Today, Apple announced that their Emergency SOS via satellite feature is expanding to Australia and New Zealand. All iPhone 14 models can now contact emergency services or share their location through the Find My app via a satellite connection when there’s no WiFi or cellular connection available.
“The Albanese government welcomes the launch of this innovative safety capability. The ability to contact Triple Zero with Emergency SOS via satellite when there is no mobile coverage is a strong backup to keep Australians connected in an emergency,” said Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications.
The Emergency SOS via Satellite works all the way through short messages but if your local emergency operators do not support messages, Apple has relay centers with operators that relay the information directly to the emergency services.
This new functionality is a lifesaver, especially during ski or snowboard accidents, hiking, getting lost or trapped in the woods, and even car accidents when there is no cellular connection on the highway.
- The service requires an iPhone 14 model running iOS 16.4 or later and is free for the first two years.
Hope you never ever need to use this feature. Here’s a tutorial on how to use it: How to use Emergency SOS on iPhone 14
