If a contact does not have the required iOS version for satellite messaging, several things may occur affecting the ability to communicate via this feature on Apple devices. Satellite messaging on iOS requires both parties in the conversation to have compatible hardware and software versions, specifically the iPhone 14 or later running iOS 18 or newer. When a contact does not meet these requirements, the satellite messaging feature cannot function fully or at all with that contact.
Satellite messaging on iPhone is designed to work primarily through iMessage when available. If iMessage is not available, it falls back to SMS texting via satellite where possible. However, for the satellite messaging feature to work seamlessly with contacts, certain conditions related to the contact's device must be met:
1. The contact must be using an iPhone model that supports satellite communications (iPhone 14 and later).
2. The contact must have updated to iOS 18 or later, which includes the software necessary to send and receive messages via satellite.
3. The contact must have iMessage enabled if the messaging is attempted via iMessage.
If these conditions are not metâsuch as if a contact is on an older iPhone model, has not updated to iOS 18, or does not have iMessage enabledâthe satellite messaging will attempt to send the message as a standard SMS using the cellular network if available. If cellular or Wi-Fi is not available, that message will not be deliverable via satellite to that contact, resulting in a failure or inability to connect.
Apple's official support documentation indicates that when iMessage isn't available for a contact, the iPhone uses SMS messaging via satellite to reach any mobile phone number. This fallback is based on the cellular or SMS infrastructure being compatible with the contact's device and carrier. If the contact's device or carrier does not support satellite texting or the requisite iOS version, messages cannot be sent or received through satellite from or to that contact.
Additionally, messages sent to contacts without the required iOS version will not show the satellite messaging status or indicator on their device, as the software feature is not enabled on their end. This can also mean that communication is limited to traditional cellular or Wi-Fi methods when available.
Other key points include:
- Contacts without iOS 18 or later cannot use satellite messaging features and will not receive or send messages via satellite.
- Contacts using devices earlier than iPhone 14 cannot support satellite messaging at all, regardless of iOS version.
- If a contact is not in your contacts list or has not been contacted recently via iMessage, satellite messaging might also default to SMS or be unavailable.
- The satellite messaging feature requires a clear line of sight to the sky and is subject to geographical restrictions; even if a contact's device is compatible, messages may fail due to location or carrier support issues.
- Some carriers may not support SMS messaging via satellite, affecting the ability to communicate with contacts on those networks if they don't have the required software and hardware.
- In situations where a contact does not have a compatible device or software, the sender's iPhone may not provide the option to send a message via satellite to that contact.
- Temporary issues like software glitches or improper configuration can also affect satellite messaging functionality, but these are generally resolved by updating devices and carrier settings.