One of the biggest announcements to come out of Apple iPhone 14″ launch event involves the company’s groundbreaking emergency SOS feature via Satellite – but so far, we’ve heard very little valuable information about when it might be. Comming.
In a new support post (opens in a new tab) (H / TILLION MacRumors (opens in a new tab)), Apple says Emergency Satellite SOS “will be available with the iOS 16 software update in November 2022.” iOS 16.1 launched in late October and iOS 16.2 is expected to launch in December, so the network saver feature could arrive on iOS 16.1.1 in the next few weeks.
iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 beta has appeared in the wild and we know that Apple is preparing to roll out a fix for a Persistent Wi-Fi error That has bothered 14 iPhone customers since the launch of iOS 16.1. For our money, so the Satellite Emergency SOS will arrive on the iPhone 14 along with this impending software patch.
To boost your memory, Apple says the new feature will help you contact emergency services in “exceptional cases” when there is no other means of accessing these services. If you’re out of range of cellular and Wi-Fi networks, your iPhone will connect you with the help you need – or at least try to – via satellite.
This feature will appear on all four iPhone 14 models – including iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Proand iPhone 14 Pro Max – although it’s just starting out in the US and Canada. It is expected to be rolled out in other countries by the end of 2023.
Apple says Emergency Satellite SOS will be free for all iPhone 14 users for the first two years after launch, which suggests the feature may require subscription fees or pay-per-use. in use by the end of 2024.
Apple claims that messages sent via Emergency SOS via satellite can reach their destination in as little as 15 seconds, but only if there is “direct view of the sky and horizon”.
Messages processed “under a tree with light or medium foliage” can take more than a minute to deliver – but hey, if you’re out in the wilderness with a broken leg, one message per minute better than no message at all, right?
Hopefully we’ll be able to test emergency SOS via satellite for ourselves on the iPhone 14 – safely, of course – when the feature launches later this month. In the meantime, check out our report on iPhone 14 Pro’s ‘incredible’ repair abilityand sum up our best Deals for iPhone 14 Black Friday live now.
