Apple is keeping its satellite safety features free for another year on the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. The extension covers handsets activated before September 9, MacRumors reports.
The company slipped the news into the press release for its new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. For iPhone 14 owners this is at least the third extension. The free trial for that generation was meant to run two years from the phones’ launch in November 2022. Apple pushed the end date back in 2025, and has now done it again.
Free access for the iPhone 15, due to expire this year, has been extended as well. iPhone 16 owners are getting an extension for the first time.
Apple’s satellite toolkit covers Emergency SOS, emergency messages, Find My and roadside assistance, and availability varies by country. Everything runs over satellites operated by Globalstar, Apple’s satellite partner. The features let users reach emergency services, share their location or send a message where there is no cellular signal or Wi-Fi. In early September a Huawei phone owner in Nepal reached a rescue helicopter that way after a landslide.
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The company is still working on the technology. In February Apple filed a patent application for a protective case with a phased-array antenna, meant to improve satellite reception on the iPhone and iPad.
Apple has not said whether it will start charging once the free period ends. For now, iPhone 14, 15 and 16 owners keep the satellite features at no cost for at least another year.
