Beginning November 15, iPhone 14 owners in the United States and Canada will be able to access the emergency satellite messaging system.
This feature will be available in France in the next months. iPhone 14 owners in Ireland and the United Kingdom will be able to utilize it. It is a function that allows you to request emergency assistance in areas where there is no phone service or WiFi network. It is linked to the satellite service provider Globalstar Inc. Last week, Apple announced a $450 million contribution to Gloablstar Inc. from the Apple Advanced Manufacturing Fund to assist maintain the satellite messaging system.
More than 300 Globalstar staff will support the Apple service, and this functionality will be available on all iPhone 14 versions. The service will communicate with the satellite directly using custom-designed hardware and software. Users will be able to use the service via an interface that will allow them to connect to the satellite and answer brief questions about its status and location.
Due to the lack of a large antenna to connect the phone to the satellite, the Emergency SoS service does not handle voice calls. Apple instead employs a Text Compression Algorithm, which can reduce the size of text messages by up to 300% and is designed to convey messages more quickly. Messages between satellites will be able to be sent and received within 15 to 30 seconds in clear weather situations.
According to The Verge, when the fog is thick and the sky is cloudy, it can take more than a minute for a message to arrive. The Emergency SOS satellite system can be used with iOS 16.1 and higher on this year’s iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, but Hong Kong, China, and Macao will not be able to use it, he said.
Another limitation is that this service will not function above 62 degrees latitude. Apple will provide free satellite SOS service on the iPhone 14 series for two years before charging monthly fees.