iPhone users in Japan can now use Apple’s emergency SOS feature via satellite
Apple rolled out the iOS 17.6 update to eligible iPhone models on Monday. The company previewed its upcoming iOS 18 update at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 on June 10, and the latest iOS 17 update doesn’t bring any groundbreaking new features to iPhone. However, one major feature that could potentially save users’ lives in emergency situations — Emergency SOS via Satellite — has been expanded to one more country.
Japan gets emergency SOS via satellite function
Company say that eligible iPhone users in Japan can now access the Satellite Emergency SOS feature after updating to iOS 17.6. The latest update allows them to contact emergency services via satellite communications, even in locations without cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity.
The feature was first introduced in November 2022 in the US and Canada. In the following months, it was expanded to a few other regions. At the time, Apple announced that Emergency SOS via Satellite would be offered free of charge to users for a period of two years. However, the iPhone maker extended the period for another year, making it free to use until at least 2025.
Emergency SOS via satellite Availability
Apple says the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature is now available in the following regions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. It is only compatible with iPhone 14 and later models.
In addition to expanding the satellite-based communications feature, the iOS 17.6 update also brings bug fixes for known issues. According to Apple’s release notesit fixes issues related to the AVFoundation Capture subsystem and MarketplaceKit – options that are only accessible to developers.
iOS 17.6 update is now available to download on iPhone
Gadgets 360 staff was able to verify the arrival of the update on the iPhone, but the Emergency SOS via satellite feature is not available in India.
In addition to iOS 17.6, Apple also rolled out iPadOS 17.6, tvOS 17.6, watchOS 10.6, and visionOS 1.3 updates to its devices. At the same time, it also introduced the iOS 18.1 Developer Beta 1 update, which brought features of Apple Intelligence — its suite of artificial intelligence (AI) services — to the iPhone.
