Stay Connected Off the Grid: How to Use Messages via Satellite in iOS 18

ByEmily Dolloff

If you own an iPhone 14, 15, or 16 and are in the US, Canada, or Mexico, you now have access to a feature that could make all the difference the next time you find yourself staring at the dreaded SOS icon in your status bar. With iOS 18, Apple introduced Messages via satellite, a technology that lets you send and receive text messages even when you’re completely out of range of cellular and Wi-Fi networks. While it’s not a substitute for your usual messaging habits, it’s a powerful tool for minor emergencies, remote travel, or moments when the infrastructure fails you.

Why Messages via Satellite Matters

Cellular coverage is nearly ubiquitous—until it isn’t. It’s all too easy to find yourself without a signal in rural areas, and increasingly frequent natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires can disrupt cell networks for days or even weeks. In those situations, the ability to communicate can range from a minor convenience to a literal lifesaver.

Apple’s satellite connectivity, first introduced with Emergency SOS and Find My features in iOS 16 and expanded to Roadside Assistance with iOS 17, has already proven its worth in real-world emergencies, most notably during the Maui wildfires. Now, with iOS 18 and a compatible iPhone, you can use Messages to let someone know you’re safe during a storm, get help from a friend if your bike gets a flat in a remote area, check in with family while hiking in rural regions, and stay in touch during large-scale network outages, all without a cell tower within range.

Who Can Use Messages via Satellite?

Messages via satellite is available on all iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models, and it currently works only in the US, Canada, and Mexico. The feature is included for free for two years after activating a supported device, and Apple has already extended this window once without indicating any plans to charge for the service.

Messages via satellite works best when both you and your recipient are running iOS 18 or later. However, SMS fallback is available for non-iPhone users and those on older iOS versions. If you haven’t messaged someone recently, you may be prompted to use SMS instead of iMessage. The best approach may be to send them a regular iMessage while you’re still online to “prime” the conversation for satellite use.

How to Access Messages via Satellite

Apple designed Messages via satellite for use only when you truly need it. You can’t just switch it on whenever you want—your iPhone will offer the option only when there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi connection available. When this happens, the SOS icon in your status bar indicates that Messages via satellite can be used. It may or may not have a satellite icon next to it.

To get started, open the Messages app. If you’re in SOS mode, you’ll see a prompt to enable satellite messaging. Alternatively, go to Settings, where a Satellite option will appear under Battery. Apple also provides a Satellite Connection demo (accessible from Control Center) so you can practice connecting your phone to a satellite even when you have connectivity. We recommend trying this demo at least once—don’t try Messages via satellite for the first time when you actually need it.

Screenshot

Once you’re ready to send a message, follow the on-screen instructions to point your iPhone at the sky. The phone will guide you to align with an available satellite, and you’ll see a green haze on the connection screen or a checkmark in the Dynamic Island when you’re connected. If you lose the connection, you’ll need to realign, as satellites move quickly across the sky. (Yes, you might look a bit eccentric waving your phone around in a field, but that’s a small price to pay for satellite connectivity.)

What You Can—and Can’t—Do

Messages via satellite has impressive capabilities, but it does come with some restrictions and quirks:

  • Text-only chats: You can send and receive text messages using iMessage or SMS. No photos, videos, audio messages, stickers, or other attachments are supported. However, emoji and tapbacks work.
  • Message length limits: iMessage conversations are restricted to 500 characters per message, while SMS messages are capped at 140 characters. If you go over these limits, the send button becomes disabled.
  • No group chats: Group conversations aren’t supported, even if everyone is using iMessage.
  • No location sharing in Messages: While you can’t send your location directly in a satellite message conversation, you can update your Find My location via satellite, which can then be viewed by those you’ve shared it with.
  • Slower delivery: Messages take longer to send and receive, anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds per message. You must stay connected to the satellite to receive replies.
  • Incoming message restrictions: Only emergency contacts and members of your Family Sharing group can initiate messages to you while you’re offline, and only via SMS. Their messages are delivered once you establish a connection to a satellite.
  • End-to-end encryption: iMessage conversations via satellite are end-to-end encrypted, but SMS messages are not.

Practical Tips for Using Messages via Satellite

To make the most of Messages via satellite when you need it, keep these tips in mind:

  • Practice connecting: Try Apple’s Satellite Connection demo before you need it. Familiarity with the process will save you time and stress in a real-world situation.
  • Update emergency contacts: Make sure your emergency contacts and Family Sharing members are current. They are the only people who can reach you first when you’re off the grid.
  • Prime important contacts: If you anticipate needing to reach someone while offline, send them a message while you still have coverage. This helps ensure the conversation is ready for satellite use.
  • Stay connected for replies: Keep your phone pointed at the satellite until you get a response. Dropping the connection will interrupt the flow of messages.
  • Don’t expect instantaneous service: Patience is key—sending and receiving messages via satellite is much slower than what you’re used to.

Messages via satellite is a significant step forward in making iPhones more useful in challenging situations. While we certainly hope you don’t need it every day, it’s a feature that’s good to have in your back pocket. The next time you see the SOS icon on your iPhone, don’t panic. Open Messages, follow the prompts, and stay connected when it matters most. It’s not magic, but it’s close enough for most practical purposes.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen)

Social Media: When storms knock out cell networks or hiking takes you off-grid, you can now text via satellite if you have an iPhone 14, 15, or 16 running iOS 18. Learn how Messages via satellite lets you stay connected when cell networks fail or aren’t available.

Similar Posts

  • Mississippi joined North Carolina and several other states that have passed laws that legalize discrimination against LGBT folks. Vermont banned non-essential government travel to those states and our Governor sent a letter to entice PayPal to move their 400 jobs to Vermont after they announced they were cancelling their expansion into NC. Good idea, because Vermont has always been a leader in banning discrimination from being the first state to make slavery illegal to the first to enact civil unions.

    It looks like a cold weekend in Vermont and I won’t bore you with the forecast down here in the Keys but I hope you have an awesome weekend!

    Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Emily, Hadley & Amy_

  • A Swinging Hot Spot in Paradise

    You are visiting Key West, accompanied by your trusty iPhone and MacBook Air. Suddenly there’s an emergency at work, and you need to get online with your Mac. You can pick up a cell signal with the iPhone, but there’s no Wi-Fi that isn’t locked up. Well, my first thought might be “oh well, I’m on vacation!” but you are dedicated and need to be online.

    Don’t worry! You can use your iPhone’s cellular data plan to create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot that lets your Mac access the Internet through your iPhone. Also called “tethering,” it’s fast, easy, and can be a life-saver when you just have to get online with a Mac or your Wi-Fi-only iPad. It supports up to 5 users, too, which means you can get your team online, too!

    Before we explain how to do set up a personal hotspot, note that most but not all cellular carriers allow tethering on existing plans. For some, you might have to pay more for tethering. Keep in mind that any data consumed by your Mac while tethered will count against your data allowance and may generate overage fees. Carriers with “unlimited” data, like T-Mobile and Sprint, generally throttle your bandwidth to slower speeds if you use too much data.

    Along those lines, if you use a file sharing service like Dropbox or Google Drive, or an Internet backup service like CrashPlan or Backblaze, turn them off before connecting. Particularly if they haven’t connected in a while, those services can transfer a lot of data quickly, which could result in a hefty overage charge or awkward data throttling for the rest of the month.

    With those warnings out of the way, follow these steps in iOS 9 to turn on Personal Hotspot:

    1. On your iPhone, if you’ve never enabled the feature before, go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot. Once you’ve turned Personal Hotspot on once, it moves up a level, so you can access it from Settings > Personal Hotspot.
    1. Tap on Wi-Fi Password and enter a password that’s at least 8 characters long and easy to type. It doesn’t need to be super secure because you can keep Personal Hotspot turned off unless you’re using it. But you do want a password so random people nearby can’t connect and use your data.
    1. Once you’ve entered a password, slide the Personal Hotspot switch.

    That’s it! The Personal Hotspot screen provides basic instructions for connecting to the iPhone via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB. Stick with Wi-Fi, since it’s the easiest and most reliable in most cases.

    • To connect to your new Personal Hot Spot on your Mac, click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar and choose your iPhone’s name.
    • On your iPad, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and choose your iPhone.
    • Enter your password when prompted, making sure to select Remember This Network. That way, you won’t even have to enter your password the next time.
    • The Mac or iPad then connects to your iPhone, showing a hotspot icon instead of the usual wave icon for the Wi-Fi menu.

    Could it get any simpler? When you’re done, the safest thing to do, to ensure you don’t accidentally end up using too much of your data allowance, is to turn off the Personal Hotspot switch in Settings > Personal Hotspot. Your Mac or iPad will automatically disconnect.

    Actually, it CAN be simpler! Your Mac can automatically use the personal hotspot on your iPhone to connect to the Internet when they’re within range of each other.

    Use Instant Hotspot on your iPhone (with iOS 8 or later) to provide internet access to your Mac computers and other iOS devices (with OS X Yosemite or iOS 8) that are in range and signed into iCloud using the same Apple ID. Instant Hotspot uses your iPhone — you don’t have to enter a password or even turn on Personal Hotspot.

    Make sure your iOS device and your Mac are signed into iCloud with the same Apple ID.

    On your Mac, click the Wi-Fi status icon in the menu bar, then choose your iPhone or iPad.

    After you connect to the iPhone or iPad Personal Hotspot, you can check the cellular signal strength and the battery status of the iPhone or iPad in the Wi-Fi status menu.

    When you’re not using using the hotspot, your devices automatically disconnect to save battery life.

    One more big advantage of Personal Hot Spots. When you are shopping for that new iPad, perhaps you don’t need the cellular model if you nearly always have your iPhone handy. That’s what I do. If I need internet access on my Wi-Fi iPad, I simply connect to my Hot Spot! Saves me the added cost of a cellular-enabled iPad and the monthly fees from the cell carrier!

  • Missed an Alert? Check Notification Center

    iOS, iPadOS, and macOS all let you specify whether any given app should show no notifications, temporary banners, or persistent alerts: look in…