During the iPhone 15 launch event in Cupertino, Apple announce It’s adding satellite roadside assistance to the iPhone in partnership with AAA. Purchasing and activating a new iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 will include two years of free Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance. The Services they connect you to are covered under the AAA Membership Terms or are available on a pay-per-use basis to non-AAA Members.
The roadside assistance service – available in the US only – is an extension of the satellite emergency SOS feature that launched with the iPhone 14 last year. If you have car trouble, you can text AAA to get help with your emergency, like your car locking out, running out of gas, or a flat tire (you know, for those times when you don’t need to call 911 but still need to help). The service works by tapping Apple emergency text message option via satellite When you don’t have cell coverage or Wi-Fi.
If you find yourself in trouble with no service, you can contact AAA via satellite after answering a few questions to pick up important details, AAA said in press release. “Users will receive clear instructions on how to stay connected to the satellite, so they can correspond with a AAA agent and receive important information about the status of their application,” the organization said.
This may be necessary if you get a flat tire or dead battery in a remote area. When you call, a screen will appear with these questions, then send the necessary information via satellite to AAA so they can send someone to your location. One caveat is that the satellite feature requires a clear line of sight to the sky, so it may not work if you get stuck in a heavily wooded forest or in the bowels of some parking garage. Additionally, AAA notes that you will need to be near the road to receive service because they do not offer off-road vehicle recovery service.
Apple didn’t announce how much Emergency SOS would cost after the first two years — the first devices to include it were only a year old.
Update: Tuesday, September 12, 6:30 p.m.: More details about the service from AAA have been added.
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