
For years, venturing into areas without cellular service meant relying on specialized satellite communication devices. Now, smartphones are rapidly evolving into capable emergency communicators, bridging the gap between convenience and reliable off-grid connectivity. Thanks to advancements in technology and partnerships between smartphone manufacturers and satellite providers, features that were once considered niche are becoming increasingly mainstream.
Apple and Google have been at the forefront of integrating satellite communication capabilities directly into their smartphones.
Apple introduced Emergency SOS via satellite with the iPhone 14. This groundbreaking feature allows users to contact emergency services when no cellular or Wi-Fi signal is available. The service has since become standard on newer iPhones. Apple has expanded its satellite offerings to include:
These features are available for free on iPhone 14 or newer models running iOS 18 or later.
Google has taken a similar approach with the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. The Satellite SOS feature, powered by Skylo, allows users to contact emergency responders and trusted contacts from anywhere with a clear view of the sky. Similar to Apple, Google has integrated its satellite feature into Google Messages, enabling users to send texts even when offline. It also offers location-sharing tools and a streamlined setup for pre-selecting emergency contacts.
Benefits of Device-Specific Services:
Shortcomings of Device-Specific Services:
Wireless carriers are also entering the satellite communication space, offering broader compatibility and richer capabilities.
T-Mobile has launched T-Satellite, a satellite text messaging service powered by SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. This service is available even to Verizon and AT&T users with compatible phones equipped with eSIMs, as a separate service on top of their existing wireless plans.
Verizon has launched a similar service, free for current subscribers who own an iPhone 14 running iOS 18, Google Pixel 9 series owners, and Samsung Galaxy S25 owners. This service is powered by Skylo, the same satellite provider powering Google’s Pixel-exclusive satellite emergency messaging services.
These carrier satellite services allow users to send and receive text messages in areas without cell service. Some services, like T-Mobile’s T-Satellite, also support sending pictures on select Android devices. Verizon and AT&T have also announced plans to build additional satellite connectivity options, such as voice communication and video calls over satellite.
Benefits of Carrier Satellite Communication Services:
Shortcomings of Carrier Satellite Communication Services:
Despite the advancements in smartphone satellite capabilities, dedicated satellite communicators like Garmin’s inReach series remain the gold standard for backcountry communication.
Benefits of Dedicated Backcountry Communicators:
Shortcomings of Dedicated Backcountry Communicators:
Key Features of Dedicated Backcountry Communicators:
Modern iPhones may be the most versatile satellite messaging devices available to consumers today, not because they are the toughest, but because they are the most connected.
Modern iPhones support:
This means a single iPhone can theoretically tap into three distinct satellite networks: Globalstar, Starlink, and Skylo. No other civilian satellite communicator offers this level of remote network diversity.
While Iridium, the network behind Garmin’s inReach devices, has decades of proven global performance, having access to multiple satellite systems offers redundancy and increased reliability. In that sense, the iPhone isn’t just catching up, it may be playing a different, and arguably smarter, game.