Iphone vs Satellite Messenger

Have you tried out the satellite messaging on iPhone yet?

I’ve chatted with a few folks who have wondered about getting rid of their satellite messaging device (like ZOLEO or InReach) in favour of the new iphone satellite messaging capabilities.

The short answer for me is no! I still want my standalone device. Here’s the rundown on why:

First - there are certainly some upsides to the new iPhone sat messaging feature:

iPhone Sat messaging is pretty convenient. I carry my phone anyway. It’s super accessible. In fact, I need the phone to use my ZOLEO also so this just eliminates a step of turning that device on.

iPhone sat messaging is free for the moment (with a cell plan).
It works within iMessage. I’ll say that this is pretty nice. No separate app. It does occasionally get confused about the order of messages but it works pretty well.
No separate numbers or emails to save for communicating. It’s just your normal cell phone number.

I think the downsides of ditching the standalone device outweigh these benefits though. I’ll note that I’m a ZOLEO user so, while most of these points apply to the InReach as well, I’ll note a few that are specific to ZOLEO.

First the minor issues:

iPhone sat messaging may not be free forever. Just speculation but I would imagine as these features become more common (and perhaps more capable), they will begin to cost money. I’ve heard rumors that the capability will be free for the first two years.
iPhone sat messaging is not redundant - if you rely on only your phone and then drop it, or the battery dies, you’re out of luck. With a ZOLEO, I can lose my phone and still send an SOS. On a longer trip, or in an operational setting, this redundancy is pretty important to me. The standalone devices also have a much longer battery life - like days!
Coverage - Globalstar satellite coverage (SPOT and iPhone) is quite limited compared to Iridium (Zoleo, Inreach). Going to the far north/arctic? You may not have coverage where the Iridium coverage is global. See the coverage maps below.
It’s not possible to Sat text to Android from the iPhone and I did have an interesting situation where a software update was released while I was on a trip. My messages didn’t work until the recipient (in service) updated their phone software. iPhone sat message to iPhone sat message (both people out of cell service) seems to work but this is still a little unclear to me.
Location tracking is possible but it’s not as consistent as when using a Sat Messenger Device and their tracking functions. I don’t use it much but there are situations when sending a tracking website to someone is a plus!

Here are the deal breakers for me:

The iPhone must be aimed at the satellite continuously - this is crucial and also my biggest issue. With my ZOLEO I can hit SOS, stuff it in the lid of my pack, and then carry on with helping with the emergency. With an iPhone, you have to remain holding it pointed towards the satellite! This has also created an interesting new moment in camps or on adventure breaks when the whole group is sitting pointing their iPhones in weird directions…
iPhone sat messaging doesn’t work with minimal service! If you’ve got one bar - not enough to get a message out, it won’t let you switch to satellite! I’ve noticed this a few times and it’s no biggie when you’re mobile but if you're stuck in that spot, it could be a problem. The ZOLEO specifically (not InReach) has a huge advantage in that the app will send the message via SMS if that’s available (saving you ZOLEO fees) or via satellite if cell service isn’t available.
Battery life. iPhone batteries don’t last super long. Especially when in the mountains using battery intensive things like camera, GPS, and sat coms. If I’m just relying on my phone, I’m definitely carrying a separate spare battery. This defeats the purpose of weight savings over my ZOLEO.

So - there’s definitely times when I’m going to leave my ZOLEO behind and stick with my iPhone. If I’m trail running for a few hours, or skiing somewhere close to home, I’ll rely on the iPhone messaging. If I’m in a camp or remote area and I’m texting casually, I’ll often use my iPhone. The ZOLEO can stay in the pack and keep charged.

Bottom line though, any time I’m going further into remote areas, into places that may not have simple access, on bigger, multi-day trips, or anytime I’m working, I’m carrying my ZOLEO.