In iOS 16.1 the demo of the satellite connection for iPhone 14. As you have probably read in our pages, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro can communicate with the emergency services via satellite; although this function will indicatively not be available until November, Apple seems to be preparing to release it with iOS 16.1 also including a demo of the satellite connection with which you can try it without actually disturbing the emergency services.
Jelly scrolling effect on some Apple Watch Ultra
It was discovered by analyzing the internal files of the beta 3 of iOS 16.1 recently released to developers: in this version, Apple has added several features – which have yet to be enabled – related to satellite communication for the new phones.
At this point it is unclear whether the satellite SOS option will be available with iOS 16.1, since the update should be released in October while Apple talks about availability for satellite functions starting in November.
The new beta 3 as we said also reveals something that had never been mentioned before, the demo function, which will allow people to see how the system works without having to go to a remote area without WiFi and cellular signal. According to when it emerges from the version code, this demo should work more or less like the satellite emergency function and will serve to educate people on its hypothetical use in a real emergency situation.
When activated, it will be possible to access the demo from the Settings app within the SOS Emergency panel. Clearly, once the iPhone has connected to the satellite, it will not call the emergency services, thus avoiding blocking the lines just for fun or curiosity.
For those who do not own a new iPhone from the 14 line, iOS 16.1 enables the battery percentage indication in the status bar for multiple iPhone models, such as iPhone 11 and iPhone 13 mini. Other new features include support for the Matter protocol and the option to delete the Wallet app.