iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite Rolling Out Today to Customers in the U.S. and Canada

[MacRumors]

Apple has announced that the iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite service will officially start rolling out today, the company said in a press release.

Apple announced the feature during the iPhone 14's event in September, saying it would officially launch to customers in November. To use the feature, users must be running iOS 16.1 or later. At launch, Emergency SOS via Satellite will be available in the United States and Canada and will expand to additional countries in December. For the first two years, Emergency SOS via Satellite will be free for customers, so Apple may charge for the service in the future.

With Emergency SOS via Satellite, in "ideal conditions with a direct view of the sky and the horizon," iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models can send a message to emergency services using a satellite connection. Apple says messages might take up to 15 seconds to send in good conditions and longer in weaker conditions. For more information on Emergency SOS via Satellite, see our guide.

Article Link: iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite Rolling Out Today to Customers in the U.S. and Canada

 

[1557750]

You just have to watch a 30 second ad before the outgoing message goes through.

 

[Andronicus]

How many fake emergency messages will be sent out today with users trying this? 🤔

 

[I7guy]

Very, very cool. Good job Apple. Will have to see how to enable it.

 

[jclardy]

Interesting - they implemented a Demo Mode. I guess they knew if they didn't, every youtube/ig/tiktok influencer would go out in the woods and send messages to emergency service, so they had to implement it.

 

[JM]

Can’t wait to test this new feature out.

/s 🙄

 

[dantracht]

Awesome! Great to have.

 

[BootsWalking]

You just have to watch a 30 second ad before the outgoing message goes through.

 

[vegetassj4]

Waiting for the lady to call emergency services to get a hamburger in the desert.

Top 10 Non-Emergency 911 Calls - TIME

Police officers do a lot for the public but supervising fast food orders is not generally one of them. An admirably level-headed 911 operator in California refused to send officers to help...

content.time.com

 

[1557750]

View attachment 2113389

This is perfect 👊😜👍

 

[antiprotest]

Not seeing it yet.

 

[BuddyTronic]

This emergency satellite message feature is going to save a lot of people’s lives!

Good Job Apple!

 

[JM]

View attachment 2113389

Not even a joke with the BS news/rumors coming out of Cupertino

 

[xpxp2002]

The real news here is that suggests we ought to be seeing iOS 16.2 or 16.1.2 drop today.

 

[ACHD]

How many fake emergency messages will be sent out today with users trying this? 🤔

There is supposed to be a testing app as well to test connections etc

 

[KFridman]

This is a great feature. I carry a Zoleo while off the grid. This doesn't have all the capabilities of a Zoleo or similar devices but if you're just looking for an SOS device, and not weather or having chats while in the wild, this could be it.

 

[JapanApple]

Helpful and useful and will save lives.👀

 

[utsava]

According to the iJustine video I watched, the SOS satellite test feature should be under Emergency SOS in settings. In the video she scrolled to the bottom and there was a blurb about it and a link to tap on to test the feature. I see none of this at the bottom of my Emergency SOS settings. I'm on iOS 16.1.1. Any ideas how this rollout works considering it isn't tied to a new OS update? (Also, I'd like to mention I'm in the United States.)

 

[ChrisFerri]

Mine is showing up now. iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS 16.1.1

 

[rjjacobson]

Mine is showing up now. iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS 16.1.1

Same here I think it activated in past hour or so, here is my Emergency SOS with demo now active

 

[developer13245]

The Garmin Inreach SOS UX/UI is a million times better than the iPhone SOS: It’s one tactile button that can be activated using one finger - just flip the cover open and press the button and help is on the way. I use the Inreach Explorer+, which has a color LCD + tactile button UI appropriate for a “hardened” dedicated device. And, it supports multi platform mobile apps that can be used for followup messaging via a bluetooth connected device.

 

[compwiz1202]

How many fake emergency messages will be sent out today with users trying this? 🤔

Someone said it won't work if there is a signal. But is it true or now, and will it know the difference if someone disables all radios?

 

[xpxp2002]

Someone said it won't work if there is a signal. But is it true or now, and will it know the difference if someone disables all radios?

My guess is that when you engage it, it probably turns on cellular radio and checks for any cellular service that can be used for emergency calls first. In the US and most other countries, providers are required to deliver emergency calls regardless of whether there is a roaming agreement in place or the phone has active service.

Ultimately, if you can reach emergency services over cellular, it's going to probably get you local help faster than the satellite solution. It's really a truly last-resort option.

 

[Fred Zed]

Clicking this notification doesn’t do anything.

 

[developer13245]

Someone said it won't work if there is a signal. But is it true or now, and will it know the difference if someone disables all radios?

Wonder how it works when the phone detects cell service but calls cannot be completed. This situation will prevent fallback to satellite, which will effectively prevent any SOS messages from being sent.