Last year, Apple added a groundbreaking safety service called Emergency SOS via Satellite to all its iPhone 14 models in the US and Canada. This safety service has also been extended to the iPhone 15 series and 16 countries and allows users to reach emergency services while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. It has already had a significant impact and saved many lives.
While many iPhone 14 users were unhappy when Apple announced the service would only be free for two years, Apple today announced it extends free access to Emergency SOS via satellite for an additional year for all existing iPhone 14 users.
Simply put, previously the Emergency SOS via Satellite service was free for iPhone 14 users until 2024; now Apple has extended it until 2025.
To qualify for the additional free year of Emergency SOS via Satellite, you must have activated your iPhone 14 in a country that supports Emergency SOS by November 15, 2023 at noon Pacific Time. Simply put, you must have activated your new iPhone 14 before reading this story to enjoy the benefits of this service.
Please note, the announcement is only for iPhone 14 users. Apple has been offering free Emergency SOS via satellite service to iPhone 15 owners for two years. It means that both iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users will get the service for free until 2025.
Emergency SOS via satellite saves lives
Apple has repeatedly emphasized the benefits of its safety features, such as Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection. From saving a man when his car plunged over a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles to helping lost hikers call for help when they were lost in Italy’s Apennines without network access, the service has saved many by helping them connect to emergency responses that would otherwise not have been possible.
According to a report published in Peoplea man named Ryo Lu from San Francisco used the Emergency SOS via satellite Unpleasant connect to help when his Jeep overturned on the snowbank next to the road. Ryo traveled to Lake Abraham in January this year to take photos. Within 10 minutes he was bandaged up to help and firefighters and a tow truck were dispatched.
