Connect with us

Tech

Apple Expands Free Offer For iPhone And Apple Watch Ultra 3 Users

Published

on


Updated Oct. 12 with more details of the offer and where Emergency SOS via satellite is available.

Apple introduced Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone in 2022. At the time, it was revolutionary, though other services, such as T-Mobile’s T-Satellite, have added to the range of options. Now, Apple has announced the latest expansion to this option. And it’s worth remembering that Apple, which has never charged for this service, recently announced that the earliest users, iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users, have now been granted an extra year of free access.

Later this year, for users in Mexico, Apple will add Emergency SOS via satellite to its services. Right now, Find My via satellite and Messages via satellite are available in the country, but not Emergency SOS.

ForbesiOS 26.1: The Next iPhone Update Is About To Fix A Key Usability Feature

This will mean that all iPhone users with iPhone 14 and later, right up to the newly-released iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air, will have access to this service, for free. The same will also apply to users with Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Apple gave a statement to 9to5Mac, saying: “Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra allows users to text emergency services and notify emergency contacts even when they do not have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.”

“Since it launched with iPhone 14 in 2022, it has contributed to many lives saved. We’re excited to announce the feature will become available later this year to users in Mexico with iPhone 14 or later — including the newly announced iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max — and Apple Watch Ultra 3, building on the existing Messages via satellite and Find My via satellite capabilities for these devices,” it went on.

It works when you’re out of regular cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. To use the service, it’s necessary to point the iPhone or Watch Ultra 3 towards the sky. You need to have direct line of sight for the sky and software on the phone or watch will guide you as to where to point the device. The watch, by the way, can be held at normal wrist height, so you can see the display easily enough.

In contrast, T-Satellite offers connectivity to the satellite even when the phone is in your pocket and it connects to Starlink rather than Apple’s chosen partner, Globalstar.

It’s thought that other carriers are likely to introduce more satellite services, not provided by Globalstar in the near future.

For now, though, there are countries which offer extra services on iPhone. For example, Road Assistance via satellite is available in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

Only three countries offer Messages via satellite: Mexico (as mentioned above), the U.S. and Canada.

Then there’s the big list, those countries with Find My available via satellite. This consists of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

Finally, the list of countries with Emergency SOS via satellite is identical to the one above, save for Mexico, which will arrive later in 2025.

ForbesApple iOS 26.0.1 New iPhone Software: Should You Upgrade?



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech

15 New Apple iPhone 17 And iPhone 17 Pro Cases To Protect Your Phone

Published

on


Now that the latest iPhones are out, you may want a case to go with it. After all, although the price increases predicted didn’t properly materialize, the iPhone is a valuable piece of kit.

Before you ask, last year’s cases don’t fit, and anyway, do you really want a year-old case on your brand-new phone?

Here are a dozen of the newest releases, and they come in varying styles, from wraparound wallets to high-protection sleeves. Choose from leather, Apple’s new TechWoven or a transparent case to show off the colorful phone within. Unless otherwise stated, all cases here are available for iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Look out for whether the case has an open section where the Camera Control sits, or a cover that still allows the pressure-sensitive and capacitive control to work.

The deals highlighted in this post were independently selected by the Contributor and do not contain affiliate links.


Smooth Leather Case

Nomad Modern Leather Case with Horween Leather

$75 from nomadgoods.com

Camera Control: Cover

California-based Nomad makes a wide range of products, including iPhone cases and a just-released Apple Watch Band. Horween leather is one of the options for the back cover of the Modern Leather case, though other leather options are also available, and are $20 cheaper.

Horween leather, especially, gains a unique patina the more it is used. The case is strong enough to survive an eight-foot drop, the company says. The bumpers are 2.2mm thick and they rise above the display at the corners for further protection. The edges have a concave finish, designed for extra grip.


Slim Protection

Pitaka Aramid ProGuard Case

$59.99 from ipitaka.com

Camera Control: Cover

Protection on the Pitaka cases partly comes from cushioning on the rear corners and partly from what’s described as aerospace-grade aramid fiber. The back is textured, to add extra grip.

Unlike some cases which have dealt with the complex needs of the Camera Control capacitive button, Pitaka has developed a cover that’s slim but responsive when you press or slide your finger on it.


Fashion-Forward Protection

Beats Rugged MagSafe Case

$79 from beatsbydre.com

Camera Control: Cover

Beats, the other brand that Apple owns, has a case that doesn’t look rugged. Rugged usually means bulky but the choice of colors, such as Sierra orange makes this case more style-focused. If orange is too much for you, Everest black and rocky blue will suit quieter tastes.

There’s a big lip over the edge of the display designed to keep it safe. The bottom half of the case, including the back and edges, is rougher to make it stay in your hand, while the top half is completely smooth.


Transparent Protection

Mous Clarity MagSafe

$69.99 from mous.co



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Is The Mystery iPhone Update Nearly Here?

Published

on


More than a week ago, the news was clear: the next iPhone update (the content of which remains a mystery) would be iOS 26.0.2 and would land in the week beginning Oct. 20. But it’s nowhere to be seen. What’s happening, you might ask.

It’s not that there were no Apple software updates last week. Anyone who bought the new iPad Pro, which went on sale on Wednesday, Oct. 22 alongside the latest MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro, had to update to a new version of iPadOS. But that was iPadOS 26.0.1 and was a new build for the latest model only.

ForbesApple iPhone 16 Pro Prices Slashed Further In New Sale

The iOS 26.0.2 update (and presumably iPadOS 26.0.2 if needed) could have arrived on Thursday, Oct. 23 or Friday, Oct. 24 — several reports thought that was likely.

Since it didn’t, we’re now in different territory. The next big update, until the rumor of iOS 26.0.2 had reared its head, was thought to be iOS 26.1. That’s so far into beta that it’s thought the release candidate will be available on Monday, Oct. 27 or Tuesday, Oct 28, with the general release expected the week after.

There are two options, it seems. Either Apple will kill off iOS 26.0.2 before it sees the light of day and instead go straight to iOS 26.1 on or around Monday, Nov. 3, or iOS 26.0.2 will appear first.

Which really only leaves Monday, Oct. 27 or Tuesday, Oct. 28 as likely days for release.

It’s not known exactly what will be in iOS 26.0.2, though it’s thought to address bugs and flaws, not launch new features which will be part of iOS 26.1.

So the fate of iOS 26.0.2 may rest on how urgent those fixes are and which handsets they affect.

My guess is that we will almost certainly see iOS 26.0.2 on Tuesday, Oct. 28, a day after the release candidate for iOS 26.1. I’d further guess that the fixes will mostly affect the iPhone 17 series or iPhone Air rather than all models.

If there’s no sign of it then, it looks like iOS 26.1 will be the next update, likely on Monday, Nov. 3. Look at it this way, there will probably be a new iPhone update in the next eight days at most.

I’ll update this post as soon as there’s more news, so please check back.

ForbesApple iPhone 18 Could See Major Change To Free Satellite Features, Report Says



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

X Issues November 10 ‘Account Will Be Locked’ Twitter Security Warning

Published

on


Given the continuing popularity of Elon Musk’s X social network, and the swathing staffing cuts made when the world’s richest man bought what used to be (and still is in my mind) Twitter, it doesn’t make the cybersecurity headlines as much as you might have thought. With PayPal users currently warned of ongoing attacks, ditto WordPress website owners, and even LastPass password manager customers, all being in the threat actor crosshairs, this is a good thing. However, X users have now been warned that unless they make a change to a legacy Twitter security setting, they will be locked out of their accounts from November 10. Here’s what you need to know.

ForbesAct Now — Microsoft Issues Emergency Windows Update As Attacks Begin

The X Safety Team Issues Clarification After Warning Of Twitter Account Lockouts

Whatever you call it, X or Twitter, the social network isn’t immune to security threats. This year alone, I have reported on outages caused by a claimed DDoS attack and a warning for 650 million X users not to change their passwords. Sometimes, though, the perceived security threat comes from inside the building. Such was the case after the X safety team tweeted on October 24: “After November 10, if you haven’t re-enrolled a security key, your account will be locked until you: re-enroll; choose a different 2FA method; or elect not to use 2FA.”

This, rather unsurprisingly if you ask me, created a wave of concern amongst both ordinary users and security experts on the social media platform. One asked whether not using 2FA meant their account would remain active; another asked whether there had been a security breach; and another asked whether this only impacted passkey users?

ForbesGmail Account Lockout Warning — Users Must Check This 1 Setting Now

The confusion sat with X warning that “all accounts that use a security key as their two-factor authentication method to re-enroll their key to continue accessing X,” and adding that users could “re-enroll your existing security key, or enroll a new one.” A typical example of someone who knows what they are talking about but not how to communicate that in such a way to people who do not. Translating tech-speak into ordinary language is an essential skill and one that the X safety team appears to have misplaced on this occasion.

What X should have said, and ended up being forced into actually saying a day later, was: “To clarify: this change is not related to any security concern, and only impacts Yubikeys and passkeys – not other 2FA methods (such as authenticator apps). Security keys enrolled as a 2FA method are currently tied to the twitter.com domain. Re-enrolling your security key will associate them with x.com, allowing us to retire the Twitter domain. If this relates to you, you’ll be prompted automatically to re-enroll.”

ForbesOrganizations Can’t Deploy Passwordless, Declare Victory And Walk Away





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending