Apple’s free message via satellite works like iMessage

CUPERTINO, Calif. – It’s no secret that emergency SOS via satellite has been a big success for Apple. Since its launch in late 2022, there have been countless reports of people being able to use satellite connectivity to call for help. So it’s no surprise that iOS 18 expands this feature and also offers satellite text messaging services.

The best part of Emergency SOS via Satellite is that it is completely free so far. Apple originally offered the service for a single year, then expanded it to two years once those 12 months were almost up. We wondered if the Satellite Message would be the same, and it appears so.

According to CNET, Satellite messages will be a free feature “at least for now”. Apple didn’t elaborate on this, but it suggests that, like satellite Emergency SOS, the service might not be free forever. However, since we still don’t know how much Satellite Emergency SOS will cost, or when users might be asked to pay for the service, we can’t guess how things might change for its text messaging counterpart.

However, the good news is that the message via satellite will not require any specialized hardware. Apple confirmed to CNET that it will be rolled out as a software update, although it will be limited to phones that already have satellite connectivity. That means the iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and likely the upcoming iPhone 16.

Although the system uses satellites rather than traditional cellular signals, it is very similar to the classic iMessage system and includes both Tapback reactions and emoji support. The limits haven’t been specified, although I suspect Apple won’t let you clog up the bandwidth with anything bigger than that, like video and image files.

The bottom line here is that this isn’t an emergency feature and you can text friends and family like you normally would. Which means you can stay connected with people in areas where you would otherwise be alone. Anyone using iMessage will also be able to send you messages normally, but text messages, which are also supported, will be limited.

According to Apple, emergency contacts you’ve already set up can freely send you text messages. However, no one else will be able to contact you via satellite unless you initiate the conversation first. However, RCS Messaging will not be supported when it launches on iOS 18. This is simply because it has not been optimized to account for the smaller transfer limits of Satellite Messaging.

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