Very useful feature and is much needed in case of an emergency. Would like to see it in more countries.
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iPhone's Emergency SOS via Satellite Feature Helped Rescue Skiers Caught in Lake Tahoe Avalanche
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szw-mapple fan
macrumors 68040
They might start charging for the more advanced satellite features but I doubt they’ll ever do it for the SOS stuff. It’ll just be bad PR since they advertise so heavily on it.
There is no such thing as free.
This will be rolled into the price of airtime whether that be contract or PAYG. All that might happen is the price goes up.
Sandstorm
macrumors 6502a
Unless you live in or visit regions where these options are still unavailable (and it seems Apple is in no rush to enable them, because we are obviously not important to them). After all these years, Apple still doesn’t provide basic features like proper language tools for us - no proofreading, no UI in our languages. I’m fine with English, but many older people are not. And here I am, dreaming about advanced features like emergency support.
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
It's rolled into the price of the phone at purchase. Like someone else said, I think the SOS services will stay free, and work even without service. The satellite iMessage stuff might or might not.
Marzzz
macrumors 6502
About the movie Castaway the running joke was that the one package Tom Hanks didn’t open contained a solar-powered satellite phone…The only downside is that its going to ruin modern cabin in the woods horror type movies with a slasher and a bunch of teens with no cell phone reception
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Good point, on emergency features not limited to satellite. From vague memory...
- satellite, use the demo to make sure it's funtioning and you know how to use. But it's not a continuous link like cellular. Turn on if-when needed.
- Enable crash decection and fall detection. It works, though sometimes fall detection gives false postitives.
- Set up emergency contacts and medical ID in Health
- Our kids all can track our locations with Find My. Gven satellite is not for continuoius connection while hiking, they can get it if-when we stop and make a connection. Otherwise they can track last known location via cellular.
The manufacturers of emergency beacon type devices certainly wish Apple would.
I don't understand this. Why have an iPhone if you're not using it to phone or use cellular? I guess many use it only on Wi-Fi, so I do understand it. That said, it's not up to Apple to provide a free service, that's function of a functioning government.
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
We use iPhones all over the hospital, that I work at, on wi-fi only. They don't leave the facility and Vocera is used for all communication.
I7guy
macrumors Westmere
Replace Apple with garmin. I do not believe garmin is free. Or onstar, which has been noted is a subscription service.
The_Martini_Cat
macrumors 6502
I highly recommend the 1941 novel "Storm" by George R Stewart. Set in the dawn of modern meteorology, and before the advent of jet air travel, it is about a nascent storm in the Pacific that hits almost exactly the area where the avalanche occurred. This book is in your library for sure, you won't regret it. Meanwhile, skiers, I have seen an avalanche come swooping and crashing down a steep slope, then skiied over the snowy rubble below after it cemented into rock-hard ten-foot-tall snowy rubble, complete with fairly large tree-trunks sticking out of it. If you're going to ski in the back country, be sure to carry your satellite phone with helicopter attachment🍸🙀
It costs money to make this "happen". And it is very likely partially included in the cost of the device. So kind of like GPS. You pay for a device that can connect to those satellites that generally don't have ongoing costs. But the communication is different with text and or calls. Verses just knowing where you are located only. So I am "mixed" about not charging for this feature, vs it being standard for at least emergencies. Like would you take an out of service phone skiing? Probably not. So, why expect that the emergency services should still work, when you clearly didn't bring an inservice phone for at least cell service phone. At least, that's how I feel about it.
While at the same time. I think for emergencies, it should be free for that time. So there should be a service for continuous use/ability to call/text over Satellites. In those remote areas, whether or not your in an emergency. You just know you're going to a place where cell service is limited. You should pay for that.
While having it work for free in emergencies. Say you "find" a phone that supports SOS. Its not yours, but your in an emergency. If it can work, then yes it should and be free.
I7guy
macrumors Westmere
I think one has to be prepared, whatever that looks like to you. Garmin users have to pay for sat communications while apple gives away it’s sos.
In the unlikely event you are in an emergency situation without cell service and your current phone does not support sat-nav and you find a locked iphone - should you be allowed to make an emergency phone call?
If the answer is yes, I can image the ruckus that will ensue with iPhones separated from their owners.
Right now this service is free, and maybe not as robust as garmin, but it’s free. 911 in the US is regulated but sat comm isn’t. At some point it might become a subscription service like Garmin. I don’t hear a hue and cry to make garmins offerings for free.
Absolutely. Especially if one knows they will be doing something where cell service is limited or not available. If you do that a lot or enough. They should have a service.
This is why I'm "mixed" about it. If Apple had officially charged for this feature, whatever the cost. I don't think this conversation is had. I'm to the point where it seems like they will not charge for it, since it's something the telco's will offer. While ensuring that the phone can do it similarly to calling 911 in the US. Even if it's not your phone. At this point, the last thing Apple (or anyone) would want is scenario if say a child needed to make a 911/SAT call, but couldn't since the phone wasn't theirs. While the device was capable of it, and it could save a life.
True, and there is going to be a both sides to this situation. I don't know if this system has been abused as much as it has benefited. I want to believe it hasn't been abused, since we don't hear about that. And the benefits are life and death in many cases.
Maybe this was a bit of future proofing/forethought? I would have expected them to specifically charge for this feature by now. Rather than let it be. And they still showcase the benefits, of those lives saved. So, IMO they are going to make it a feature and label it for emergencies. And at some point encourage users pay for it via their telco service for those that would use it more regularly to make calls from areas that have no cell service.
Because satellite services use public resources, radio bands and orbits. And Onstar is required to support 911 without a service plan.
GPS might be, but certainly not comm satellites. No they aren’t! Get your facts straight. LOL
Yes, but it's never free. If they have to increase iPhone/iCloud prices to compensate for future SOS costs they will.
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
The price of the phone can't be controlled by the end user, but you don't have to subscribe iCloud. I don't.
My only point was that I don't expect it to ever be a reoccurring charge.
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But there will be only 1 phone (convenience of the plot), they all still split up, the one with the phone plays candy crush until its dead, and they still all decide to hang around the modern cabin to be targets (because no movie if they didn't).The only downside is that its going to ruin modern cabin in the woods horror type movies with a slasher and a bunch of teens with no cell phone reception
I get that. My point is, it doesn't need to be a recurring charge.
All Apple have to do is estimate, (this figure could I supose be way off), how much the service/hardware might cost them and spread that cost over X number of handsets.