Apple Watch may use satellite to make SOS, Emergency features work better in future

Apple may be planning to bring satellite communication to its Apple Watch, which would allow users to send emergency texts without a cellular network.

Apple Watch is expected to get some radical improvements to its health monitoring over the next few years. While some of these features may be far away, a few could be earmarked to arrive later this year with the Apple Watch Series 8. But these may not be the only changes you can expect. According to a report, Apple may also be planning to bring satellite connectivity to the Apple Watch to make its SOS and emergency messaging features better.

Bloomberg has reported that Apple would eventually equip its flagship smartwatch with satellite connectivity — a feature that is rumoured to arrive on the iPhone as early as this year. Satellite communication is independent of a carrier or an internet service, which is why, as a result, it lets users make emergency calls or send SOS texts even when there is no network on the device. The device instead uses low-earth-orbit satellites to relay messages.

Apple is reportedly planning to introduce a feature called “Emergency Message Via Contacts,” which could allow users to send short text messages in areas where cellular connectivity is low to none. There may be the second part of this feature that would let users report a crisis, such as a plane or a car crash or an accident. This feature, reports suggest, is being designed in a way that could allow users to add crucial information, such as precise location and emergency contact numbers, to the alerts.

The Apple Watch comes with LTE connectivity, employing the use of an eSIM to facilitate cellular networks — much like the iPhone. Now, since Apple is already reportedly planning the satellite communication feature for the iPhone, it might as well develop it for the Apple Watch, which is capable of working independently. Think of a scenario where you left your iPhone at home but have your Apple Watch on. With satellite communication, you could be able to use the Apple Watch to send emergency alerts and report incidents even if your iPhone is not with you and cellular signals are weak.

The details on when satellite communication will come to the Apple Watch are scarce right now, but insiders believe that once the iPhone gets the same feature, it would not take Apple much time to implement it on the Apple Watch. It is also not clear what Apple Watch models would support this feature. Maybe the future Apple Watches support satellite communication, but it is also a possibility for the existing ones, at the same time.

This year’s Apple Watch may bring several health-related improvements, but the significant changes, such as blood pressure monitoring and blood sugar level detection, are likely to take time to arrive. Bloomberg said that while the blood pressure feature may have been planned for release in 2023, the blood sugar level monitoring may not be available before 2024.