Apple announced its Emergency SOS via Satellite feature back in September alongside its iPhone 14 range. The feature is brilliant, and hopefully one you’ll never have to use yourself. It launched in Australia in May, following many examples of how useful the feature actually is. Today, during its iPhone event, Apple expanded on Emergency SOS via Satellite, introducing something called Roadside Assistance via Satellite.
The idea is that Emergency SOS via Satellite is to be used for life-threatening emergencies, but there are also other situations where you may need help but don’t have reception, such as for car troubles.
Apple said it’s built on the same technologies as the Emergency feature and to use it, you’ll just be required to text ‘roadside assistance’ and select what type of help you need.
Just like the Emergency SOS feature, Roadside Assistance via Satellite will guide you to connect to a satellite and share that information with a roadside assistance provider.
Apple’s Roadside Assistance via Satellite will cover everything from locking your keys in your car to your vehicle being incapacitated and will connect you with your provider when you don’t have service. Starting in the U.S., all iPhone 15 owners will have access to Roadside Assistance and all Emergency SOS satellite services for free for two years, with pricing to be disclosed once the feature goes live in Australia, we assume.
Apple also announced that Emergency SOS via Satellite is also available in 14 countries, with Spain and Sweden to go live in the near future.
Apple’s emergency satellite services have been working. Since its launch, we’ve brought you a handful of stories where the tech was thankfully in place, such as for canyoners in California, a man lost in the Alaskan Wilderness, and most recently, a family on vacation in Hawaii was able to escape the Maui wildfires using the feature.
At its 2023 iPhone event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, USB-C for the AirPods Pro 2, Roadside Assistance via Satellite, and a bunch of environmental promises. This article has been updated since it was first published.
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