iOS 26 hides a satellite-powered weather trick you weren't told about

Phone Arena

2 days ago

Evidence found in the iOS 26 developer beta shows that Apple is working on a satellite-powered weather update feature for iPhones.
The feature allows your iPhone to download weather forecasts using satellite connectivity. This feature wasn't mentioned during the WWDC 2025 keynote on June 9, but it's been found in the code for iOS 26. It's aimed at assisting users in remote environments.
The feature will work when standard network connectivity is not available (cellular data or Wi-Fi). It works similarly to Apple's Emergency SOS feature, so you will have to aim your device at the sky to connect to a satellite for the feature to work.
Weather via satellite is said to work similarly to Emergency SOS and Emergency text via Satellite. | Image Credit - Apple Once connected, your iPhone will take the updated weather data and any relevant alerts for your location. This is super useful for hikers, campers, or climbers, where accurate weather forecasts are very important. It can also be very useful in areas where a natural disaster has knocked out cellular towers. Back in 2022, Apple introduced satellite connectivity with the iPhone 14, starting with Emergency SOS. Gradually, the Cupertino tech giant has been working on expanding satellite connectivity, and now satellite-based iMessage and location sharing are also available. It's not clear at this point whether satellite weather updates will be free or if they will be a part of a subscription plan.
Back when Emergency SOS launched, it was free for two years for iPhone 14 buyers, and eventually, it is expected to be a paid feature. Apple is still to outline the pricing. Coverage of the feature is limited, and support is concentrated in countries like the U.S., Canada, and certain parts of Europe. It's also not clear whether the new satellite weather feature will expand to more regions, and what models of iPhones will be supported.
iOS 26 will roll out to the public in the fall of this year. Its public beta is expected to become available in July.
Apple seems to be working to pioneer a lot of satellite features. Competitors like Samsung are yet to offer such a weather feature, but I'm pretty sure that once Apple starts offering it, the rest will also follow, just like it happened with satellite messaging.