iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite Feature Expanded to Six New Countries

Apple's Emergency SOS via satellite feature can be used in conjunction with the Find My app to share location with friends and family.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 8 March 2023 16:07 IST

iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite Feature Expanded to Six New Countries

Photo Credit: Apple

iPhone 14 series is equipped with satellite connectivity and a crash detection feature

Highlights

The feature was initially launched in the US and Canada
It was then extended to the UK, France, Germany, and Ireland
The feature allows messaging emergency services without network coverage

Apple will extend its Emergency SOS via satellite feature will to six new countries within this month. Emergency SOS via satellite can assist users in connecting with emergency services when no other means of reaching emergency services are available. If users call or text emergency services and are unable to connect because they are outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, the supported iPhone attempts to connect the user to the assistance they require via satellite. Users can access Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models running iOS 16.1 or later.

The feature was first launched only in the US and Canada. The Cupertino-based company then expanded it to the UK, France, Germany, and Ireland. The company said they will extend the feature to users in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Portugal this month, in a press release announcing the launch of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in a new yellow colour variant on Tuesday.

Emergency SOS via satellite allows users outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage to communicate with emergency services and it can also be used to find your own location and share it with friends and family using the Find My app.

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Because it takes some time to establish a connection with the satellites, the iPhone will prompt users with a few pre-programmed questions while it searches for a signal. If a user is heading to a location with limited cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, Apple suggests that they create a Medical ID, add emergency contacts, and test the Emergency SOS demo beforehand.

Apple also notes that to try to connect to a satellite, users can keep their iPhone in their hand naturally - without raising their arm or holding it up, but they advise against putting it in a pocket or backpack. The company adds that users may be unable to connect to a satellite if they are surrounded by dense foliage or other obstructions.

Because bandwidth is limited on cellular networks, Apple developed a compression algorithm that reduces text messages three times in order to improve communication speed. Satellite connectivity is also included as default with the Crash Detection feature.

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iPhone 14

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Good overall performance
Great camera quality in daylight
iOS ecosystem and ease of use

Bad
Dated design and notch
Very similar to iPhone 13
Relatively slow charging
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 review

Display 6.06-inch

Processor Apple A15 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 14 Plus

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Good overall performance
Great camera quality in daylight
iOS ecosystem and ease of use
Excellent battery life

Bad
Dated design and notch
Same SoC as iPhone 13 series
Relatively slow charging
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 Plus review

Display 6.68-inch

Processor Apple A15 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1284x2778 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 14 Pro Max

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 2796x1290 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 14 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Superb display with always-on mode
Excellent overall performance
Good battery life
All cameras take high-quality stills and video
Regular iOS updates for many years

Bad
Extremely expensive
Relatively slow charging and transfer speed
Gets warm under heavy workloads
Limited customisation for Dynamic Island

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 Pro review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, iPhone 14, Apple

Sucharita Ganguly

Email Sucharita Ganguly

Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More