iPhone – iPhone 14 Emergency SOS Via Satellite Feature Expanded To Six New Countries

Initially, only the US and Canada received the feature. The Cupertino-based business subsequently expanded to the UK, France, Germany, and Ireland. In a press release announcing the launch of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in a new yellow colour variant on Tuesday, the company stated they would expand the feature to users in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Portugal this month.

In addition to connecting users to emergency services outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, Emergency SOS via satellite enables users to locate themselves and share that information with friends and family using the Find My app.

The iPhone will ask users a few pre-programmed questions while it looks for a signal because it takes some time to connect with the satellites. Apple advises users to make a Medical ID, add emergency contacts, and test the Emergency SOS demo before travelling to an area with spotty cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.

Apple also advises users to keep their iPhone in their hand naturally while trying to connect to a satellite, rather than holding it up or raising their arms. Still, they advise against putting it in a pocket or backpack. The company adds that users may not be able to connect to a satellite if they are surrounded by thick vegetation or other obstructions.

Because cellular networks have limited bandwidth, Apple created a compression algorithm that shrinks text messages by three times to increase the communication speed. With the Crash Detection feature, satellite connectivity is also included by default.