Apple iPhone 14 series: Emergency SOS via satellite service now available in these countries

Apple iPhone 14 series Emergency SOS via satellite feature: The US-based trech giant Apple on Tuesday announced that its safety service Emergency SOS via satellite is now available to customers in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK. Available on all iPhone 14 models, the technology enables users to message with emergency services while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. 

The service will be included for free for two years starting at the time of activation of a new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite require iOS 16.1 or later. With Emergency SOS via satellite, users can send and receive messages in as little as 15 seconds in clear conditions. In November, the tech giant announced the availability of its safety service Emergency SOS via satellite to customers in the US and Canada.

How Emergency SOS via satellite feature works?

With Emergency SOS via satellite, if a user is not able to reach emergency services because no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage is available, an easy-to-use interface appears on iPhone to get the user help utilising a satellite connection. The emergency services call centres to connect to even more users in emergency situations, and requires no additional software or protocols to enable communications. 

"Users will be connected directly to emergency services that are equipped to receive text messages, or to relay centres with Apple-trained emergency specialists who are ready to contact PSAPs that cannot receive text messages on the user's behalf," said Apple. 

A short questionnaire appears to help the user answer vital questions with a few simple taps, which is transmitted to dispatchers in the initial message, to ensure they are able to quickly understand a user's situation and location. Apple said it worked closely with experts to review standard questions and protocols to identify the most common reasons for calling emergency services.

Additionally, if users want to reassure friends and family of their whereabouts while traveling off the grid, they can now open the Find My app and share their location via satellite, the company said in a statement.