Updated Nov. 16 with more details of the satellite service that’s just arrived in Mexico.
Free Emergency SOS via satellite connection has now gone live in Mexico, Apple announced on Nov. 11. This means that iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra 3 users will be able to connect to Globalstar satellites when they are in an emergency situation.
Emergency SOS via satellite was introduced back in September 2022 when the iPhone 14 was released. It works with all iPhones from the iPhone 14 onwards and with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 released in September 2025.
To use it, you need to be outside of range of Wi-Fi and regular cellular connectivity, and to have direct line of sight to the sky. Software in the iPhone and Apple Watch can work out where the nearest satellites are and show you when and where to point your device to get satellite connection.
The iPhone 14 or newer needs to be running iOS 18.4 or later, while Apple Watch Ultra 3 needs watchOS 26, which comes pre-installed.
The number of countries where this service is available is growing, with Mexico the latest to have access to it. The country already had Satellite Messages and Satellite Find, two other features available on the same devices, but the Emergency SOS capability has been missing until now.
Satellite Messages, as users in Mexico will be already be aware, means it’s possible to send and receive text messages as well as emoji and Tapbacks when out of cellular range. Find Me via Satellite means that users can also share their location with friends and family.
“In a country as geographically diverse as Mexico, there are remote regions where traditional mobile coverage may be limited. Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra 3 offers a new and powerful way for people to contact public emergency services when other media are not available,” said Juan Antonio Suárez Sánchez, head of the National Information Center in a Newsroom post from Apple. “This technology can help emergency services locate and care for people in critical situations, when every second counts, and, with it, help the population when it is most needed. We are pleased to have worked with Apple to bring this important innovation to Mexico, and we are excited about the positive impact it will have on public safety across the country.” The Newsroom post is in Spanish, translated here by machine.
The service was originally available for two years from the activation of the relevant iPhone or Watch, however, more recently Apple extended the service for the oldest models to run until at least November 2026. That means the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 will have access to the service for free until then.
The iPhone 14, subsequent phones and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 have custom components built in which mean the devices can connect to a satellite without the need for a big antenna. Because satellites move fast and are more than 60 miles away, messages take a moment to transmit. So, an algorithm was devised to compress the text message size, speeding up the effect.
This is the experience that Mexican users can now expect, and there’s a demo in the iPhone to get used to this new feature. The demo connects to a satellite, but does not with emergency services. The same demo is available on Apple Watch Ultra 3.
