Support for satellite communications will also come to Apple Watch | Rumor

Not just iPhone. Satellite communications could also arrive on a future Apple Watch model.

Last year, several leakers started talking about the arrival of satellite communications on the iPhone 13.

Although the feature has not arrived on iPhone 2021 models, Apple could roll it out on the next iPhone 14. Thanks to satellite communications, users will be able to make calls and send messages in areas without 4G or 5G coverage.

However, Gurman says Apple could bring the aforementioned feature to another device, namely the Apple Watch. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, the reporter states that “the Apple Watch is bound to get that functionality too.” Furthermore, Gurman says the feature could arrive on Apple Watch as early as this year or, at the latest, in 2023.

Whether on iPhone or Apple Watch, the technology would provide an alternative to Garmin inReach Explorer and SPOT, portable satellite communicators with similar features.

There have been signs lately that Apple and its satellite partner Globalstar Inc. may be getting close to launching such a feature. In February, Globalstar said it reached an agreement to purchase 17 new satellites to help power “continuous satellite services” for an “potential” – and unnamed – customer who had paid for it hundreds of millions of dollars.

As rumours indicate that Apple could release three new Apple Watches this year – the regular model, a new SE, and an all-new Watch intended for extreme sports – it would make sense if the regular and rugged model got this feature.

Last year, Gurman himself claimed that satellite communication would not arrive on the iPhone 13, as the hardware was not yet ready for the new phone. Now, even if this feature launches this year, it will likely be limited to a few select markets. Here is what he wrote in August 2021:

“The emergency functions will only work in areas with no cellular coverage and only in select markets. Apple plans to roll out its own series of satellites to transmit data to devices, but it is likely that it will take years for that to happen. “