that’s it, satellite connection is available in France
Apple announced the availability of its Emergency SOS service in France, Germany, Ireland and the UK. Starting today, every iPhone 14 user can communicate via satellite with emergency services, without the need for a cellular network.
One of the main features of the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is finally available in France: Emergency SOS with satellite connection. Apple has confirmed the arrival of this service in France last month. We also know that support for this service will be available in other countries in 2023.
Emergency SOS: notify emergency services without the need for a mobile network
The first function available is Emergency SOS: it allows iPhone 14 users to send a message to emergency services without the need for Wi-Fi or a cellular network. It works with Medical ID and emergency contacts. Apple has hired a person who acts as a liaison between users and emergency services. They should contact them to provide them with your position and medical information (which is included in the Medical ID).
A laudable initiative praised by Gary Machado, CEO of the European Association of Emergency Numbers, who stated in an Apple press release: ” In practice, this means more people will be able to call 112 when they don’t have cellular coverage and need urgent help. We are confident that this will save many lives and provide significant assistance to the emergency services assigned to these often very complex rescues. »
The satellite emergency services contact can be activated without having to call 112.” pressing and holding the power and volume buttons, or pressing the power button five times quickly “: be careful when handling your iPhone. Otherwise, we can open the iPhone interface, which invites us to fill out a questionnaire with a few clicks. This was forwarded to the emergency services. Let’s send it quickly” an intuitive interface tells users where to point their iPhone to connect and send the initial message to access the nearest satellite. This information may also be sent with registered emergency contacts.
This satellite, however, has low bandwidth and located more than a thousand kilometers from Earth, so messages, even short ones, can take several minutes to transmit “, stated Apple in its press release. In order to get the fastest possible speed (without installing a bulky antenna on the iPhone), Apple engineers designed a special hardware element, tuned the frequency used and ” text compression algorithm that reduces the average message size to three “. Under favorable conditions, it can take 15 seconds to send or receive a message.
Satellite connection demo that anyone can try
Apple also says that any iPhone 14 user can test Emergency SOS to test their smartphone’s satellite connection. Luckily, this didn’t call emergency services, only to ” get acquainted with » with the interface, to be the fastest in an emergency.
Note that you need at least iOS 16.1 to use Emergency SOS and Find My. The service is free for two years for anyone who has purchased an iPhone 14. Due to the trial period ending in December 2024, Apple has yet to communicate pricing for a future subscription.
Find My by satellite: to notify your loved ones
Apple’s Find My app also has a new function, which allows you to use a satellite connection to send your GPS position to your loved ones, from a pre-configured list. Something to convince them to hike or travel.
In the press release, the brand also specifies how to do it: users “ need to enter the app, go to the My tab, swipe to My Satellite Location, then select Send My Location “.
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