Apple and Globalstar Rumored to Announce Satellite Connectivity Feature for iPhone 14 at September 7 Event

[jamezr]

Agreed with some who say how much of an outlier feature this will be.
BUT on the other hand when it is needed it could save your life.

Remember the guy who got his arm stuck between rocks and had to cut off his arm to survive? Imagine if he could just tell Siri to call 911 or text someone.

 

[WLSON]

Maybe my wife can finally get a text through her schools walls.. instead of having 15 pop up the minute she walks out the door.

Negative ghost rider, anything that communicates directly with satellites needs a clear view of the sky.

 

[DotCom2]

I recently drove the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles and there were multiple periods where I had no service.
I was genuinely worried about what I would/could have done if I need assistance during these black outs, so this would be a welcome addition.

But so would offline maps…

Beautiful drive though.

 

[VulchR]

What mainstream problem does this solve? It seems like a minuscule edge case.

Think a little more broadly. I live in Scotland and in the Scottish Highlands there is good cellular coverage, but there are places with no coverage. It's not just travelling on isolated icy roads without phone coverage that is a risk, but I go hillwalking every opportunity I get. It's easy to fall and injure yourself and indeed sometimes people get caught out in bad weather (I was once caught on a ridge when a 90-mph-wind-hail-rain-snow storm hit earlier than forecast and barely made it out alive). Currently I use an emergency personal locator beacon (like a personal EPIRB), which is basically a panic button attached to a radio that signals an old satellite. The time for that signal to reach the rescue teams could be as long as 3-4 hours, and you can add hours on top of that for any rescue team to travel to the site of the emergency. Moreover, my setup does not let me communicate the nature of the emergency in any way. Eventually the battery on my system will expire, and it costs a fortune to replace because the unit is sealed, so I was checking out small satellite phones like those from Garmin. They cost a £350 for a system (plus some painful monthly fees) that allows you to send text messages. If Apple adds satellite connectivity to the iPhone, even if it is just texting for emergencies, then I would save myself a great deal of money by simply upgrading my iPhone. The same holds true for anybody who visits rural and wild areas, and some who would use this as a backup if they were sailing the ocean. Also, as people have pointed out above, this could be useful in natural disasters like floods, blizzards, fires, etc.

Now, if Apple would just formally kill off their CSAM spying software proposal, I'd start saving up for a new iPhone on the hope this new feature will actually come to fruition.

 

[jimbobb24]

I doubt it will work here, as usual it will roll out first in the US and then for us Europeans. I'm sure they can't bring it out here at launch due to some bureaucratic limitation. It's a pity because even where I live (Spain), coverage drops a lot when out of the urban areas.

About 8 months ago, while doing downhill biking I hit a rock and fell off my bike. I hit myself pretty hard (broke a rib), and there was no cellular signal. My Apple Watch did go off telling me I took a hard fall, however I had to get my **** together and bike 20km to the hospital, in pain.

If I weren't able to bike or get back by myself (unconscious), I would've had to just wait for some relative to report me missing and pinpoint the area where I usually bike, and wait for rescue, or wake up and drag myself to a spot where there would be signal.

This feature looks good, if it turns out to be true!

Imagine the new phone connected with the new watch. After your fall the watch says your took a hard fall....confirm you are ok? You dont confirm you are ok because this time you were passed out and it sends out your GPS location to 911 and says this person is in danger while you lie there unconscious. This is potentially amazing sci-fi stuff.

And 20KM with a broken rib....you are hardcore.

 

[starman111]

What mainstream problem does this solve? It seems like a minuscule edge case.

I wouldn't call it an edge case. This feature would come in handy whenever you need to send an emergency text when cell phone coverage doesn't exist. I personally run into dead zones every day. There are also backpackers, hikers, cyclists, skiers, climbers, and road trippers who could greatly benefit from this feature.

 

[rxp]

Will love this for safety on hikes. Will replace a garmin inreach use case

 

[pecosROB]

I was hoping the far out meant astrophotography, daaanggggg

 

[reden]

Does this mean we actually have the opportunity to use our smartphones for its primary purpose? A phone? Workout dropped calls or bad service.

 

[starman111]

I would love to have this for my backpacking trips. We take a sat communicator right now and it costs 30-50 a month for use when active and $4 to just park it.

Me too. I use a Garmin InReach Mini to communicate when I go cycling. That service is $13 a month for something that I rarely need, but I keep it active just in case of an emergency. I'd much rather have this on my watch or phone.

 

[DotCom2]

Does this mean we actually have the opportunity to use our smartphones for its primary purpose? A phone? Workout dropped calls or bad service.

I think its main purpose is for emergency use.

 

[Matsamoto]

I doubt it will work here, as usual it will roll out first in the US and then for us Europeans. I'm sure they can't bring it out here at launch due to some bureaucratic limitation. It's a pity because even where I live (Spain), coverage drops a lot when out of the urban areas.

About 8 months ago, while doing downhill biking I hit a rock and fell off my bike. I hit myself pretty hard (broke a rib), and there was no cellular signal. My Apple Watch did go off telling me I took a hard fall, however I had to get my **** together and bike 20km to the hospital, in pain.

If I weren't able to bike or get back by myself (unconscious), I would've had to just wait for some relative to report me missing and pinpoint the area where I usually bike, and wait for rescue, or wake up and drag myself to a spot where there would be signal.

This feature looks good, if it turns out to be true!

Time will tell i suppose.
When you had your accident, this feature would be gold to have.
But its good that you are ok now👍
So we have to wait and see.

 

[zorinlynx]

A problem 0.00004% of the population will ever encounter.

I'm sure that 0.00004% is glad you're not in charge.

 

[Bkfraiders7]

AT&T US and AT&T Mexico (and Vodafone, Rakuten, Nokia, American Tower, and other MOUs covering 2 billion users worldwide) has already/been partnered with AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) since August 2020 and is arguable much further along on making real direct-to-cellular connection a reality, with the final ASTS test Satellite going into orbit ~September 7th of this year. The FCC has approved an experimental license between AT&T and ASTS (https://www.lightreading.com/satell...ed-services-on-atandts-spectrum/d/d-id/777239) to test various AT&T Bands, including FirstNet Band 14 from the satellite. Even more, while SpaceX/T-Mobile and Apple/GSAT are promising roughly 2-4mbps per *cell zone* for texting in emergency situations, ASTS is quoting 4G/5G speeds (~25mbps) per cellular device. Yes, rather than emergency services you can stream Spotify on an island. Watch Netflix on Mt. Everest. Call your mother on a boat in the ocean. And yes, ASTS has patented the technology with 2300 patent and patent pending applications.


Timeline- ASTS is launching their final test satellite BlueWalker 3 onto a SpaceX rocket ~September 7, 2022

. Following various testing, and according to their last investor call, 5 BlueBird (Operational Satellites) are expected to launch in late 2023 to provide coverage for equatorial regions of the world. This service will continue to be expanded in 2024, growing outwards.


ASTS Investor Presentation for More Details- https://investors.ast-science.com/static-files/1e57f690-0ba5-4ede-9056-01a549aa3246

 

[mikethemartian]

What mainstream problem does this solve? It seems like a minuscule edge case.

Ideally someone going out to the ocean, forest, mountains etc. would purchase a personal locator beacon but since most people don’t it might be a lifesaver to have the ability to send out an SOS and coordinates if someone ever finds themselves in such a predicament.

 

[Tdude96]

A problem 0.00004% of the population will ever encounter.

Forbes:

According to the 2018 North American Camping Report, sponsored by Kampgrounds of America (KOA), camping is rising in popularity across the United States and Canada. The report shares a number of interesting statistics including the fact that, “77 million U.S. households have someone who camps at least occasionally.”

Assuming that number hasn't grown in 4 years and there are 128 million households, this could give more than half of the (US) population greater peace of mind about their loved ones, depending on their outdoor locations of choice.

RunRepeat.com using data from AllTrails:

The number of hikes logged in 2020 was up 171.36% compared to 2019
The number of individual hikers in 2020 increased 134.7% compared to 2019
The number of hikes logged per user (HPU) has increased by 52.12% in 2020 compared to the total for 2016-2019

Outdoor activities like hiking and backpacking are increasingly popular. These again can take millions of people outside of cellular service zones. And it's not limited to outdoor enthusiasts. Many people live, work, or take road trips that take them outside of service areas.

Even if someone never has to use satellite connectivity as a lifesaving measure in an emergency, it improves their life and that of everyone around them, knowing that help could just be a text away. It helps alleviate the stress involved in knowing that you or someone you care about isn't going to be completely out of reach or in a hopeless situation.

 

[Martinpa]

As someone who hikes in remote places to do some photography (and can sometimes put himself in precarious position) this is actually a good selling point. Also almost ran out of gas in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere in Kansas and had no cell service. Would have been nice then. Surprised so many people aren’t seeing the usefulness of this…

 

[spartan1967]

From Elon Musk partnering with T-Mobile.

"We are constructing special antenna… They are actually very big antenna that are extremely advanced," he said. "The important thing is you will not need to get a new phone. The phone you currently have will work."

Also, they plan on adding data down the line.

 

[aloshka]

That's cool! Is anyone really excited about this feature? Anyone out there???

YES!! Cell service sucks everywhere except in major populated areas. I also hike and dirt bike a lot, so having cell service would be the greatest thing ever! I helped with a few rescue efforts, and if we had satellite service, it would have saved a lot of pain and time. While this seems edge case, dead zones are not edge case. Absolutely everyone deals with them.

 

[dampfnudel]

Well this would be very disappointing for us 13-mini owners who want the small form factor, along with this feature, if no 14-mini is coming. I'm in a western, mountainous state where I hike to areas with no cell coverage. I hope this is compatible with current hardware, like T-Mobile's service, and Apple doesn't limit it to the 14 models.

I think Apple would’ve announced the feature in June if it was compatible with the 13 lineup as part of their iOS 16 announcement. I could be wrong, but this appears to be an iPhone 14/14 Pro only new feature. It’s possible the mini will be “reborn” as an SE model in the future with the feature included so an upgrade to that may become an option for you in the future.

 

[currocj]

What mainstream problem does this solve? It seems like a minuscule edge case.

Except that edge case might be the difference between life and death

 

[shplock]

Expect this to be US only as Tim Cook in my view has no desire or ability to release to other countries, either that form he is deeply xenophobic.
I understand that Macrumors or the Apple sheep will be highly offended and likely ban me again but I am allowed my free speech so accept it!

 

[shplock]

What mainstream problem does this solve? It seems like a minuscule edge case.

It is because Tim Cook has no ideas and is clueless and has to go...

 

[shplock]

If you are in a SOS situation in dead zone you could contact 911 in an emergency using satellite. Terrestrial cellular coverage isn’t available everywhere in North America for given carriers.

Yes and Tim Cook will make sure the service is ONLY available to the US, so if you are stranded anywhere else in the world then you should say goodbye to everyone and prepare to meet your maker and all Tim wants in return will be a mere $1000 per second or part thereof with a minimum of 1 hour to be charged. Got to please the fat cat shareholders right?

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Nice! Curious to know if this is going to work in the Sahara Desert in Africa. What about Iceland or Antartica?

The iPhone 14 Pro World Tour.