Apple is slowly turning the iPhone into a fairly capable satellite communications device. It first rolled out Emergency SOS via Satellite on the iPhon

How Messages via Satellite will work on iOS 18 and how much it will cost

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2024-06-16 01:00:03

Apple is slowly turning the iPhone into a fairly capable satellite communications device. It first rolled out Emergency SOS via Satellite on the iPhone 14 lineup. While you were previously limited to relying on the spacecraft for communications only when dialing emergency services, in iOS 18 this capability will apply to all situations where you're away from cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. I got to check out the updated experience at Apple Park, here's how it will work with iMessage or SMS messages.

When you’ve been disconnected from cellular or Wi-Fi for some time, an alert will appear to say you’ll need to hop on satellite communications to send messages. Tapping this notification brings up the new connection assistant, which contains all your satellite-powered tools, like Find My, roadside assistance and emergency SOS.

You can start a chat from this page or just go to the Messages app, where a prompt will appear in the Dynamic Island to instruct you on how to find an overhead satellite. You can also go to the Satellite option in Settings or in the Control Center to get set up when cellular or Wi-Fi signals aren’t available.