Last year’s Apple iPhone 14 (review) debuted with satellite connectivity that is integrated to the Emergency SOS. The iPhone maker pledged that the service will be free for two years beginning from the activation of the handset. Today, they announced that they are giving another one year free trial for existing iPhone 14 devices.
The Emergency SOS via satellite has been proven to save lives in a handful of cases. It uses low-orbit geostationary satellites to connect to emergency responders in areas with no cellular or Wi-Fi connection is available. Apple improved it on the new iPhone 15 (review) with the addition of Roadside Assistance in select markets.
As for iPhone 14 models that have been activated before November 15th (12 am PT) in countries where satellite connectivity is available, Apple is extending the service for another year. This means the feature will usable for two more years in total for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro that were purchased last year. Subsequently, the free usage will start to expire by September 2025 in line to the iPhone 15.
Apple has not revealed how much the satellite service will cost after the trial. At the same time, it’s unclear if they will also extend the service to the iPhone 15 models.
Presently, Emergency SOS via satellite is available in 16 countries with Italy, Portugal, Austria, and the Netherlands, among the most recent countries added. The Roadside Assistance via satellite, which is also free for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro (review) and requires running on iOS 17, is still limited to the USA and Puerto Rico as of this writing.
Aside from Apple, other major manufacturers also plan to introduce a satellite-based feature on their devices. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 is partly confirmed to ship with satellite connectivity that could enable two-way messaging. However, it’s unknown if the feature on the flagship will also be free at launch.
Do you think that satellite connectivity is a vital function next other 5G or Wi-Fi 7 that should become standard in smartphones? We’re interested in hearing your thoughts on this.
