Updating an iPhone to iOS 18 could help Florida residents communicate with friends and family through satellite messaging during Hurricane Milton if cellular service and Wi-Fi connection problems arise.
The iOS update is downloadable for the iPhone 14 and later versions. To use the satellite messaging feature, the phone needs to be outside with a clear view of the sky and horizon. Both Apple messages and SMS messages are available through satellite, and location services remain accessible through the Find My app.
The satellite messaging has already proved to be a lifeline for residents caught in the destruction of Hurricane Helene. One iPhone user, Matt Van Swol, posted on X that people in Asheville, North Carolina, have been able to get messages to friends and family because of the feature.
It has been over a week since Hurricane Helene brought destruction to communities in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolinas. More than 200 people died in the wake of the storm.
Power outages, blown-over cell towers, and destroyed roads have caused communication problems for people across the southeastern United States.
One town hit particularly hard by a lack of cell service was Canton, North Carolina, whose residents’ ability to communicate was “crippled.”
“From the very start of this crisis, our ability to communicate with basic emergency services was crippled, and there is no excuse for this,” Mayor Zeb Smathers wrote in a statement on Sept. 28.
Apple’s iOS 16.1 also offers an Emergency SOS feature that allows users to contact emergency services via satellite, helping prevent isolation from rescue services. This, too, has proved vital to victims of Helene’s damage, allowing people to make lifesaving calls in the thick of cellular blackouts.
To install updates to an iPhone’s software, go to Settings > General > Software update.
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Satellite messaging is also featured on the Google Pixel 9 phone. To access it, go to Settings > Safety and Emergency > Satellite SOS > Try a demo.
The feature is limited to newer iPhones and the Google Pixel 9, so it is vital that all compatible phones update to the latest iOS software in preparation for Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday night.