Can I Summon Emergency Help on My Smartphone or Smartwatch When There’s No Wi-Fi or Cellular?

Satellite tech might bail you out of a jam, but you need a compatible device and a clear view of the sky

Edward C. Baig,

AARP

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Published October 21, 2025

a gif of a person holding a smartphone with no service and an sos text bubble expanding

AARP (Getty Images, 2)

AARP members and readers are invited to submit pressing technology questions they’d like me to tackle in my Tech Guru column, including issues around devices, security, social media and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. This week, I’m addressing a question about how to get help when you find yourself somewhere without network connectivity.

We’re planning a family vacation that will have us driving through remote areas and spending time on secluded hiking trails. I’m not sure if we’ll have cellular coverage, let alone Wi-Fi, so I worry about what could happen if we get lost, experience a medical emergency or our car breaks down. I don’t want to purchase any extra or elaborate equipment, but friends have told me some mainstream smartphones and smartwatches can connect via satellite, perhaps even something I already have.

Your friends are mostly correct. Some newish and premium smartphones, as well as a few smartwatches, have satellite capabilities that let you message emergency responders for help and notify loved ones when you’re off the grid. The feature may be especially helpful for travelers like you who enjoy outdoor activities, and it can be a potential lifesaver in the event of a natural disaster or when connectivity is lost.

Pretty much every modern smartphone has GPS, or global positioning system, satellite receivers that can pinpoint your whereabouts and help you with driving directions and other location-based features. However, it’s not the same as communications satellites that allow you to dispatch messages back and forth with an emergency responder in the absence of Wi-Fi and cellular, though capable phones can leverage both.

Smartphones with emergency satellite capabilities

iPhone. All of Apple’s iPhones, starting with 2022’s iPhone 14 models, can connect to low-orbiting satellites hundreds of miles away. That means not only is your location shared but you can also request roadside assistance, emergency services and send ordinary texts via the Messages app on your phone. Satellite features are provided in partnership with Globalstar. Availability varies by country or region.

Moreover, the Crash Detection feature, which can summon help if your phone detects a severe car crash and you’re unresponsive, can also work if no other network is available.

Try a demo. You can get a good sense of how this works ahead of your trip without tying up the emergency responders who are attempting to help people in a real crisis.

Swipe down from the upper right corner of the screen to surface Control Center and tap the Satellite button. If you don’t immediately see it, tap the folder that contains all your other connection options. Next, tap Satellite Connection Demo and attempt to connect.

For an alternate way to test things out, go to Settings | Emergency SOS and under Emergency SOS via Satellite, tap Try Demo.

As with the real thing, the demo only works outdoors. You’ll need an unobstructed view of the sky and horizon, which becomes extra challenging in caverns, mountainous areas, dense foliage or, in the case of my tests in Manhattan, tall office buildings. (To be sure, the Big Apple is not a typical environment where you’d need to take advantage of satellite features.)

During my tests, the iPhone temporarily shut off cellular service, and the screen displayed instructions on how to best orient the phone: “Poor connection. Turn right to stay connected to Satellite,” for example.

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So-so visibility may also impact connection speeds, and Apple says that even with a clear view it can still take 30 seconds to send a message.

As part of the demo, you can experience the type of conversation you might have in a real-life emergency. You may be asked to fill out an emergency questionnaire and indicate whether you’re lost or trapped. You can also describe location details as best you can: “East Canyon Highway, near mile marker 43.”

Android. Emergency satellite capabilities are available on Google’s Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series smartphones, including the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and on Verizon versions of the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Flip7 models. Verizon’s SOS messaging via satellite is powered by Skylo.

If you dial 911 on Pixel and there’s no Wi-Fi or cellular service, a Satellite SOS icon appears. After tapping it, you’ll see a series of onscreen questions concerning your predicament: Are you in a vehicle or vessel, lost or trapped, the victim of a crime, or is anyone sick or injured? You can also request to notify your emergency contacts.

As with Apple, the feature may not be available in all locations and under every circumstance, and you can try a demo.

During my own Pixel 9 Pro XL test, on-screen prompts directed me on how to hold and position the phone, along the lines of “Keep phone steady,” “Tilt down your phone to center the satellite” and “Be sure top edges are unblocked as the phone tries to connect.”

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Free for some, at a cost for others. Some cellular carriers may include off-the-grid satellite data as part of your mobile plan.

Apple originally indicated that its satellite feature would be free for iPhone 14 and 15 customers for two years, but the company recently extended the trial period for those older phones by a year. The cost of the feature is also covered for a period on newer devices.

Pixel customers can access the satellite feature for free for two years.

Meantime, texting through T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service in collaboration with Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink division is included for free under some of the carrier’s most expensive data plans, or $10 per month per line as an add-on to cheaper plans. You can use it when cellular or Wi-Fi is unavailable for apps such as AccuWeather, AllTrails, Google Maps, WhatsApp and X.

For $10 per month, non-T-Mobile customers can also sign up for T-Satellite, provided they have a compatible phone and an eSIM, and are not locked into a rival phone carrier.

Select iPhones, Google Pixels, Motorola G and Samsung Galaxy phones are compatible with T-Mobile’s service.

For its part, AT&T is still testing its own satellite service in collaboration with AST SpaceMobile.

Get emergency help on your smartwatch, too

If you lack a network connection and don’t have a satellite-capable smartphone, or your phone is out of power or got busted in an accident, you may be able to contact emergency providers from your wrist. A few of the latest premium smartwatches also let you dispatch SOS messages via satellite, notably the Apple Watch Ultra 3, LTE versions of the Google Pixel Watch 4 and Garmin’s Fenix 8 Pro. While the satellite capabilities on the Apple and Google watches are included at no extra cost, you will need to subscribe to Garmin’s inReach plan, starting at $8 per month, for interactive SOS and two-way messaging through what’s known as the Iridium satellite network.

Bonus tip: Loved ones can help you recover your Google Account if you’re locked out

If your Google Account has been compromised or you forgot your password, you may now be able to verify your identity via a loved one to recover that account. Google has just introduced a feature that will let you designate trusted family or friends as Recovery Contacts who can help you more quickly restore your status if other standard account recovery methods fail.

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Edward C. Baig covers technology and other consumer topics. He previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies. Follow him on LinkedIn; Threads; and X, formerly known as Twitter.