Here's How to Share Your Location via Satellite With Find My

[MacRumors]

Apple today launched its Emergency SOS via satellite service in the US and Canada, and while the feature is geared to help users in a genuine emergency, Apple's satellites also make it possible for anyone to share their location whenever they are off the grid.

The new functionality means you can now share your location with friends and family, even if your iPhone 14 has no cellular connection or access to Wi-Fi, allowing you to reassure people of your whereabouts while traveling in the wilderness.

The following steps show you how to take advantage of the feature, which can be accessed via Find My on iPhone 14 models running iOS 16.1 or later. Be sure to update your device if you haven't already via Settings -> General -> Software Update. Also note that you must lack cellular coverage and not be connected to Wi-Fi for the feature to show up.

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone 14.
2. Tap on the Me tab.
3. Swipe up to see "My Location via Satellite," then tap Send My Location.

That's all there is to it. As long as you are outdoors, anyone who you share your location with will now be able to see where you are, regardless of your cellular coverage.

In addition to Emergency SOS and Find My, the satellite connection on the iPhone 14 lineup also works with other features available on iPhone and Apple Watch, including Crash Detection and Fall Detection.

Note that Apple's satellite services are included for free for two years starting at the time of activation of a new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite are available today in the US and Canada, and will be available in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December.

Article Link: Here's How to Share Your Location via Satellite With Find My

 

[dantracht]

Do you have to activate it or is it already active? Is there a setting I need to toggle on?

 

[Khashoggi]

You need iOS 16.1+ first

 

[Joe Mac User]

I'm running 16.1 on my iPhone 14 Pro. I don't see "My Location via Satellite" as described.

 

[wayneholbrook]

You need iOS 16.1+ first

I have iPhone Pro Mac, iOS is 16.1.1

under find my iPhone. I do have the share my location toggle turned on but no option to actually share my location with anyone. I am assuming it may update later but thus far nothing.

 

[bmustaf]

I have iPhone Pro Mac, iOS is 16.1.1

under find my iPhone. I do have the share my location toggle turned on but no option to actually share my location with anyone. I am assuming it may update later but thus far nothing.

It likely will not let you until you have no cell service and no wifi, I believe this was a restriction (and a valid one given how limited spectrum is being allocated for true off grid/emergency use), and I suspect Airplane Mode is not enough (and likely turns off sat comm anyway)...

 

[bigjnyc]

I'm not seeing it on 16.2 beta. Tried turning on share my location and no luck .

 

[AppleTO]

I’m not seeing anything either. Would the demo not always show?

 

[imlynxy]

I don’t see anything there.

 

[BootsWalking]

Feature idea: Setting to automatically share your location via satellite if you've been out of communication for 24 hours. Will be helpful when hurt and incapacitated - to prevent false alarms, can verbally ask the owner if they want to override (ie, not sent SOS message if they're ok - failure to respond sends message+location). Might also helpful to locate stolen phones taken to remote locations.

 

[Adoniram]

I'm running 16.1 on my iPhone 14 Pro. I don't see "My Location via Satellite" as described.

From the article:
“Also note that you must lack cellular coverage and not be connected to Wi-Fi for the feature to show up.”

If you’re posting here, there’s a good chance you have cellular or Wi-Fi.

 

[anticipate]

From the article:
“Also note that you must lack cellular coverage and not be connected to Wi-Fi for the feature to show up.”

If you’re posting here, there’s a good chance you have cellular or Wi-Fi.

Yes but there's a demo mode... somewhere ?

 

[bmustaf]

The issue here is physical layer access. With the number of iPhones out there, there simply is not enough spectrum and time slots in said spectrum to do it. SBD protocols (Short Burst Data) via sat comms aren't like terrestrial cellular protocols. And, even if there were enough, Apple and Globalstar haven't allocated enough for this.

Maybe one day when Globalstar and other constellations have more capacity for these kinds of services, but they just don't right now and it takes quite a long time to launch and position, etc.

For example, simply checking a message inbox (retail pricing if you buy a satcomm modem) is $0.05 to just *check* inbound messages. You can send 5k for $15/mo.

Of course, Apple pays a fraction of this, but the point is that unlike terrestrial spectrum which is basically unlimited given the applications run on it currently, sat comm is anything but.

Also, completely disregard (for now) the BS T-Mo/SL announced. It was a PR stunt to preempt this and it will come, no doubt, but it's not going to be the seamless data pipe it's being marketed as. I also am very suspect of next year's timeline. Kind of "Full Self Driving" isn't actually Full, Self, or Driving, and we were supposed to be there 5 years ago if you listened to the PR from those companies (it is very advanced and impressive, no doubt, but it's not what the marketing hype claimed or even currently claims).

Feature idea: Setting to automatically share your location via satellite if you've been out of communication for 24 hours. Will be helpful when hurt and incapacitated - to prevent false alarms, can verbally ask the owner if they want to override (ie, not sent SOS message if they're ok - failure to respond sends message+location). Might also helpful to locate stolen phones taken to remote locations.

 

[BootsWalking]

The issue here is physical layer access. With the number of iPhones out there, there simply is not enough spectrum and time slots in said spectrum to do it. SBD protocols (Short Burst Data) via sat comms aren't like terrestrial cellular protocols. And, even if there were enough, Apple and Globalstar haven't allocated enough for this.

Maybe one day when Globalstar and other constellations have more capacity for these kinds of services, but they just don't right now and it takes quite a long time to launch and position, etc.

It's a fair point but I was thinking the percentage of iPhone's out of reach of cell, Wifi, and mesh-network Find My bluetooth would be rather small.

 

[bmustaf]

It's a fair point but I was thinking the percentage of iPhone's out of reach of cell, Wifi, and mesh-network Find My bluetooth would be rather small.

Just some back of the envelope math with some national park visitation numbers and sail/cruise data creates a surprisingly large number!

I live in an area where 5 min out of town, you don't have cell service for 1hr in any direction. Even when I'm just out running and playing just .25mi from home, it's no service at all, sometimes all weekend if I'm out fishing, backpacking, running, or skimo-ing, and there are about 2,000 of us in town here and there are thousands of towns like mine across the US. We're out there!

Also, imagine if the cell service went down and everyone's phones here went crazy (every few years an avalanche takes out power/comms to town for 1-4 days...), if even 10% of people just left their phones at home it'd be a mess with emergency services, etc.

But it IS a good idea if/when the sensor fusion gets good enough to detect such cases. They seem like edge cases, but at Apple scale, edge cases of even a fraction of a percent create huge impacts in these kinds of things.

 

[vikingjunior]

From the article:
“Also note that you must lack cellular coverage and not be connected to Wi-Fi for the feature to show up.”

If you’re posting here, there’s a good chance you have cellular or Wi-Fi.

I assume turning on Airplane mode and WiFi off would not let it work.

 

[BootsWalking]

Just some back of the envelope math with some national park visitation numbers and sail/cruise data creates a surprisingly large number!

I live in an area where 5 min out of town, you don't have cell service for 1hr in any direction. Even when I'm just out running and playing just .25mi from home, it's no service at all, sometimes all weekend if I'm out fishing, backpacking, running, or skimo-ing, and there are about 2,000 of us in town here and there are thousands of towns like mine across the US. We're out there!

Also, imagine if the cell service went down and everyone's phones here went crazy (every few years an avalanche takes out power/comms to town for 1-4 days...), if even 10% of people just left their phones at home it'd be a mess with emergency services, etc.

But it IS a good idea if/when the sensor fusion gets good enough to detect such cases. They seem like edge cases, but at Apple scale, edge cases of even a fraction of a percent create huge impacts in these kinds of things.

Keep in mind the phone would only share its location if the user previously turned the feature on and when prompted after 24 hours, fails to acknowledge the phone's prompt on whether their location should be shared. There's probably several refinements to further eliminate false-positives.

 

[MisterSavage]

I'm glad that they made it relatively easy to use. As the "tech person" for my family that makes my job easier explaining how to use it.

 

[bmustaf]

Keep in mind the phone would only share its location if the user previously turned the feature on and when prompted after 24 hours, fails to acknowledge the phone's prompt on whether their location should be shared. There's probably several refinements to further eliminate false-positives.

Yeah, and I think it could be workable if this incurred an extra cost...amazing what that tends to do!

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

When going hiking I hope to not get lost anymore.

 

[MisterSavage]

Keep in mind the phone would only share its location if the user previously turned the feature on and when prompted after 24 hours, fails to acknowledge the phone's prompt on whether their location should be shared. There's probably several refinements to further eliminate false-positives.

It doesn't necessarily have to be 24 hours. I share location permanently with some people.

 

[zapmymac]

This is actually the feature I’m looking forward to. I ride horses, run, atv in many places without service, a simple ping to my family would make everyone feel safer. Last known coordinates can go a long way for a quicker rescue as well. 🗻

 

[BootsWalking]

It doesn't necessarily have to be 24 hours. I share location permanently with some people.

24 hours is the time before it reports your location - not a time limit on how long you permit your location to be shared.

 

[centauratlas]

From the article:
“Also note that you must lack cellular coverage and not be connected to Wi-Fi for the feature to show up.”

If you’re posting here, there’s a good chance you have cellular or Wi-Fi.

It doesn't appear that turning on airplane mode does that either. At least not for me.

edit:
I just got a notification about it. Seems like it wasn't active before since now it shows up and has options.

 

[rjjacobson]

Never saw notification or anything but at 11:30 AM cst (illinois) I found it active in my Emergency SOS settings — the test mode that is indicating it is now active.