but everyone on macrumors told me apple is a greedy company and would never give away anything for free.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone's Satellite Feature Launched Two Years Ago Today, Remains Free
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The point being this should not be a paid service, because you don’t know when you need to use it
I don't think that was the point of the member I was replying to.
I agree with you, but everything costs, we pay for 911 service, it's just a matter of if a sub is required or if it is baked into our costs elsewhere and always available. Nothing is free.
You can't put a price on free...satellite service to give the user some peace of mind when owning an iPhone \o/
Thats whats most likely going to happen and I'm calling this now: iMessage and SMS over satellite will be included in iCloud+
Such a great public safety feature, when you need it, it's there for those unexpected no cell communication areas your in.
Last edited:
So? You haven't needed it. I tried out the regular satellite messaging last month; spent two weeks out in the Nevada desert without any cell service or internet.
Worked fine, albeit a bit slow and fiddly, compared to my inReach.
What is your point? I haven't used it either, but I'm sure glad it's there just in case.
The optics would be so horrible if they ever put this behind a paywall.
I get a new phone every year, so it doesn't affect me, but it is something you don't think you will need until you need it. I can see people not paying because they don't anticipate needing it.
Imagine dying because you didn't know your phone had a feature.
I think it will become a paid feature, but only after we're hooked to it.
Honest question - if one buys a used iPhone 14 and does not activate it with a phone number, can one still use the emergency SOS satellite feature? I thru hiked the AT in 2022 and use a Garmin inReach mini but cost wise, having a 14 that's basically an iPod Touch that would stay powered off, could be a lot more useful and cost effective. But if the SOS feature requires the phone to be on an active cell phone plan, that would be the dealbreaker for me.
[I'm an iPhone 13 mini user, and still have an iPhone 12 mini w/o a phone line that I use with wifi for business purposes only; I am not a fan of the larger phones, but a used, non-activated, iPhone 14 could be very useful for emergency situations or using the iOS 18 feature of just checking in with loved ones to let them know you're okay; most of the areas I hike have no cell service, and since Helene came through here, cell coverage is still not fully restored].
[I'm an iPhone 13 mini user, and still have an iPhone 12 mini w/o a phone line that I use with wifi for business purposes only; I am not a fan of the larger phones, but a used, non-activated, iPhone 14 could be very useful for emergency situations or using the iOS 18 feature of just checking in with loved ones to let them know you're okay; most of the areas I hike have no cell service, and since Helene came through here, cell coverage is still not fully restored].
I suppose they said initially that it will be free for a certain time period just in case the satellite partner starts charging them for access or if they decide to. Extending that free access as time passes is safer than selling the device with supposed lifetime access then taking it away as that will result in a lawsuit.
It's hard to figure out how to monetize something that customers never know when they'll need. You might need it once, or hopefully never. I suppose emergency SOS via satellite remaining free and the rest of the sat-enabled features will be a subscription. But there's not many places you go where there's no cellular signal, at least in Europe. The roads have undisrupted 5G even in the eastern countries and natural parks, etc do too.
It's hard to figure out how to monetize something that customers never know when they'll need. You might need it once, or hopefully never. I suppose emergency SOS via satellite remaining free and the rest of the sat-enabled features will be a subscription. But there's not many places you go where there's no cellular signal, at least in Europe. The roads have undisrupted 5G even in the eastern countries and natural parks, etc do too.
Yes, it is subsidized by the subscribers. But if you don’t have a phone contract (or any paid service at all) on the SIM in your phone, it will still dial 911 if it can reach any tower.
I imagine it will eventually be the same for satellite.
And be thankful you've never had to
I suspect they intended to make it free for the lifetime of the phone but didn't want to commit to saying so until they could gauge how expensive it was or if it would be abused.
It's always the minority who misuse the good things, the thoughtful helpful things, that spoil it for everyone else.
It's always the minority who misuse the good things, the thoughtful helpful things, that spoil it for everyone else.
I think in 5 years we see Apple release their own network powered by satellite that either is backstopped by Starlink or augmented by it. Apple continues to want to own the whole stack, so the ability to control the airwaves seems like a natural next step.
I was in Yosemite last week and had zero coverage and lost my party. This feature was crap, nobody got my messages
My cousin works at Apple. He says this feature will be added next year in a revamped iCloud+. Yes, the price will be increased.
This surely must be perfect for class action. There must be billions of of users considering this an unfair and unjust competitive advantage. iPhone owners getting help when in peril is fundamentally unfair.
Where are the lawyers when the world need them?
Where are the lawyers when the world need them?