4 ms·

How much would it cost if I buy a non-Apple device with (just) this feature? Is it even available? Or would I need a full-blown satellite phone?

gigatexal 4y ago
Seems to be iPhone only. I want to know how much it is after 2 years. Will it be part of Apple One?
- ChemSpider 4y ago
  Well, I found that satellite phone plans start around $50/month - so it should be less than that.
  - gigatexal 4y ago
    Honestly Apple should make the service free. It’s akin to making Airbags pay as you go; no just include them.
- bombcar 4y ago
  I suspect their plan is to introduce satellite calling by the time 2 years is up, but we'll see if the phone has the hardware for that already, or just the bare minimum for emergency texting.
hoppyhoppy2 4y ago
https://www.findmespot.com/ https://www.findmespot.com/ is a popular brand of satellite emergency beacons I know of (I've never used one, though). You don't need a full satellite phone
- ChemSpider 4y ago
  $11.95/MO - cool. I learned something new ;-)
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
bydo 4y ago
Garmin makes dedicated devices for this. They start at $350.[0] Plans start at $15/month.[1] [0]: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/outdoor-recreation/satellite-communicators/ https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/outdoor-recreation/satellite-... [1]: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/837461 https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/837461
- Jtsummers 4y ago
  I've also seen them discounted as low as $250 at REI. I plan to purchase one before my next cross country drive, a lot of places without cellular reception and many of those are sufficiently isolated I wouldn't want to have to wait for assistance to happen by.
- wrcwill 4y ago
  With garmin gps phones you can text any number, not just emergency services. Did anyone catch if this would be possible with the new iphone's emergency satellite plan?
  - Jtsummers 4y ago
    It is not, at least not in what they announced today. It's just for emergency services at this point. EDIT: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213426 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213426 Covers many of the particulars.
    - wrcwill 4y ago
      yeah, i had hope with the "open Messages" prompt on the satellite finder view, but then they didn't mention it unfortunately
xeromal 4y ago
I'd highly recommend the garmin inreach mini. I do a bit of hiking and traveling in remote places and it's a good peace of mind. It's dedicated to saving your life, the battery can last a lot longer than a cell phone, and it has texting if you need to reach out in a non-emergency. It costs about 50$ or so to register for the year and you just pay for a month when you need it. Well worth the secuirty. It also has a dedicated SOS button under a cap that you can press during an emergency. It will send your location to an international monitoring center that will dispatch someone local to your location for rescue. You can opt in for insurance that I believe covers an air lift. It also can double as a location tracker or rudimentary GPS if you need directions to civilization or lake.
- bombcar 4y ago
  Note that you can decide NOT to pay the "service fee" and they'll often still work, you'll just be hit with some pretty hefty fees for rescue, etc. You can also get a older ELT-style 121.5 MHz but I wouldn't really recommend it. Might be nice as a last-ditch.
  - gregoryl 4y ago
    A Garmin InReach does not work as an SOS device without an active subscription.
  - NickNameNick 4y ago
    The satellite monitoring for the old 121.5 beacons was turned off in 2009.
- groffee 4y ago
  I almost want to get stranded somewhere to try it out!
  - xeromal 4y ago
    I used it in remote Colorado while elk hunting to give my girlfriend updates on my safety and it worked perfectly.
abange 4y ago
If you're only looking for search and rescue, you can get a personal locator beacon for around $300 with no subscription fees. they last around 7 years before you'll want a new one in case of battery failure. They operate on the same NOAA systems that ships use to send SOS signals. I wear one a lot since I live alone in the woods without cell or internet service for several months out of the year.
virgulino 4y ago
You are looking for a PLB, a Personal Locator Beacon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_position-indicating_radiobeacon#Personal_Locator_Beacon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_position-indicating_... https://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/ https://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/ You buy it, you never pay anything else, it works all over the planet, in extreme conditions, you never need to charge its battery (good for 7+ years), and most importantly, it communicates with an exclusive satellite constellation dedicated to search and rescue, operated by national governments. Your emergency call is handled directly by local government agencies, the military in many parts of the world, who have a duty to respond to the emergency - in accordance with international treaties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Cospas-Sarsat_Programme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Cospas-Sarsat_Pr...
- tsol 4y ago
  So how does rescue work-- I assume you do have to pay the people who rescue you
  - virgulino 4y ago
    Undefined. But at zero cost in every case I know of, in a multitude of countries. Be it a simple policeman driving into the middle of the desert to help a cyclist, to a complex joint, multinational, civil-military operation in the middle of the ocean, with aircraft and the rerouting of container ships. https://www.acrartex.com/survivor-stories/ https://www.acrartex.com/survivor-stories/
    - sc11 4y ago
      This isn't true everywhere. E.g. in the alps you might be billed for rescue, particularly if you're not injured or in a medical emergency. That said, SAR insurance is cheap. Many alpinist associations and the likes offer it as part of their membership, which is often less than 100€/yr. There's no reason not to have it if you're going out into the mountains.
  - tjohns 4y ago
mastermojo 4y ago
I've been considering a Garmin InReach Mini, its roughly $350 for the device and roughly $300 for a satellite subscription for 2 years. This iPhone ... is quite compelling in the face of that.
- ghaff 4y ago
  Assuming you use case is to press an emergency button which shares your location with a dispatcher and nothing else which this seems to be for now. You apparently can’t text family to say you’re running late etc.
substation13 4y ago
Ultra racers usually hire a spot tracker for the duration of the event.

gigatexal 4y ago

Seems to be iPhone only. I want to know how much it is after 2 years. Will it be part of Apple One?

ChemSpider 4y ago
Well, I found that satellite phone plans start around $50/month - so it should be less than that.
- gigatexal 4y ago
  Honestly Apple should make the service free. It’s akin to making Airbags pay as you go; no just include them.
bombcar 4y ago
I suspect their plan is to introduce satellite calling by the time 2 years is up, but we'll see if the phone has the hardware for that already, or just the bare minimum for emergency texting.

hoppyhoppy2 4y ago

https://www.findmespot.com/ https://www.findmespot.com/ is a popular brand of satellite emergency beacons I know of (I've never used one, though). You don't need a full satellite phone

ChemSpider 4y ago
$11.95/MO - cool. I learned something new ;-)

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

bydo 4y ago

Garmin makes dedicated devices for this. They start at $350.[0] Plans start at $15/month.[1] [0]: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/outdoor-recreation/satellite-communicators/ https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/outdoor-recreation/satellite-... [1]: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/837461 https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/837461

Jtsummers 4y ago
I've also seen them discounted as low as $250 at REI. I plan to purchase one before my next cross country drive, a lot of places without cellular reception and many of those are sufficiently isolated I wouldn't want to have to wait for assistance to happen by.
wrcwill 4y ago
With garmin gps phones you can text any number, not just emergency services. Did anyone catch if this would be possible with the new iphone's emergency satellite plan?
- Jtsummers 4y ago
  It is not, at least not in what they announced today. It's just for emergency services at this point. EDIT: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213426 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213426 Covers many of the particulars.
  - wrcwill 4y ago
    yeah, i had hope with the "open Messages" prompt on the satellite finder view, but then they didn't mention it unfortunately

xeromal 4y ago

I'd highly recommend the garmin inreach mini. I do a bit of hiking and traveling in remote places and it's a good peace of mind. It's dedicated to saving your life, the battery can last a lot longer than a cell phone, and it has texting if you need to reach out in a non-emergency. It costs about 50$ or so to register for the year and you just pay for a month when you need it. Well worth the secuirty. It also has a dedicated SOS button under a cap that you can press during an emergency. It will send your location to an international monitoring center that will dispatch someone local to your location for rescue. You can opt in for insurance that I believe covers an air lift. It also can double as a location tracker or rudimentary GPS if you need directions to civilization or lake.

bombcar 4y ago
Note that you can decide NOT to pay the "service fee" and they'll often still work, you'll just be hit with some pretty hefty fees for rescue, etc. You can also get a older ELT-style 121.5 MHz but I wouldn't really recommend it. Might be nice as a last-ditch.
- gregoryl 4y ago
  A Garmin InReach does not work as an SOS device without an active subscription.
- NickNameNick 4y ago
  The satellite monitoring for the old 121.5 beacons was turned off in 2009.
groffee 4y ago
I almost want to get stranded somewhere to try it out!
- xeromal 4y ago
  I used it in remote Colorado while elk hunting to give my girlfriend updates on my safety and it worked perfectly.

abange 4y ago

If you're only looking for search and rescue, you can get a personal locator beacon for around $300 with no subscription fees. they last around 7 years before you'll want a new one in case of battery failure. They operate on the same NOAA systems that ships use to send SOS signals. I wear one a lot since I live alone in the woods without cell or internet service for several months out of the year.

virgulino 4y ago

You are looking for a PLB, a Personal Locator Beacon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_position-indicating_radiobeacon#Personal_Locator_Beacon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_position-indicating_... https://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/ https://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/ You buy it, you never pay anything else, it works all over the planet, in extreme conditions, you never need to charge its battery (good for 7+ years), and most importantly, it communicates with an exclusive satellite constellation dedicated to search and rescue, operated by national governments. Your emergency call is handled directly by local government agencies, the military in many parts of the world, who have a duty to respond to the emergency - in accordance with international treaties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Cospas-Sarsat_Programme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Cospas-Sarsat_Pr...

tsol 4y ago
So how does rescue work-- I assume you do have to pay the people who rescue you
- virgulino 4y ago
  Undefined. But at zero cost in every case I know of, in a multitude of countries. Be it a simple policeman driving into the middle of the desert to help a cyclist, to a complex joint, multinational, civil-military operation in the middle of the ocean, with aircraft and the rerouting of container ships. https://www.acrartex.com/survivor-stories/ https://www.acrartex.com/survivor-stories/
  - sc11 4y ago
    This isn't true everywhere. E.g. in the alps you might be billed for rescue, particularly if you're not injured or in a medical emergency. That said, SAR insurance is cheap. Many alpinist associations and the likes offer it as part of their membership, which is often less than 100€/yr. There's no reason not to have it if you're going out into the mountains.
- tjohns 4y ago

mastermojo 4y ago

I've been considering a Garmin InReach Mini, its roughly $350 for the device and roughly $300 for a satellite subscription for 2 years. This iPhone ... is quite compelling in the face of that.

ghaff 4y ago
Assuming you use case is to press an emergency button which shares your location with a dispatcher and nothing else which this seems to be for now. You apparently can’t text family to say you’re running late etc.

substation13 4y ago

Ultra racers usually hire a spot tracker for the duration of the event.