When COVID-19 hit, I dove into mountaineering, tenting, and backpacking since that was one factor you may do with out being round different folks. Now, being within the backcountry is one thing that I completely like to do, and I attempt to guarantee I do it at the least as soon as each couple of months.
One of the issues that enables me to really feel secure out there’s my Garmin inReach, Garmin’s tiny satellite communicator that not solely lets me alert emergency providers if I discovered myself in a foul scenario but additionally lets me textual content my household and buddies to remain in contact.
While the inReach has been a supply of consolation, it’s additionally come with a value. Not solely is the inReach itself tons of of {dollars}, however the messaging, monitoring, and SOS options come with a subscription of at the least $15 per 30 days relying on what number of messages, and many others you could use.
While I can message my household and buddies, the person expertise can be not nice. It requires the Garmin Earthmate app which, whereas useful, is definitely previous and in want of an replace. I additionally generally run into points utilizing somebody’s telephone quantity and have as a substitute needed to resort to emailing folks to make sure our messages get to one another.
Enter iOS 18 and Messages via satellite
I’ve been hoping that Apple would finally construct out its personal know-how that might render my inReach ineffective, and it seems that’s precisely what Apple is doing.
The firm already launched Emergency SOS via satellite some time in the past which lets you use your iPhone to message emergency providers if you end up with no Wi-Fi or mobile connection. The characteristic additionally tracks your location and pings your emergency contacts, all by way of a connection with a satellite. It’s mainly the identical factor you get with Garmin’s SOS characteristic.
While that was nice, I nonetheless wanted the inReach to message my family and friends so as to keep in touch and allow them to know I wasn’t eaten by a bear. I’ve been ready for Apple to launch comparable messaging capabilities for the iPhone and, with iOS 18, it’s lastly right here. At WWDC 2024, the corporate introduced Messages via satellite.
Not solely will the characteristic allow you to message your loved ones and buddies, however you’ll additionally be capable to do it immediately by way of the Messages app by way of your current conversations reasonably than by way of a separate app just like the Garmin Earthmate app. You’ll be capable to use some iMessage options like emoji and Tapbacks and, after all, your entire iMessages can be end-to-end encrypted.
If the individual you’re messaging doesn’t use an iPhone, you’ll nonetheless be capable to ship messages over SMS. They simply received’t get these privateness protections or extra options like iMessage has.
iOS 18 introduces Messages via satellite for the instances when mobile and Wi-Fi connections aren’t accessible. Powered by the identical groundbreaking know-how as current iPhone satellite capabilities, Messages via satellite mechanically prompts customers to connect with their nearest satellite proper from the Messages app to ship and obtain texts, emoji, and Tapbacks over iMessage and SMS.3 With Dynamic Island, customers all the time know when they’re related to a satellite. Because iMessage was constructed to guard person privateness, iMessages despatched via satellite are end-to-end encrypted.
This messaging expertise is a large improve in contrast to what’s presently provided by way of Garmin. With each SOS and messaging options, I can’t see a motive to proceed to make use of the Garmin inReach anymore besides as redundancy in case my iPhone exploded. Being that I additionally solely go backpacking and tenting with buddies who even have satellite communicators, I don’t assume I’ll want the redundancy.
We’ll should see what Apple costs for Messages via satellite. The firm has but to cost for Emergency SOS via Satellite but it surely appears to plan to, despite the fact that we don’t know what the worth can be simply but. With messaging on the horizon, nonetheless, I think about that pricing may lastly make itself identified.
Just do not forget that, as a consequence of requiring the {hardware} to help the satellite options, Messages via satellite will solely be supported on the iPhone 14 or newer. As lengthy because the service isn’t greater than $15 per 30 days (really, I’d most likely tolerate somewhat greater than that as a result of higher characteristic set), I believe I’ll be dumping my inReach and heading into the backcountry with simply my iPhone sooner or later. What a world!
