Apple’s new Messages via satellite feature in iOS 18 might finally cause me to ditch my Garmin inReach when I’m in the backcountry.
When COVID-19 hit, I dove into hiking, camping, and backpacking since that was one thing you could do without being around other people. Now, being in the backcountry is something that I absolutely love to do, and I try to ensure I do it at least once every couple of months.
One of the things that allows me to feel safe out there is my Garmin inReach, Garmin’s tiny satellite communicator that not only lets me alert emergency services if I found myself in a bad situation but also lets me text my family and friends to stay in touch.
While the inReach has been a source of comfort, it’s also come with a cost. Not only is the inReach itself hundreds of dollars, but the messaging, tracking, and SOS features come with a subscription of at least $15 per month depending on how many messages, etc you need to use.
While I can message my family and friends, the user experience is also not great. It requires the Garmin Earthmate app which, while functional, is certainly old and in need of an update. I also commonly run into issues using someone’s phone number and have instead had to resort to emailing people to ensure our messages get to each other.
Enter iOS 18 and Messages via satellite
I’ve been hoping that Apple would eventually build out its own technology that would render my inReach useless, and it appears that’s exactly what Apple is doing.
