Currently available in 16 countries: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
November 27, 2023 11.40
When Apple launched the iPhone 14 series, it introduced important new features: SAUCE emergency walking satellite. It comes with two years of free access, and Apple just made a surprising announcement: iPhone 14 users can have another year of free access.
A service that allows users to contact emergency services when there is no mobile connection was launched a year ago. This means that anyone who owns an iPhone 14 already has one year of free trial access remaining.
This has just been extended for another year, so as long as you had an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max that was activated before last week, you’ll have access for another two years. It is also available for all models in this series iPhone 15with a two-year free trial also available for the phone from activation.
It’s not available worldwide, but it is available in 16 countries, according to Apple: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
This means that if you don’t have a network connection and are having problems, you can try sending an SOS message via satellite. This is a very smart system. After all, satellites are invisible to the naked eye, so how can you target them?
Luckily, Apple thought about this, and as long as you’re outdoors with a view of a clear sky, Apple can use software and GPS information to guide you where you should shoot. Once you make contact, iPhone starts a text message conversation and shares your location with emergency services, in addition to notifying your emergency contacts of your whereabouts.
In the US, Apple is also introducing Satellite Roadside Assistance to “connect users with AAA if they experience car problems while outside cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.”
Outside of emergency situations, the Find My Location app can be used to share with friends and family when you’re out of range of your phone.
Apple claims that the service has helped save lives in its first year of operation, including “a man who was rescued after his car fell off a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles.”
Today’s announcement means anyone with an iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 will get free access to the service for around two years.
*With information from Forbes US
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