Apple has introduced a feature to call emergency services via satellite when there is no cellular coverage or Wi-Fi. The Emergency SOS feature is available to iPhone 14 users in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
iPhone 14, it’s Apple in September provided, was the first ordinary smartphone to connect to a satellite. In emergency situations, the device can send messages via Globalstar’s satellite network, Apple said Tuesday.
In case of an emergency, the iPhone helps the user as much as possible to target the satellite and send an emergency message. The satellite transmits the message to the ground station. From there, the emergency report goes to the emergency services.
To use the service, iPhone 14 owners will need to take out an additional subscription. Subscription is free for next two years. I don’t know how much the subscription will be after that.
Apple has invested 450 million dollars (over 433 million euros) in satellite communications. Most of the investment went to Globalstar. The company’s satellite network provides emergency communications for the latest iPhone models.
The tech company had already activated the emergency messaging service for iPhone 14 users in the US and Canada in November.
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