Apple has confirmed that it is expanding Emergency SOS via satellite to more countries next year.
As spotted by MacRumors, the company has revealed that it plans to bring the new safety feature to even more countries in 2023. At the bottom of the press release bringing the feature to four more countries this week, the company noted that “support for more countries will follow next year.”
While the company has confirmed that more countries are being lined up for support next year, it has not yet said which countries those are or which ones are coming first. Until then, the feature is now available in six countries including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
The feature has already saved many
The new safety feature is currently exclusive to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro and will be available to iPhone 14 owners for free for the first two years. It is currently unclear what Apple may charge for the feature after those two years are up.
Emergency SOS via satellite “combines custom components deeply integrated with software to allow antennas to connect directly to a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. Satellites are moving targets with low bandwidth, and it can take minutes for messages to get through. Since every second counts, with Emergency SOS via satellite, iPhone front-loads a few vital questions to assess the user’s situation and shows them where to point their phone to connect to a satellite. The initial questionnaire and follow-up messages are then relayed to centers staffed by Apple-trained specialists who can call for help on the user’s behalf.”
The feature has already come in handy for some who found themselves in an emergency situation, including a couple who used it after their car went into a canyon and a man who got stranded in Alaska.