Apple Enables Emergency SOS via Satellite in UK on iPhone 14

Apple has announced that their new Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, which enables users to message (SMS) with emergency services while roaming outside of regular cellular (mobile) and Wi-Fi coverage, has finally launched across all iPhone 14 models in the United Kingdom, as well as France, Germany and Ireland.

The new feature connects directly to a satellite through a combination of custom-designed components and deeply integrated software. Additionally, if users want to reassure friends and family of their whereabouts while travelling in an area with no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, they can now also open the ‘Find My‘ app and share their location via satellite.

The service is free for two years, starting at the time of activation of a new iPhone 14 model, although it’s unclear how much this will cost once that period has elapsed (Apple has yet to disclose this). In addition, support for more countries will follow during 2023.

One other clever aspect of this is that end-users can test the service without actually needing to initiate an emergency call, which is good because being familiar with the process may save you time if you suffer from an accident and need help. To do this, just go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Emergency SOS’ and tap ‘Try Demo’.

John Anthony, British Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, said:

“Being able to use a satellite connection to contact 999 or 112 if there is no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage is a breakthrough that Apple has brought to the general public with iPhone 14. The feature will mean that emergency services can be alerted when it was not previously possible and are then able to do their jobs to better effect, in part because of the initial information that can be shared with dispatchers, such as location and essential details about the emergency. Ultimately, this will help save lives.”

So far as we can tell, Apple’s new service connects via Globalstar’s satellites – using the L band for uplink and S band for downlink, although they can also use the satellite operator’s 2.4GHz (Band 53) for terrestrial connectivity. Admittedly, this is not as extensive as Starlink’s plan for global roaming with T-Mobile, but it’s still a major step forward and such features look set to become more common in the future, albeit at a cost.