Good news for users iPhone 14. Apple announced extension of the period of free use of Emergency SOSsatellite communication service for those who have any of the models of the smartphone line presented in 2022.
Specifically, Apple will expand the free use of Emergency SOS on iPhone 14. for one more year. Let us remind you that, in principle, this function could be used free of charge for two years from the moment of activation of the mobile phone.
This means that, for example, those who bought the iPhone 14, 14 Plus or 14 Pro/Pro Max immediately after their release will be able to use Emergency SOS without spending a dollar or euro until 2025, when the initial period will expire before the end of 2024 . As a reminder, this option was activated in North America and parts of Europe in November 2022.
I repeat, this is just an example. The fine print of Apple’s announcement mentions that the extension of the Emergency SOS free trial will be limited to iPhone 14s that have been activated in a country where the service is already available. until November 15, 12:00 pm PT..
This means that if you bought and activated an iPhone 14 in any of its variants in Spain yesterday, you will be able to use Emergency SOS without paying until November 14, 2026. If you bought a smartphone today or planned to do so in the coming days, you will be stuck for two years from the date of the initial announcement.
Why Apple is extending the free use of Emergency SOS on iPhone 14
Apple did not provide an exact explanation for the reason for this decision regarding the satellite connection. However, there are already suggestions that this could be because the residents of Cupertino They have not yet determined how much Emergency SOS will cost. as soon as the free period ends. Or at least they haven’t informed the public yet.
By offering another year of free use of the iPhone 14, Apple will have additional time to finalize the final details of its commercial strategy. As we said, with this extension, those who purchased 2022 models when they first went on sale will end their trial period. almost simultaneously with the first users of the iPhone 15. By then, Apple will likely have fully finalized pricing. And it wouldn’t be strange if he announced them during the presentation of the iPhone 16.
Since its activation, Emergency SOS has already been successfully used several times. In December 2022, there was the first case of a person saving his life thanks to this feature while stranded and without insurance in Alaska. Meanwhile, a family was saved from the devastating Maui fires earlier this year thanks to an iPhone 14’s satellite connection.
A very important bet
Apple is betting big on this utility. Let us remember that at the end of last year, residents of Cupertino invested some funds. $450 million in several satellite communications companies. Received the greatest benefit Globalstarwhich will develop and deploy new satellites for Tim Cook, and will enable them to use 85% of their current and future network.
A few days ago, Emergency SOS witnessed the downfall of Snapdragon Satellite, which was apparently its main competitor in bringing a similar feature to Android phones. Qualcomm has decided to terminate the contract with Iridium, due to lack of interest from smartphone manufacturers in integrating this technology. Currently, MediaTek is moving forward to include a similar option in its hardware in phones.
Source: Hiper Textual
I’m Ben Stock, a highly experienced and passionate journalist with a career in the news industry spanning more than 10 years. I specialize in writing content for websites, including researching and interviewing sources to produce engaging articles. My current role is as an author at Gadget Onus, where I mainly cover the mobile section.
