Few of the reports last summer had claimed that the iPhone 13 might be getting support for satellite connectivity. However, that, unfortunately, has not happened, as the iPhone 13 models only support the regular types of wireless connections as virtually every other mobile device, them being: Cellular (4G/5G), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, along with UWB. However, the satellite rumor has managed to resurface again, it now claims that the iPhone 14 might support the connectivity standard.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has penned a report regarding the 2022 Apple Watch features earlier this week. In the report, the insider mentioned the possibility of satellite connectivity, in turn referencing Apple’s plans for the Apple wearable:
Gurman has not elaborated on the iPhone 14’s rumored satellite functionality. However, he was one of the two insiders who mentioned the iPhone 13’s satellite connectivity features last year. He made similar claims at the time regarding the iPhone’s supposed satellite emergency communications features.
How satellite connectivity support might work on the yet-to-be-released iPhone 14?
As per that report, the company has been working to bring satellite connectivity to the iPhone for a few years now. The feature, in spite of that, may not be as exciting as it sounds. The feature would be used in emergencies only, rather than allowing users to call as well as text other people over satellite instead of cellular lines.
Apple has been working on two types of features for the iPhone, one of them is called Emergency Message via Satellite. It is an excellent idea for improving the emergency services on the iPhone. Users would gain the ability to text emergency services for help over satellite when the users are out of cellular service.
The other feature would let the iPhone users report major emergencies over satellite instances, in situations where a regular cellular connection might not be available. Gurman’s quote from the Apple Watch story also points to the same functionality.
It is still unclear whether these satellite communications features will be available on to be launched this year iPhone 14. The feature would likely need specific hardware. However, the requirement of specific hardware would mean not all iOS devices that have the ability to run the upcoming iOS 16 operating system would get support for the rumored satellite texting.
Gurman has been accurate with his previous reports on unreleased Apple products, however, that is not enough evidence to confirm that the to-be-released iPhone 14 series would support satellite connectivity. The company may always change its mind regarding its decisions, or it could just decide to enable the functionality much later. If a question pops up in your head saying why would Apple hold back enabling a new feature, read this article to find out why.
If you liked this article (or if it helped at all), leave a comment below or share it with friends, so they can also know iPhone 14 could finally be introducing the rumored satellite connectivity, which was also rumored to be in the 13 series.
