Apple is extending free access to its satellite features for an additional year for existing iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 users who activated their devices in a country that supports Apple’s satellite features prior to midnight Pacific Time on September 9, the company said in the press release for the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
This is at least the third time Apple has extended free access for iPhone 14 users: the satellite trial was originally set to run for two years from the phone’s launch in November 2022 before Apple pushed the expiration date back in 2025 and again this year. Free access for iPhone 15 users, whose trial was set to expire this year, has similarly been extended, and iPhone 16 owners are now covered by the same rolling extension for the first time.
What the satellite access extension covers
Apple’s satellite features include Emergency SOS via satellite, Messages via satellite, Find My via satellite, and Roadside Assistance via satellite, with availability varying by country. The features rely on Apple’s satellite partner Globalstar and let users reach emergency services, share their location, or send messages when they have no cellular or Wi-Fi signal.
Apple has not confirmed what, if anything, it plans to charge for the features once free access eventually ends. For now, the practical effect is that iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 owners who activated their devices before the cutoff can keep using the features at no cost for at least another year.
