Apple’s satellite messaging service was a key feature of the iPhone 14. Initially limited to providing an emergency service for those outside cellular coverage areas, it was subsequently extended to offer roadside assistance cover for mechanical problems and messaging with family and friends too.
Although initially described as free for the first two years only, Apple subsequently extended free coverage – and has just done so again …
As Macworld notes, here are the latest free periods:
iPhone 14/15: September 2022 to September 2026
iPhone 16/16e: February 2027 to September 2028
iPhone 17/17 Pro: September 2027 to September 2028
iPhone Air: Up to September 2027 to September 2028
Apple Watch Ultra 3: September 2027 to September 2028
Two years ago, I agreed with John Gruber that the company would have a massive problem if it ever decided to start charging for the emergency SOS service.
We can all imagine the headlines if a family of hikers were injured and died in the wilderness, only to later transpire that they tried and failed to use the Emergency SOS via Satellite service because their free subscription had expired. Apple has to find a way to keep it free.
I outlined two possibilities I could see. The first is Apple continuing to eat the cost forever, treating it as a PR and marketing expense in return for a great deal of excellent publicity.
The second is to offer some paid tiers along the lines of those available from Garmin, and to use those to subsidize a free emergency tier.
For free, you get just the SOS service: you can call for help when you need it. This is subsidized by a series of paid subscriptions, similar to the Garmin ones outlined here. The company might also choose to include a better-than-free tier within Apple One. There are plenty of possibilities here. However Apple does it, I’d put money on the base service remaining free forever.
As to why Apple hasn’t yet done this, Gruber’s theory was that the company was still in the process of assessing the costs involved. Given the complex negotiations and emerging competition in this area, I do think it’s conceivable that the eventual annual costs still aren’t entirely clear. If we wanted to be ultra-cynical, it’s even possible Apple is still working on putting a dollar value on the publicity these rescues generate – though I wouldn’t personally go that far.
As I said previously, the one thing Apple absolutely cannot do is to promise that it’s free forever and then to go back on that deal, so a more cautious approach of announcing repeated extensions is the safer course here. The fact that Apple is continuing to do this reinforces my view that the goal is to ensure that the emergency service remains free forever.
Do you agree or disagree? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Photo: Brandon McDonald/Unsplash