Apple's emergency SMS service for iPhone 14 goes live in the US and Canada

Apple boss Tim Cook with the new iPhone 14. Apple is rolling out its satellite-based emergency SMS feature to owners of the latest iPhone generation. — Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa

BERLIN: Your phone can be a lifesaver if you get into trouble on a mountain hike – but only if you have signal. For emergencies in places where there is poor reception, Apple is now rolling out a new satellite SMS service for iPhone 14 owners.

Going live on Tuesday in the US and Canada, the feature lets you point your iPhone 14 towards a satellite to send an emergency message even if there's no signal in your area. Germany, France, the UK and Ireland will get the feature by the end of December, Apple says.