Apple Reportedly Plans to Expand iPhone 14's Satellite Feature to More Countries

[mck88]

They are already standards for that in place.What do you think it happens when you use inReach from Garmin in emergency?

Precisely what I'm talking about. There is a global response center staffed by Garmin taking your call/message and dealing with the requirement. They partner with local LEO and ERT as well as calling the emergency contacts registered for Inreach user. They remain following up with all parties throughout the rescue operation. They have very clear processes and ability to coordinate emergency response on a global basis.

Refer - https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=dENvi0yoo51ib0Zh8L4El6

All I'm saying here is that Apple will probably build its own equivalent of a global response center but this will take some time and ramping up.

 

[alee]

They are already standards for that in place.What do you think it happens when you use inReach from Garmin in emergency?

It goes to Garmin's dispatch. Apple is building that dispatch capability from the ground up with a custom platform they built for this.

 

[dejmo78]

Wouldn’t it be better if it can be used no matter where you are in the world? Especially within territories where you are completely unfamiliar?

Exactly. This seems like another rushed feature, just so that Apple can say there were first. As somebody else already pointed out, Starlink is already working to provide such feature to carriers which won’t be phone dependent.

 

[entropys]

MacRumors should also reach out to Apple to find out how much emergency satellite messaging is going to cost when the 2 year free trial period expires. Inquiring minds want to know...

Apple probably just said it to keep the competition authorities off its back. Companies charge a monthly fee for similar.

 

[Turribeach]

What I really like to know is what happens when Apple starts charging for this service and you have an emergency and want to use the service but are not paying for it. Are you going to be able to send a paid message as a one off or will you require an existing subscription? Will you die because you didn't pay for the sat subscription? If it works PAYG then who would buy the subscription? You can just use it when you need it...

 

[entropys]

Exactly. This seems like another rushed feature, just so that Apple can say there were first. As somebody else already pointed out, Starlink is already working to provide such feature to carriers which won’t be phone dependent.

Yes, but the only reason you know about the starlink T-Mobile plan (again would be US only as T-Mobile doesn’t operate anywhere else) is because Musk and T-Mobile wanted to spoil the apple announcement.
The starlink deals in my country are terrestrial internet only outside landline service reach. starlink is an improvement on the current internet service satellites, but there are massive regulatory hurdles to allow phone service (which as satellite would still be bad) or expand even broadband into towns.

That said, the whole sat comms scene is ripe for disruption. My iridium brick phone is the same design and manufacture that hasn’t changed in more than 20 years, and really works best on a sunny day on grassland savannah. Cloudy conditions or tree canopy forget it. And the bandwidth is woeful anyway. I am not sure Global Star was the best option for Apple. Maybe Musk would not cede sufficient control to Apple.

 

[entropys]

What I really like to know is what happens when Apple starts charging for this service and you have an emergency and want to use the service but are not paying for it. Are you going to be able to send a paid message as a one off or will you require an existing subscription? Will you die because you didn't pay for the sat subscription? If it works PAYG then who would buy the subscription? You can just use it when you need it...

I doubt apple has worked out the charging bit. Currently you pay a monthly fee to emergency beacon providers that frankly would work better than a mobile phone. They are, after all, built for that specific purpose. If apple said it was free, cross subsidised by its other revenue sources those existing sat emergency businesses would suffer, and competition authorities would not like that. Saying it is free for two years keeps those authorities off its back while it works it all out.

 

[Turribeach]

I doubt apple has worked out the charging bit. Currently you pay a monthly fee to emergency beacon providers that frankly would work better than a mobile phone. They are, after all, built for that specific purpose. If apple said it was free, cross subsidised by its other revenue sources those existing sat emergency businesses would suffer, and competition authorities would not like that. Saying it is free for two years keeps those authorities off its back while it works it all out.

Yeah I get that but there is a difference here. You buy an emergency beacon just for that purpose and you know you have to pay a subscription to use it. An iPhone is something most people have for a different purpose and something very likely to have on them on an emergency where there is no signal. So if you don't have the subscription you could die for not being able to use it. And if you can use it in a PAYG model who will pay for the subscription?

 

[LV426]

Long term, I can see Apple bunging a fair number of satellites into orbit themselves. If anyone has the cash to do it, it'a Apple.

 

[Mattrg]

It will be interesting to see after a couple years whether Apple does charge for a safety feature. Seems like if someone gets lost somewhere out in a remote area and had a satellite capable iPhone but didn’t pay for the subscription and something happens to that person….would It be considered unethical on apples part?

Apple just needs to buy Garmin and be done with it.

 

[cics]

I hope their plan is somewhat different compared to Apple News+ or Apple Card... waiting since ages

 

[Abazigal]

Exactly. This seems like another rushed feature, just so that Apple can say there were first. As somebody else already pointed out, Starlink is already working to provide such feature to carriers which won’t be phone dependent.

As with so many things that Elon Musk claims that they are working on, I will believe it when I see it.

 

[_Spinn_]

This is good news.

 

[lxngtnguy]

It will be interesting to see after a couple years whether Apple does charge for a safety feature. Seems like if someone gets lost somewhere out in a remote area and had a satellite capable iPhone but didn’t pay for the subscription and something happens to that person….would It be considered unethical on apples part?

Ask Onstar or other vehicle telematics companies, you crash without a subscription they know it but don’t send emergency services.

 

[Alan Wynn]

Good news. This sort of feature is completely pointless if restricted to only one country.

Why? Most people, even those who go out of LTE coverage, do not travel to other countries. Having it work everywhere would be better, just as having it work without having to point it, but it is a great first step.

 

[headwerkn]

I suspect Apple is intentionally rolling out this service slowly in order to learn and deal with any problems that might come up, while still being manageable over a smaller chunk of the world.
<snip>

This. The service being limited solely to North America at launch has nothing to do with the technology, and everything to do with the effort required in setting up the interface and protocols with emergency/rescue services in each country - so the "I'm here, help me please!" message actually goes to the right organisation who can effect an actual rescue.

That's going to be a different process in each country, so no surprises Apple are starting off with their home market to begin with. It did take SPOT and Delorne/Garmin a little while to get their networks fully sorted.

I don't be ditching my InReach and AU$40p/m subscription, and I doubt any serious bushwalkers/adventurers will, but it's good functionality for occasional hikers who can't/won't buy or hire a PLB to have with them, just in case. Let alone car breakdowns or other emergencies outside of cell reception.

 

[CarAnalogy]

MacRumors should also reach out to Apple to find out how much emergency satellite messaging is going to cost when the 2 year free trial period expires. Inquiring minds want to know...

I don’t think even Apple knows yet. Very likely they will see how this first two years go, and how contract negotiations with the satellite companies work out.

Between this and no SIM slot, I’m definitely waiting at least a year to see how this all shakes out. Do not feel like being an early adopter this time.

 

[w5jck]

If you travel in very remote places, you are going to be much better off if you select a dedicated satellite emergency beacon device with long battery life. As buggy as Apple stuff is these days, and considering they are new to this, I would go with a company that has been building these devices for a decade or more. Besides, that $1200 iPhone will be totally dead in a few days unless you packed a lot of battery backup.

Just because Apple claims they are being innovative doesn’t mean anything. Trust your life to a proven device, not to a hopefully it will work device.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

And I have a hard time believing that non-subscribers will be stuck unable to use the feature built-in to the phone they are holding. Apple will figure out a way to charge, such as my aforementioned pay-per-incident fee (or on-demand subscription activation).

I don’t know, how does it work for other like services? If I carry my Garmin or whatever out onto the ocean but I haven’t paid the fee, can it be activated on the fly? I keep reading people talking about other emergency devices and they all seem to write about activating them prior to their trip. I’d guess this will be the same way. It’s not like the device will have enough bandwidth to handle an Apple Pay transaction.

 

[svish]

Would be really nice to see it available in more countries.

 

[DerDoJo]

I don’t think even Apple knows yet. Very likely they will see how this first two years go, and how contract negotiations with the satellite companies work out.

I believe that it will become Part of Apple One…together with an price increase for the Service

 

[addamas]

Expanding Fitness+ would be easier but not done for ages…

 

[CarAnalogy]

I believe that it will become Part of Apple One…together with an price increase for the Service

Probably a new higher tier AND a price increase.

 

[bLackjackj]

The *only* way it works with how this is designed is if Apple is prepared to do emergency dispatch in the countries it's planning on operating in.

It won't be Apple,..it will simply be a Globalstar designated team for Apple. ie. Apple will simply pay to outsource the function.

 

[filmbuff]

Globalstar doesn't even have a global network. Right now the only satellite provider with and actually global network is Iridium, but that's not what Apple is using. So this feature was never going to be very useful outside of the lower 48 and Europe.