As you probably know, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro can communicate with emergency services via satellite. Although this feature won’t be available until November, Apple has been getting ready to release it with iOS 16.1 – which will also include a “Satellite Connection Demo” so that users can try out the satellite connection without actually calling emergency services.

Emergency SOS via Satellite

It’s unclear at this point whether Emergency SOS via Satellite will be available with iOS 16.1, as the update is expected to be released to the public in October, while Apple says that the satellite features will be made available in November. However, iOS 16.1 beta 3 also reveals something that hasn’t been mentioned before: a “Satellite Connection Demo” feature.

Satellite Connection Demo can be accessed at any time via the Emergency SOS menu within the Settings app once it becomes available. Users will need to be outside and have a clear view of the sky to find the satellite connection.

Of course, after the iPhone connects to the satellite, it won’t call emergency services when you’re using the demo feature. This is extremely important so that people don’t call these services just for fun or curiosity. It’s worth noting that Emergency SOS via Satellite sends a text message with the location of the device to emergency services or a relay center.

Try Satellite Connection Demo. Learn how to connect to a satellite in an emergency. You can always go to Settings > Emergency SOS to try the demo.

More about iOS 16.1

For those who don’t have an iPhone 14, iOS 16.1 enables battery percentage for more iPhone models such as iPhone 11 and iPhone 13 mini. Apple has tweaked the battery indicator so that it now has a dynamic icon when the percentage is enabled.

The update also adds a Clean Energy Charging option, Live Activities API, early support for the Matter protocol, and the option to delete the Wallet app. For iPad users, today’s beta of iPadOS 16.1 brings Stage Manager for older iPad Pro models with the A12X and A12Z chips.

Read also:

  • iOS 16.1 beta 1: Here are all of the new features and changes
  • iOS 16.1 beta 2: These are the new features and changes coming with the latest update
  • iOS 16.1 beta 3 now lets users switch between wallpaper sets in the Settings app