Apple has extended its emergency satellite SOS service for iPhone 14 users for an extra year, meaning those who purchased an iPhone 14 in 2022 get three years of free service, while existing iPhone 15 owners will get two years of service – and it’s something no Android smartphone maker can yet match.

In January of this year, Qualcomm, which makes the premium chips that go into Samsungs and other Android smartphones and tablets, and some Windows PCs, announced the Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite service, which was aimed at matching Apple’s Emergency Satellite SOS service, which launched in 2022 alongside iPhone 14 models.

Unfortunately, this was not taken up by any of the Android smartphone makers, presumably because of what it would have cost those companies, so Qualcomm has abandoned this service, although plans to ensure smartphones can communicate with satellites by text, voice and data have already been successfully done, with that tech to be rolled out sometime before the end of the decade.

Until then, Apple is the only smartphone company offering emergency SOS by satellite services, which enables users to text with emergency services while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage as long as they have line of sight to the sky – and in the last couple of weeks, Apple announced that iPhone 14 users would be getting an extra year of service, free of charge. Apple hasn’t announced what the service will cost in the future, but for now, it appears anyone who buys a new iPhone will automatically get two years of free service.

Originally launching in the US and Canada only, the service is now available in 16 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

Here’s Apple’s official video, the article continues below, please read on!

Kaiann Drance, Apple’s VP of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing said: “Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save lives around the world. From a man who was rescued after his car plummeted over a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles, to lost hikers found in the Apennine Mountains in Italy, we continue to hear stories of our customers being able to connect with emergency responders when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. We are so happy iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users can take advantage of this groundbreaking service for two more years for free.

iPhone 14 and 15 owners in the US also get access to Roadside Assistance via satellite to connect users to AAA if they have car trouble while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.

Other safety capabilities that can provide assistance when it matters most include:

  • Users can open the Find My app and share their location via satellite to reassure friends and family of their whereabouts while traveling off the grid.
  • Crash Detection can detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services if a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.
  • Check In allows users to automatically notify friends and family when they have made it to their destination safely.3
  • Users can set up their Medical ID in the Health app to help first responders access critical medical information from the Lock Screen without needing a passcode.