Apple announces that the SOS satellite emergency function will be available in November, the final investment was 450 million dollars.
Through a press release, Apple has announced that satellite functions for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will be available this November for users in the United States and Canada. It is surprising that the final investment for this development was 450 million dollars.
Emergency SOS on iPhone 14 available at the end of November
Let’s remember that this function was announced during the presentation of said devices. When there is no service from an operator, users will be able to connect to a satellite dish to send the location to parents via a short text message.
The an investment of $450 million will support the operational characteristics of the satellitepart of this investment will be directed to Globalstar which is the company behind the satellites.
The Globalstar team in the field. Photo from the Apple Newsroom
Users in available regions will be able to use it immediately as soon as Apple rolls out the service free for 2 years from launch. There is still no estimate of the cost of the service after the aforementioned period.
When will it arrive in other countries and how does it work?
To our little luck, Apple has not yet announced any expansion plans for this feature in European countries like ours and other regions like Latin America.. If it succeeds in the short term and expansion is easy, no doubt as soon as 2023 coverage is announced to new countries.
The Emergency SOS function works using L and S spectral bands to establish contact with the satellites mentioned above. The user should make sure to find a clear sky so that the iPhone 14 is within range of said satellite. The device screen will help point in the right direction. The following fact is interesting: on planet Earth, Globalstar has 24 satellites.
iPhone 14 SOS Emergency Use Instructions. Photo by Apple Newsroom
When establishing emergency contact with the satellite, this message is transmitted to ground stations. If the area where medical or emergency services are located accepts text messages, the message will be transmitted immediately. If the latter fails, the message is relayed on behalf of Apple’s subcontractors.
Something wonderful that is included in this service is the location broadcast via the Find My app. In an extreme situation with no battery or cover available, we are sure this function will save many lives in imminent danger as it has done many times since this feature has been around. We expect this feature to arrive in the current version of iOS 16.1 with a server change or additional software update.
