Apple on Tuesday announced that the iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will be available in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal later this month.
Available on all iPhone 14 models, the innovative technology enables users to connect to a Globalstar satellite 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 in an area with no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, they can now open the Find My app and share their location via satellite.
Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature is available to all iPhone 14 users running iOS 16.1 and later in supported countries and it is free to use for two years.
Apple warns that foliage or other obstructions can result in messages taking longer to send or failing to send, and satellite connectivity might not work in places above 62° latitude.
Users can also share their location via satellite with Find My. In the Find My app, users can open the Me tab, swipe up to see My Location via Satellite, and tap Send My Location. The satellite connection on the iPhone 14 lineup also works with other safety features available on iPhone and Apple Watch, including Crash Detection and Fall Detection.
Emergency SOS via Satellite service officially rolled out in the United States and Canada in November. The service requires an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max. The service became available in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December.