Overcoming the Problem With Satellites

Satellites are fast-moving objects in the sky, unlike cell towers which remain in the same position (relatively speaking). Satellite communication on a portable scale doesn’t have a lot of bandwidth available. While satellite internet services exist, they require chunky antennas and a lot of power draw.

If you’ve ever made or received a call using a satellite phone, you’ll probably aware of this issue. Dropouts are common and audio quality is generally poor on account of the lack of bandwidth. Communication must be heavily compressed to the point of sometimes being inaudible.

Apple sought to solve both of these problems with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro “Emergency SOS via Satellite” feature. The company has stated that you must be outdoors to use the service, with a clear view of the sky. To make the process easier, your iPhone will show you which direction you’ll need to point it in to acquire and maintain a connection.

To overcome bandwidth limitations, Emergency SOS via Satellite is limited to text messaging. Apple developed a text compression algorithm to shrink text messages by three times compared to uncompressed data. A single text message can be delivered in less than 15 seconds under optimal conditions, but could take more than a minute under “light foliage.”

As a result of a text-only approach, Apple had to overcome another problem. Not all emergency receivers accept text messages; some are voice-only. To solve this problem, Apple designed infrastructure to route messages through “emergency relay centers with Apple-trained specialists who call for help on your behalf” which sounds like a manned version of Emergency SOS via Siri on the Apple Watch.

For Emergency Services and Friends

Before you connect to an emergency operator, your iPhone will ask you a few questions to ascertain what situation you’re in. Once you’ve connected to an emergency responder, your answers to those questions in addition to your location, Medical ID, and current battery level.

The idea is to transmit as much information as necessary to help emergency services locate you and render assistance. You’ll need to keep your iPhone pointed at a satellite to maintain a connection, and a notification should appear on-screen that lets you resume your conversation with operators if need be.

It’s not clear yet how power-intensive satellite communication is, but it’s likely to drain your battery much faster than making a call over the cellular network if GPS performance is anything to go by. Your iPhone uses GPS to get a location fix via satellite and has traditionally been a major source of battery drain.

Apple’s satellite solution isn’t only for communicating directly with emergency services but can also be used alongside the Find My service to let friends and family know where you are. Find My is Apple’s geolocation app designed for finding people, devices, and objects attached to AirTags.