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iPhone 14/Plus Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14 is a real breakthrough

A

Andrew73875

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 1, 2022
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Emergency SOS via satellite on the new iPhone 14 is a real breakthrough. Until now similar features were only available on specialised devices or very expensive watches (like these Breitling starting $15.000 https://www.breitling.com/us-en/emergency/).

Moreover, this feature doesn't even require a subscription for now. People always carry an iPhone with them (in comparison to specialised satellite beacons) which makes it an even better idea.

This feature is only available in the U.S. and Canada for now, but hopefully it will be available worldwide.

Use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone - Apple Support (NG)

With iPhone 14 or later, you can use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when you're off the grid with no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

What are your thoughts on this?
 
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Love it!
That's the main reason I upgraded from my trusty 12 Pro to 14 Plus.

I fish a lot of remote waters in the US and Canada so satellite SOS is so much better than carrying a satellite phone or satellite text / hotspot.

ios-16-iphone-14-pro-emergency-sos-connected-to-satellite.png
 
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Apple_Robert said:
Is this feature strictly for contacting emergency services, or can you also use it to send short texts to family so they don't worry about you?
Click to expand...
I don't think you can do that, but it will allow for tracking via the Find My... type service. Text messages seem to go only to the emergency service. For sending messages to regular people I think you still need something like an Inreach.
 
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robgendreau said:
I don't think you can do that, but it will allow for tracking via the Find My... type service. Text messages seem to go only to the emergency service. For sending messages to regular people I think you still need something like an Inreach.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. I thought that might be the case but, wanted to ask just the same.
 
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zakarhino said:
Hopefully this feature works in conjunction with crash detection.
Click to expand...
From what I understand, it doesn’t. The satellite messages/calls for help require user interaction, while crash detection, like fall detection, is designed to work regardless of the user’s status. It’ll send off a message even if you’re unconscious. The satellite connection can’t do that.

I really hope that can change in the future.
 
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Andrew73875 said:
Emergency SOS via satellite on the new iPhone 14 is a real breakthrough. Until now similar features were only available on specialised devices or very expensive watches (like these Breitling starting $15.000 https://www.breitling.com/us-en/emergency/).

Moreover, this feature doesn't even require a subscription for now. People always carry an iPhone with them (in comparison to specialised satellite beacons) which makes it an even better idea.

This feature is only available in the U.S. and Canada for now, but hopefully it will be available worldwide.

Use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone - Apple Support (NG)

With iPhone 14 or later, you can use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when you're off the grid with no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

What are your thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

Yeah high tech stuff
But useless for 99.99999% of us
Lol xd
 
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testcard said:
It'll be worth keeping an eye on any further discussions between Apple and SpaceX Starlink.
www.entrepreneur.com

Are SpaceX and Apple Working Together for the New iPhone 14 Satellite Feature? | Entrepreneur

A recent tweet from Elon Musk suggests a possible collaboration between SpaceX and Apple could be in the works.
www.entrepreneur.com www.entrepreneur.com
Click to expand...
Yeah but instead of Elon they partnered with Globalstar company. So I am not interested in emergency satelite in iPhone 14 Pro as it is no from Starlink. Starlink is furure.

So if they will collaborate with SpaceX, then you will need another hardware for satelite connection so iPhone 14 Pro/Max will be useless and you will need new phone.

So in general, I do not care of this function right now.
 
Why does it matter which provider the emergency SOS is from? Globalstar is ready now - Starlink is not. And They are launching initially with cell support (see their Starlink/Tmo) announce.
 
4sallypat said:
Does anyone know how T Mobile is going to do their satellite link ?
Click to expand...
If you are talking bout the SOS via satellite, I don't think it's related to the cell provider. If you are located in the US or Canada with an iPhone 14 bought anywhere (excluding mainland China and Hong Kong) you will be able to use this feature.

As I understand the limited coverage is mainly due to the fact that some special software is needed for this to work and emergency services in other countries don't have it yet? Maybe someone will be able to cover more on this.
 
Andrew73875 said:
If you are talking bout the SOS via satellite, I don't think it's related to the cell provider. If you are located in the US or Canada with an iPhone 14 bought anywhere (excluding mainland China and Hong Kong) you will be able to use this feature.

As I understand the limited coverage is mainly due to the fact that some special software is needed for this to work and emergency services in other countries don't have it yet? Maybe someone will be able to cover more on this.
Click to expand...
Actually, I heard TMO is going to use SpaceX - Starlink satellites for satellit text and calls for the near future.

Guess Apple decided to use currant satellite tech in it's limited means....
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobile-takes-coverage-above-and-beyond-with-spacex
 
Andrew73875 said:
What are your thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
Last Christmas, my family and I went to see my sister. That was the first time since 2019 we had left our city. And the city we went to was an even bigger city. Before that, a trip once a year to the next state over (400 miles) with cellular all along the way.

The majority of the time my family and I live life and work within 15-30 miles of our home. The metro area I live in is big enough that I could travel 50 miles from home by freeway and still be inside major cities or metro areas.

So my thoughts? Always good to have. But I don't see where we'd have any reason to need it.
 
eyoungren said:
Last Christmas, my family and I went to see my sister. That was the first time since 2019 we had left our city. And the city we went to was an even bigger city. Before that, a trip once a year to the next state over (400 miles) with cellular all along the way.

The majority of the time my family and I live life and work within 15-30 miles of our home. The metro area I live in is big enough that I could travel 50 miles from home by freeway and still be inside major cities or metro areas.

So my thoughts? Always good to have. But I don't see where we'd have any reason to need it.
Click to expand...
I need it and is the only reason I am upgrading from my 12 Pro.
If SOS Emergency was not featured for the 14, I'd wait for the 15 or 16....

It's for outdoors folks that spend time away from cell phone connectivity.

I fish rivers in remote parts of the western US and many places do not have cell phone towers to even send a SMS text.

In the many years of fishing remote waters, I would rely on my vehicle's amateur radio to get help if needed, but it's not on me. It's a HF + VHF + UHF multi band mobile radio that can connect to other ham radio operators even from remote parts of the country.
 
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eyoungren said:
Last Christmas, my family and I went to see my sister. That was the first time since 2019 we had left our city. And the city we went to was an even bigger city. Before that, a trip once a year to the next state over (400 miles) with cellular all along the way.

The majority of the time my family and I live life and work within 15-30 miles of our home. The metro area I live in is big enough that I could travel 50 miles from home by freeway and still be inside major cities or metro areas.

So my thoughts? Always good to have. But I don't see where we'd have any reason to need it.
Click to expand...
Well maybe you've got ATT and since their coverage is ugh even in cities, maybe you'll still need to make a sat emergency call :rolleyes:

I kid, but only a little bit.

But no, if you're not an outdoorsy person, never go to say national parks or rural areas, don't go far out on the water, then no, you don't need it. Or travel apps or AirBNB or airline apps or anything else related to travel. Just like people in a rural town in the Yukon probably don't use Waze that much....
 
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4sallypat said:
Actually, I heard TMO is going to use SpaceX - Starlink satellites for satellit text and calls for the near future.

Guess Apple decided to use currant satellite tech in it's limited means....
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobile-takes-coverage-above-and-beyond-with-spacex
Click to expand...
Near future? we'll see. The announcement was Starlink was going to start launching the compatible sats next year. Could be a while for any reasonable level of coverage. I think somebody will get it done sometime though. It will certainly get the foilhats even more excited than they were over 5g I expect :)
 
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JaraCz said:
Yeah but instead of Elon they partnered with Globalstar company. So I am not interested in emergency satelite in iPhone 14 Pro as it is no from Starlink. Starlink is furure.

So if they will collaborate with SpaceX, then you will need another hardware for satelite connection so iPhone 14 Pro/Max will be useless and you will need new phone.

So in general, I do not care of this function right now.
Click to expand...

You fundamentally do not appear to understand how T mobile is utilizing SpaceX/Starlink satellites. They are using EXISTING spectrum that is already on their 5G compatible phones on the Starlink 2.0 satellites. Certainly Apple could choose to, if they would partner with SpaceX to use some sort of specialized hardware, but that is NOT how SpaceX is rolling out the T Mobile launch which requires NO new hardware on the cellphone side.
 
robgendreau said:
Near future? we'll see. The announcement was Starlink was going to start launching the compatible sats next year. Could be a while for any reasonable level of coverage. I think somebody will get it done sometime though. It will certainly get the foilhats even more excited than they were over 5g I expect :)
Click to expand...
Possibly. T Mobile/Starlink requires Star link 2.0 satellites which require Starship to be 100% operational. The Falcon 9 is just not large enough to be viable for 2.0 satellites. They announced they may roll out a V1.5 satellite in the meantime but no evidence thus far in what I've read the 1.5 satellites will have this massive antenna to support ground based cellphone service, that will wait for 2.0. They MAY have some service by early 2024 if all the pieces line up (and it is Elon so I would guess they will) but it will take time to get enough 2.0 birds in orbit to make it effective.

No matter what, the tech is super cool.
 
robgendreau said:
Well maybe you've got ATT and since their coverage is ugh even in cities, maybe you'll still need to make a sat emergency call :rolleyes:

I kid, but only a little bit.

But no, if you're not an outdoorsy person, never go to say national parks or rural areas, don't go far out on the water, then no, you don't need it. Or travel apps or AirBNB or airline apps or anything else related to travel. Just like people in a rural town in the Yukon probably don't use Waze that much....
Click to expand...
No, T-Mobile, LOL!

I live in Phoenix, so it's all city. We don't travel far. Not sure what would break first, the car or my wallet. December 2021 was the first time I've ever been in an AirBNB and it was my sister that booked it. First time on an airplane since 2008, my son's second time on an airplane and my daughter's first.

But I grew up rural - where the grocery store was a planned trip. I did my 20 years rural and don't care to ever go back. So, I do understand how good this would be for rural residents. :)
 
They implied it will cost money in 2 years right? Like a life saving service … that they want to profit on.
 
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