Apple extends emergency SOS via satellite for another year at no charge
November 15, 2023
update
Apple extends emergency SOS via satellite for an additional year for free for existing iPhone 14 users
Since its launch one year ago, this groundbreaking service has made a huge impact around the world
One year ago today, Apple’s breakthrough safety service, Emergency SOS via satellite, became available on all iPhone 14 models in the U.S. and Canada. Now available on the iPhone 15 lineup in 16 countries and territories, this innovative technology allows users to send text messages to emergency services when they are out of cell phone or Wi-Fi range. It is already having a huge impact and saving many lives. Apple today announced that it is extending free access to Emergency SOS via satellite for an additional year for existing iPhone 14 users.1
“Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save lives around the world.” For customers who were unable to contact emergency responders, such as the man rescued after his car fell off a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles or the lost hiker found in Italy’s Apennine Mountains. I keep listening. “Now we can,” said Kian Dorrance, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing. “We’re excited to give iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users two more years of this breakthrough service for free.”
Building on this satellite infrastructure, Apple recently introduced Roadside Assistance, which connects users to AAA via satellite if they have trouble with their car while out of cellphone or Wi-Fi range.2 Other safety features that can provide assistance when it matters most include:
- Users can open the Find My app and share their location via satellite to reassure friends and family of their whereabouts while traveling off-grid.
- Crash Detection detects serious car accidents and automatically dials emergency services if you are unconscious or cannot access your iPhone.
- Check-in allows users to automatically notify friends and family when they have safely arrived at their destination.3
- Users can set up a medical ID in the Healthcare app, allowing first responders to access critical medical information from the lock screen without requiring a passcode.
- The free trial will be extended to iPhone 14 users who activate their device in a country that supports Emergency SOS via satellite before November 15, 2023 at 12:00 AM Pacific Time. Visit support.apple.com/en to find out if Emergency SOS via satellite is available. -us/HT213426.
- Satellite Roadside Assistance is available in the U.S. in partnership with AAA and is free for two years on new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone activation. 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max. This satellite service requires iOS 17. Certain roadside assistance services provided by AAA may have associated fees. iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 users who are not AAA members can get roadside assistance via satellite on a pay-as-you-go basis with AAA’s Roadside Assistance service.
- Check-in is available on iOS 17 and later.
