Apple launched its latest iPhone 14 series at its Far Out event on Wednesday along with Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Ultra and the AirPods Pro Gen 2.
It was rumored that Apple would bring a satellite phone this time but it turned out the Cupertino-based giant unveiled a key safety feature called Emergency SOS via satellite.
Among other upgrades in its latest iphones, Apple has emphasised on safety features including the Emergency SOS along with crash detection.
Through the Emergency SOS via satellite, people can use the iPhone 14 in remote areas to communicate when their cell service isn’t available.
The Emergency SOS service is expected to roll out in November in the USA and Canada. However, the feature is not available in India models so far.
Apple says that it was designed for use in open spaces with a clear line of sight to the sky, so performance may be impacted if there are trees or buildings that are nearby.
For the satellite SOS feature to work, the carriers need to partner with satellite communication providers.
How does satellite SOS feature work on the iPhone 14 series?
The SOS via Satellite feature can be used to send short text messages. The iPhone will actually front-load vital questions to assess your situation, and it will send that information to emergency personnel as soon as you're connected.
Apple created a compression algorithm that makes text messages three times smaller to speed up communication as much as possible, the company said.
The iPhone 14 has a built-in antenna required to communicate with satellites. The phone also has a radar-like feature that will show users where to point their iPhone to link up to a satellite when no cellular or Wi-Fi service is available.
Once connected to the satellite, the iPhone 14 can send and receive emergency messages.
This technology also allows users to manually share their location over satellite with Find My when there is no cellular or Wi-Fi connection.
Apple is reportedly working with Globalstar on the satellite connectivity feature. Globalstar will be Apple's satellite operator, and it has agreed to allocate 85 percent of its current and future network capacity to support Apple's iPhones.
The iPhone 14 users will get two years of satellite connectivity for free and Apple has not yet revealed the pricing post that period.
Apple says that Emergency SOS via satellite might not work in places above 62° latitude, such as northern parts of Canada and Alaska.
