WCAX and NBC5 (via 9to5Mac). Police officers in Burlington, Vermont have issued a warning about AirTags for drivers who recently visited Canada. Two Burlington residents found Apple AirTags in their vehicles after returning from trips to Montreal, and these...
Apple's WWDC 2024 dates have been announced, giving us timing for the unveiling of the company's next round of major operating system updates and likely some other announcements. This week also saw some disappointing news on the iPad front, with update timing for the iPad Pro and iPad Air pushed back from previous rumors. We did hear some new tidbits about what might be coming in iOS 18 and...
Photos of the first iPhone 16 cases have been shared online, offering another preview of the rumored new vertical rear camera arrangement on the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Image credit: Accessory leaker Sonny Dickson Over the last few months, Apple has been experimenting with different camera bump designs for the standard iPhone 16 models, all of which have featured a vertical ...
A $3 third-party app can now record spatial video on iPhone 15 Pro models in a higher resolution than Apple's very own Camera app. Thanks to an update first spotted by UploadVR, Spatialify can now record spatial videos with HDR in 1080p at 60fps or in 4K at 30fps. In comparison, Apple's native Camera app is limited to recording spatial video in 1080p at 30fps. Shortly after Apple's Vision ...
Top Rated Comments
A year away.
Whereas Apple’s service has already been in use for a year and will have been 2 years by the time that service is live.
How is that “too little too late”?
(And you had better hope you or your country don’t upset the muskrat or he’ll simply turn the service off - he has form…)
This epitomizes pure profit greed over happy users and for the benefit of society at large (ppl can call SOS when they need it)
it’s amazing that some people will actually complain about this lol
Great feature. I think Apple will probably never charge for it.