Being able to stay connected with people who are far from us is one of the most important advantages for a mobile phone. However, it can be a problem when you are not in a cellular or Wi-Fi network.
Yes, it is rare for most of us to be in such a location. For people who are travelling in remote locations or people stuck due to any natural disaster, situation like this can be a reality. However, you can still contact emergency services and even your friends and family in situations like this, if you got iPhone 14 and fulfil the pre-requisites mentioned below.
Pre-requisites:
- iPhone 14 or newer.
- Messaging friends and family without emergency is available only in US and Canada at the moment. It is a subscription-based service which is free for two years when you buy iPhone 14 or newer models.
- Your phone should NOT have been bought in the following countries: Armenia, Belarus, China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia. The models bought in these countries do not support satellite communication.
- iOS version requirements:
- iOS 16.1 or later in the US and Canada
- iOS 16.2 or later in France, Germany, Ireland and the UK
- iOS 16.4 or later in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland
- iOS 17.6 or later in Japan
Apple is trying to rollout it in other countries as well, but it will take time due to laws and restrictions in various countries related to satellite usage.
- It will only work in a place without any cellular or Wi-Fi signal.
- Emergency SOS is currently only available in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
- Your iPhone should have iMessage feature turned on before you can use Emergency SOS feature via Satellite.
- Setup Emergency Contact and Family Sharing in advance. For emergency contacts with iPhones, they should be running iOS 17.6 or later. There are no requirements for non-Apple devices.
- To learn how it works, you can use Satellite Connection Demo by opening Control Centre > Cellular button on the right side > Satellite > Try Demo.
- Have clear view of the sky while you try to do it. Obstacles between you and the satellite will weaken or completely obstruct the signals.
Steps To Message Friends & Family Over Satellite Network:
Step 1 – Make sure that the Satellite option is enabled in Control Centre > Cellular button > Satellite.
Step 2 – Open Message app and it should automatically connect to the satellite. It may ask you to keep your phone in a certain direction for better signal.
Step 3 – Just message people like you usually do. That’s all.
Steps to Connect to Emergency Services and Contacts via Satellite:
Step 1 – Make a call to the emergency number of your country. For example, it is 911 for the USA.
Step 2 – It will show option to Emergency Text via Satellite. Press it and you will be connected to the emergency services. That’s all.
Your location and conversation with the emergency services will also be shared with your emergency contacts.
Conclusion:
It is a great feature for those who are in areas struck with any natural disaster or people lost in remote locations. The only issue is the unavailability of the feature in many countries. Communication via satellite is still considered risky by many countries because of national security and strict laws related to it. So, if the feature is not available in your country, the only thing you can do is wait.
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