Although you probably won’t use the largest new feature on the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, and 14 Pro every day, you’ll be happy to have it if you do. In areas where there is no cellular coverage, consumers can use the new phones’ built-in satellite link to transmit emergency SOS messages.

Your iPhone will first assist you in positioning your phone so that you may receive the greatest signal. Once connected, you can use an interface for sending messages to contact emergency assistance providers. The function contains several automatic questions that it invites you to answer, such as “is anyone hurt?” Apple claims that due to satellite communication limitations, it will take significantly longer to send messages than you’re used to. You can tap the pre-populated answers to respond to it. In order to send messages a little bit faster, Apple is also shrinking them to a third of their original size.

According to Apple, once the message is transmitted to the satellite, it is then forwarded to emergency response centres. If the emergency response centres are only equipped to handle voice calls, the message will first be sent to a response centre, which will then contact emergency response. All iPhone 14 and 14 Pro devices will come with this capability for two years at no additional cost; the cost of the feature beyond that is unknown. This capability might be quite helpful in a tight location for folks who are regularly away from cellular signals, possibly the same people who are considering an Apple Watch Ultra.