Apple phones equipped with iOS 18’s satellite messaging are reportedly “saving lives” by allowing Hurricane Helene survivors to communicate with family and friends despite Wi-Fi and cellular service communication disruptions. The satellite messaging capability is also expected to play an important role for Florida residents as Hurricane Milton approaches.
According to the Washington Examiner, the iOS update that includes the satellite messaging feature is available for the iPhone 14 and newer phones. The satellite messaging feature requires phones to be outside with a clear view of both the sky and the horizon. The iPhone feature allows users to communicate through Apple messages and SMS messages.
Matt Van Swol, an iPhone user shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, emphasizing the importance of the satellite messaging feature for survivors of Hurricane Helene.
“I’ve never been more thankful to be an iPhone user,” Swol tweeted. “Due to the lack of cell service, EVERYONE in Asheville NC right now on iOS 18 has been able to get messages out and in with the Satellite messaging feature. This is literally saving lives @Apple.”
Swol also shared a video of an iPhone using the satellite messaging feature.
Over a week after Hurricane Helene first hit communities across Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, over 230 people have been confirmed dead, while hundreds more are still missing. Major power outages, damaged cell towers, and devastation to American infrastructure have created communication challenges all throughout the southeastern United States over the past week.
READ MORE: Video: ‘If you choose to stay…you’re gonna die’: Florida mayor warns over hurricane
In a recent post on Facebook, Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, North Carolina, commented on the communication difficulties experienced during Hurricane Helene. Smathers wrote, “I must also express my deep frustration and anger with the failures in cellular communication, particularly the inability to rely on services when we needed them most. From the very start of this crisis, our ability to communicate with basic emergency services was crippled, and there is no excuse for this.”
The Washington Examiner reported that Apple’s iOS 16.1 offers users an Emergency SOS feature that allows people to use satellite communication to contact emergency services. Just like the newer iOS feature, the outlet noted that the iOS 16.1 update has allowed individuals to make lifesaving calls despite cellular blackouts in the southeastern United States.
According to the Washington Examiner, satellite messaging is now also available on the Google Pixel 9 phone series.
