You Can Send Texts via Satellite in iOS 18 - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

You Can Send Texts via Satellite in iOS 18

by

With iOS 18, Apple is expanding the Emergency SOS via satellite feature to introduce Messages via satellite, a feature that will let you send texts even when you don't have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

messages via satellite
Available on the iPhone 14 or later, you can send and receive iMessages or SMS messages using a satellite connection. The feature works with all iMessage features such as emoji and Tapbacks, plus with iMessage, conversations are end-to-end encrypted.

Messages via satellite will work on the iPhone 14 and later, aka the same devices that support Emergency SOS via satellite. Apple did not specify whether there will be a cost for Messages via satellite, but Emergency SOS via satellite is still free for all iPhone 14 users for a total of three years.

Apple has said it eventually plans to charge for satellite services, but no pricing has been unveiled. The iPhone 15 models also came with two free years of satellite access.

Popular Stories

iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Thursday July 2, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
If you pay for certain iCloud+ storage plans beyond the 5GB that Apple offers for free, you will receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. A summary of the two new iCloud+ perks on iOS 27:Increased daily usage limits for some new Apple Intelligence features, including image generation in the revamped Image Playground app. HomeKit Secure Video cameras receive generated video...
Read Full Article • 50 comments
American Express Gold Apple Pay Feature

American Express Announces New Apple Pay Feature

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:27 am PDT by
American Express today announced that you can now redeem Membership Rewards points when checking out with Apple Pay on the web and in apps on the iPhone and iPad. When checking out with Apple Pay on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, tap on your eligible American Express card (Platinum, Gold, Green, and others) and select the Membership Rewards points option. You can use points to cover all or...
Read Full Article • 15 comments
series 10 apple watch titanium digital crown

Report: Apple Watch Redesign Coming Next Year With New Band System

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:45 am PDT by
A "major overhaul" of the Apple Watch's design is due to arrive next year with a new system for connecting bands, according to a known Weibo leaker. In a set of recent posts, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" linked the new claim to older rumors about an "Apple Watch X" model, which was said to introduce a fresh design and break compatibility with the existing watch band system. Citing...
Read Full Article • 188 comments

Top Rated Comments

S
segers909
27 months ago
This was the single most exciting announcement at WWDC for me.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
alexandr
27 months ago
This is awesome! This will make me feel a lot better about hiking in serviceless places.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
K
KENPHOTO
27 months ago

This was a good surprise to hear from the event. I was considering getting a Garmin Sat device for camping and hiking, but I'll hold off until I hear more about this.
I have an iPhone 15 Pro and I just bought a Garmin Inreach Mini 2 last week. I purposely went somewhere to test it to see how it compared to the emergency SOS satellite on the iPhone. I found a really bad flaw in the Apple Satellite feature. Where I was, my iPhone said I had one bar of signal, but the signal was so weak, I was not able to make any calls or send any iMessages/SMS. I tried to send my location via satellite (to test the satellite without actually setting off an emergency) and the iPhone said that satellite was not available because I had cellular signal (even thought the cellular signal was too weak to use). The Garmin worked with no issue. Worth the money for me for the Garmin, but the Apple satellite is good to have as a back up solution, I would not rely on it. Had that been a real emergency I would have been screwed if not for the Garmin.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
loopy123
27 months ago

Finally.. calling when?
Also isn’t t-mobile going to enable that for many more phones eventually as well?
That just isn't possible without support for satellite technology built into the phone itself.

Apples announcement is a game changer - I would guess Garmin stock just dropped as it instantly makes a lot of Garmin devices irrelevant.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macusercom Avatar
Macusercom
27 months ago
Smart move: introduce a feature for free, make it even more useful and then charge for it. Satellite communication is very expensive so of course Apple won't just eat the cost.

I can even see then getting you make an emergency SMS and charge you afterwards
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
dubiousgif
27 months ago

I’m sure there’s been situations this year where people haven’t been able to contact emergency services via their phones because they failed to pay their cellular phone bill. I don’t think there’s been any impact to those companies. :)
Calling emergency services works even without an active phone plan (at least in the US).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments