How to send satellite texts on newer iPhones if your cell service is knocked out during Hurricane Milton

Your phone should detect if you don’t have cell service.

Apple

Hurricane Milton may disrupt power and cell service in Florida.iPhone 14 and later models with iOS 18 offer satellite messaging when cell service is unavailable.Satellite messaging helped users communicate during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Hurricane Milton threatens to wreck power lines and cell service in Florida, but you might have a useful emergency feature available right in your pocket — your iPhone.

Those who own iPhone 14 models or later with iOS 18 installed can use satellite messaging on their devices in the event of cell service becoming unavailable. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, iPhone owners praised the feature for allowing them to communicate without WiFi or cellular coverage.

“Due to the lack of cell service, EVERYONE in Asheville NC right now on iOS 18 has been able to get messages out and in with the Satellite messaging feature,” Matt Van Swol, an Asheville, North Carolina, resident, wrote on X. “This is literally saving lives.”

Here’s how to make sure your iPhone is set up to send satellite messages if Hurricane Milton topples the connectivity in your area.

There are a few things you want to make sure are prepared before losing cellular and WiFi.

Turn on the iMessage feature.Make sure your iPhone and the iPhones of anyone you might want to contact are updated to iOS 18.Make sure you’ve recently communicated via iMessage (in the last month or so, according to Apple) with any iPhone you want to satellite message.

You can also send satellite messages via SMS to mobile numbers that aren’t iPhones, but you have to message them first before their messages reach you, according to Apple’s website.

If cell sites are out of service and you need to find a way to text, here’s how you use Apple’s satellite messaging on your iPhone.

Satellite messages are noted as such on the Messages app.

Apple

Go to the Messages app.A prompt should automatically appear if you’re out of cellular and WiFi coverage. Tap Use Messages via Satellite.Follow the instructions to connect your iPhone to a satellite. You’ll need to be outside with an unobstructed view of the sky, and it might require you to move to higher ground for a stronger connection.Type your message, and send it.

Satellite messaging isn’t an iPhone-exclusive tool. Some Google Pixel models and Androids also have access to the feature.

If you’re in an emergency, Apple’s website says iPhone owners should use the Emergency SOS feature to contact emergency services.

Still, satellite messaging can allow families to connect and let each other know they’re safe during Hurricane Milton.