iPhone 14 and 14 Pro gain satellite SOS for off-grid emergencies

[sentience]

Cool tech.

Hope they consider “hiding” 5-10% of the battery in reserve for SOS. Last thing I’d want is to do is pull out my phone, only to have it die on me several hours earlier.

As for something tied to the Jeep - I might be lost or away from the Jeep. I’m much more likely to have my phone on me. Also, I don’t trust Jeep, they will screw it up. For iOS, the UConnect app will tell you your 4xe has started charging… fifteen to thirty minutes after you plugged it in. Now imagine what it will do in an emergency.

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[BrierPatch]

This is a good thing, but I think T-mobile is coming up with a better solution by teaming up with starlink that won't require a special antenna in the phone and will work with current devices and won't have the aiming difficulty. I think they are going to try and start rolling it out around the end of next year. Made me consider switching to T-mobile, but I think I'll wait and see how it rolls out.

 

[wibornz]

Well this is cool. Two year free trial isn't too bad either as a lot of people upgrade at that point. Curious if it will go based on Apple ID or phone.

Hope this works! As I start traveling and camping more I would definitely consider a new iPhone that I will use everyday over a specialized device I only use while off the grid.

As the owner of a Garmin Mini InReach paying $24 a month I would gladly sell it and upgrade to the new apple phone.

 

[MrGoodByte]

Obviously, the two year “free” means there’s something bigger coming down the road. Whether it’s rudimentary now, it’s very convenient not to have another device on you. You can set different focuses on your iPhone and I’m sure if they don’t create an “off the grid” focus prior to launch, there will be many that do and will limit battery drain while maintaining services and features of the phone while being off the grid. Lastly, the race for celestial wireless service has been ignited by TMo/Starlink. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two year “free” is tied into hardware upgrades that will allow better service. Apple actually has an option to buy a stake in the satellite company (Globalstar) they are using for this service. Again, something bigger coming down the line.

 

[InVinoVeritasty]

As the owner of a Garmin Mini InReach paying $24 a month I would gladly sell it and upgrade to the new apple phone.

Yep. That's what I'm thinking. BTW, I'm looking forward to following your next adventure. I would also be really interested in a "lessons learned" type thread about equipment, etc. pros and cons from your last epic journey.

 

[TX_Ovrlnd]

Obviously, the two year “free” means there’s something bigger coming down the road. Whether it’s rudimentary now, it’s very convenient not to have another device on you. You can set different focuses on your iPhone and I’m sure if they don’t create an “off the grid” focus prior to launch, there will be many that do and will limit battery drain while maintaining services and features of the phone while being off the grid. Lastly, the race for celestial wireless service has been ignited by TMo/Starlink. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two year “free” is tied into hardware upgrades that will allow better service. Apple actually has an option to buy a stake in the satellite company (Globalstar) they are using for this service. Again, something bigger coming down the line.

Two years free means you’re their beta testers. Right now I can’t set low power mode with a focus, that’d be nice to change. I’m sure someone already has a shortcut created to do it though.

 

[Mocopo]

You mean the phones that mock apple for design choices and then turn around and copy it?

Yep, those better phones! Glad we're on the same page!

 

[RugbyRef]

As the owner of a Garmin Mini InReach paying $24 a month I would gladly sell it and upgrade to the new apple phone.

I hear ya! Just ordered two iPhone 14 Pro Max's for me and the Mrs. Nice feature!

 

[InVinoVeritasty]

A pretty good discussion of how the iphone will operate here:

 

[Chupacabra]

A pretty good discussion of how the iphone will operate here:

The satellite messaging feature on the iPhone is currently limited to "oh shit" type events, the Garmin is a much more full-featured system. But I'll still take the functionality in the iPhone 14, it's better than nothing and currently does not have a subscription fee either. Just a nice "peace of mind" feature that hopefully I will never need.

If I felt like I needed to send messages to friends and family while out of cell range, then I'd get the Garmin device.

 

[InVinoVeritasty]

The satellite messaging feature on the iPhone is currently limited to "oh shit" type events, the Garmin is a much more full-featured system. But I'll still take the functionality in the iPhone 14, it's better than nothing and currently does not have a subscription fee either. Just a nice "peace of mind" feature that hopefully I will never need

Yep. I "upgraded" for this feature. My old phone was getting long in the tooth.

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