Users of later-model Apple iPhones can use satellite technology to slow down cellular and Wi-Fi service under a new feature in iOS 18 that residents say is “a direct life saver” in flood-ravaged North Carolina.
About 400,000 residents are without electricity or cell phone service after Hurricane Helene dumped biblical amounts of rain on the state.
But people who bought an iPhone in the last two years–iPhone 14 or later–Assuming you've upgraded to the new operating system software, you can tap into Apple's free satellite network to send messages.
Asheville resident Matt Van Swolle told Decrypt on Twitter that the new feature “looks like ‘connect to satellite.' I have never been more grateful to be an iPhone user.
Satellite messaging and calling allows users to communicate via satellites orbiting the Earth instead of using cellular or Wi-Fi networks.
Another satellite technology being offered in Asheville and the South is Elon Musk's Starlink, whose terminals are being deployed in affected areas.
The Y'all Group, a non-profit organization “focused on supporting local communities affected by extreme weather events,” is shipping communications hardware to the worst affected areas.
“We are working with local authorities to get them to the remote areas you need as quickly as possible. We are also paying for unlimited data plans for each of them,” Yell Group volunteer Ryan Hall tweeted Monday.
More than 1.7 million customers are without power in several states and territories.
South Carolina had the highest number of service outages with 672,986 affected customers, followed by Georgia with 521,226.
North Carolina is experiencing 390,182 outages, while Virginia and Florida reported more than 90,000 and 89,000 outages, respectively.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair and Josh Kittner
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