https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykarcz/2024/10/06/how-to-message-anyone-via-satellite-in-ios-18/
Please read more at the above link
With yet another hurricane bearing down on the U.S., this time it’s Milton that has the entire Florida peninsula in its sights, it’s a good time to remind everyone who’s upgraded to iOS 18, and has an iPhone 14 or newer, that even if cellular services go down, there’s still a way to contact your loved ones.
iOS 18 brought with it a whole new way of communicating with friends and family when you’re off-grid (or the grid has switched off). Even better, it’s no longer just for emergencies!
Messages via Satellite
Apple introduced satellite connectivity with Emergency SOS on iOS 16.1 for iPhone 14. They’ve since expanded the functionality of the feature to include texting. Why texts? Because there are plenty of situations where a call won’t go through, plus there are additional benefits to being able to send a text along with an emergency call.
When you have iOS 18 on your iPhone and you’re using Emergency SOS, iOS automatically sends your location and a transcript of the call to the emergency responder via Messages. That’s extremely helpful in situations where audio might be difficult to hear.
But Messages via satellite isn’t just for emergencies. When you’re off-grid, you can communicate with anyone via Messages, they’ll see you’re communicating via satellite and can respond back. Your emergency contact and members of your Family Sharing group can even send you texts before you text them and you’ll get them as soon as you connect via satellite.
What Do You Need?
While Messages via satellite is a free feature, you still need a few things to get started:
- iPhone 14 or later
- iOS 18
- Active SIM (i.e. your phone must be activated with a cellphone carrier)
A couple of caveats in addition to the above: you have to activate Messages before you anticipate needing the service. Messages requires your iCloud account to sign in and for that you need internet or cellular data. You also have to be in the U.S. or Canada. Satellite messaging only works in those areas for now.
How Do I Use It?
The first thing is that you must be in an area with no cellular or wifi connectivity. Then it’s as simple as opening the Messages app. You may even get a notification on your lock screen that you can send Messages via satellite as soon as iOS detects you’re out of cellular and WiFi range.
A bubble appears at the top of your Messages window where iOS walks you through the process. It’s as simple as finding a clear patch of sky and pointing your iPhone at it. You may have to move around a bit, pointing your phone at different spots before you find a good signal. iOS will help here, with arrows pointing in the direction you should try.