Satellite Messaging Could Save Your Life

Escaping the modern world’s incessant pings may be one of the reasons you ride a gravel bike. You may even take a bit of pride in exceeding the range of your phone’s cellular coverage. And on most days, getting off the grid can be liberating.

Until it’s not. Like when you’re miles from home and you’ve suffered a mechanical or injury. Maybe it’s getting dark. That’s when you’ll want a digital lifeline.

Satellite phones and devices like Garmin’s InReach line have been around for years, but those carry extra costs, added weight, and are yet another battery to make sure is charged. Turns out there’s a proven alternative in the iPhone that’s probably already in your jersey pocket.

All iPhones 14 or later offer satellite technology that allows you to message friends, family, and emergency services when you don’t have regular service.

Connecting to the satellite network is a several-step process, but Apple’s software does a good job of walking you through it. Because the service only works when you’re not on cellular or WiFi, you can’t try it out until you’re actually out of range. Apple does, however, offer a demo mode that you can test from the comfort of your backyard. It’s well worth practicing this a few times before you really need it.

Officially, the service is free for two years after the activation of your iPhone, though Apple has already extended the service beyond that time frame for early adopters and has given no indication that it intends to start charging. Even so, it does have some important limitations that you should be aware of:

• Satellite messaging is not instantaneous. It can sometimes take 30 or more seconds for a message to be sent or received and you must stay connected to the satellite to receive replies (this is true of most satellite communicators).
• While you can send a satellite message to anyone, you can only receive messages from people listed in your iPhone’s emergency contacts or people you have messaged previously via satellite. Put another way, anyone you message via satellite can reply, but only emergency contacts or people you’ve already messaged via satellite can initiate a new conversation. This could be an important distinction if, for instance, a family member needed to reach you about an emergency at home. Here again, a bit of advanced planning regarding your contacts will serve you well.
• Your messages must be text only. No photos, videos, audio messages, or other attachments. You also can only message a single recipient at a time. No group chats.
• The service is not offered in every country. Check to see that country where you’ll be riding is listed in the link below.
• Messaging only. You can’t access the web or other Internet services, so don’t try to post the day’s KOM to Strava.

The latest instructions for Apple’s satellite messaging, as well as the full list of countries where the service is available, can be found here.