One of the more compelling additions to the company's latest devices is the Emergency SOS feature on the Apple Watch. It's a way for users to get help when they need it. When the service launches in November, it will be in the US and Canada. According to a report from Mac Prime, the company will support more regions sooner than anticipated.
The exact regions where it will be are not known. MacPrime was told by Apple that the satellite capability will be available in additional countries this year. 9to5Mac also reported on the news, but it was based on a translation of MacPrime's article. More countries will get the Emergency SOS feature in the future.
If you have clear access to the sky, you can get in touch with an OnStar-like authorized worker no matter where you are in the world. The Emergency SOS feature relies on satellites high up in space to send a message to one of Apple's data centers, where an attendant will be waiting to help. Since it relies on specific hardware to connect to satellites, the feature is only available on the Apple Watch Series 8, second-gen Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra.
There is a support page for the EmergencySOS ability on the Apple website. There is a caveat that the feature may not work above a certain latitude. How much infrastructure is needed to launch an emergency broadcast network is something that comes to mind. The ability won't be available until November of 2022. We don't know how much Apple's satellite service will cost, but the first two years of service for new users will be free.
I don't know what will happen when it supports satellite connections. The ability was subtly announced by Hiroshi Lockheimer on his verified account. It's crazy to think about user experiences for phones that can connect to satellites. We are excited to support our partners in enabling all of this in the next version of Android.
The message came through shortly after T-Mobile announced that it would be partnering with Space Exploration Technologies to increase the availability of its messaging services. The carrier has a target date in mind for its service.
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