Apple announced a host of new features for the iPhone during its WWDC conference. But for those who regularly go hiking, or for camping enthusiasts, the most important new feature was probably satellite messaging. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series models already allow SOS to be sent via satellite, in case of danger, to supported regions. But with the iOS 18 update, arriving this fall, Apple is expanding this to texting.
Thus, satellite communication on the iPhone is no longer reserved for emergency situations, since users will be able to use iMessage, or send SMS to just chat with their friends, when they do not have a data connection nor Wifi. After the keynote at the beginning of the week, an Apple manager gave an interview to our colleagues at Cnet to give a demonstration of this new functionality, and to say more about it.
A free feature, for the moment
In essence, when the user does not have access to mobile networks or Wi-Fi, the device will send a notification to suggest satellite connection. If he accepts, he will be able to send text messages on the iPhone’s messaging application. During use, the iPhone will tell the user how to orient their device to connect to a satellite. And it is possible that this orientation must be corrected when the satellite moves.
© Apple
As mentioned above, satellite messaging on the iPhone will allow you to send iMessage text messages, as well as SMS messages. The RCS protocol will however not be supported, because it would not yet be optimized for this type of communication, unlike SMS which is lighter. The functionality allows you to send text, but also emojis. And for now, using this feature will be free. On the other hand, the manager indicated that like SOS by satellites, text messages by satellites will be deployed gradually. The feature will only be available in the US initially, but it will roll out to other countries later.
In the meantime, the arrival of the stable version of iOS 18, those who use the beta version will already be able to test this functionality, provided they are in the United States.
By: Keleops AG
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