Apple’s Emergency SOS eyes in the sky free for another year
The company hasn’t explained why but has confirmed it will extend Emergency SOS via satellite for an additional free year for existing iPhone 14 users.
Apple’s eyes in the skies
We know Apple has spent millions on the service, including big investments through satellite partner, GlobalStar. With this in mind we can only speculate as to why it has decided to extend the free availability of its life-saving service.
Some speculate it is only to achieve a decent price/value proposition, but we don’t know this yet. Others imagine it is in order to give Apple and its partners time to get more satelites into the air pending future enhancements of the service, potentially in some form of message upgrade. We don’t know that, either.
What Apple said
What Apple is saying is that it is pleased that the service, which is now available in 16 countries and regions has already seen many lives being saved.
“Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save lives around the world. From a man who was rescued after his car plummeted over a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles, to lost hikers found in the Apennine Mountains in Italy, we continue to hear stories of our customers being able to connect with emergency responders when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing.
The company also pointed out that it has been building on its satellite infrastructure and recently introduced Roadside Assistance via satellite to connect users to AAA if they have car trouble while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
This US-only service is also available to non-AAA members, who can use Roadside Assistance via satellite on a pay-per-use basis for AAA’s roadside assistance services.
About to be available in Portugal plus several other European nations.
What else can it do?
There are other useful things Apple’s service can already do:
- You can share location via satellite from within FindMy to reassure friends and family when traveling off the grid.
- Crash Detection can detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services if a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.
- Check In allows users to automatically notify friends and family when they have made it to their destination safely.
What is the deal?
The free trial will be extended for iPhone 14 users who have activated their device in a country that supports Emergency SOS via satellite prior to 12 a.m. PT on November 15, 2023.
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