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PRESS RELEASE November 15, 2022
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced its groundbreaking safety service Emergency SOS via satellite is now available to customers in the US and Canada. Available on all iPhone 14 models, the innovative technology enables users to message with emergency services while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. Additionally, if users want to reassure friends and family of their whereabouts while traveling off the grid, they can now open the Find My app and share their location via satellite. Emergency SOS via satellite is available in the US and Canada starting today, November 15, and will come to France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December.
Every model in the iPhone 14 lineup — iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max — can connect directly to a satellite through a combination of custom-designed components and deeply integrated software. Emergency SOS via satellite builds on existing features vital to iPhone users, including Emergency SOS, Medical ID, emergency contacts, and Find My location sharing, offering the ability to connect to a satellite for a more 360-degree approach to sharing critical information with emergency services, family, and friends. This game-changing service allows Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) — or emergency services call centers — to connect to even more users in emergency situations, and requires no additional software or protocols to enable communications. Users will be connected directly to emergency services that are equipped to receive text messages, or to relay centers with Apple-trained emergency specialists who are ready to contact PSAPs that cannot receive text messages on the user’s behalf.
  • Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite are available today in the US and Canada, and will be available in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December. The service will be included for free for two years starting at the time of activation of a new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.4
  • Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite require iOS 16.1.

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  1. Up to 10 emergency contacts using iOS 16.1 and iMessage will see the user’s location, type of emergency, and a live transcript of their conversation with emergency services. Emergency contacts who are not on iPhone, and iPhone users who aren’t using iOS 16.1 or iMessage, will see the user’s location and type of emergency. The user can opt to stop sharing their information with an emergency contact at any time. In order to reach the relay center or dispatcher closest to the user, location information will also be shared with Apple.
  2. Connection and response times vary based on location, site conditions, and other factors. See support.apple.com/kb/HT213426 for more information.
  3. Access to a satellite connection with Crash Detection and Fall Detection on Apple Watch requires a connected iPhone 14 model running iOS 16.1.
  4. Users who purchased an iPhone 14 model before the availability date of Emergency SOS via satellite will receive two years of the service free starting from the service availability date.