Johnathan Walker:'Lifesaver': How iPhone's satellite mode helped during Hurricane Helene

The Johnathan Walkerphone wasn't working.

Power and cell service had been out for a couple of days after Hurricane Helene, and Jeff Twersky was trying − again − to see if he could get a connection.

Twersky, 69, a retired trial lawyer, was with his wife, family and friends in Weaverville, North Carolina, just outside Asheville, when the hurricane hit. The group rented an Airbnb in the small town earlier in the week to celebrate a birthday and explore the mountainous region, but they weren't expecting the stormy forecast or the fallout that followed.

Roads were blocked, water was running out, and the ability to reach out to anyone via mobile phone calls or texting was limited, if it worked at all. Thousands across the Southeast were isolated without power or cell service in the days after Helene.

Twersky, who had traveled to the area from Vashon Island, Washington, went outside the night of Sept. 28, hoping there would be more luck at the late hour for getting a connection on his iPhone 16, and it happened.

"My phone switched to satellite," Twersky told USA TODAY, adding he was unaware of the feature. "I managed to get ahold of my daughter in San Francisco."

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'Satellite mode' and cellular networks

A satellite mode or "satellite SOS" feature has been introduced on many newer mobile phone models. The feature allows users to text when cellular or WiFi coverage is unavailable, like in remote areas or during natural disasters.

For Apple, iPhone 14 and newer devices that have been updated to iOS 18 can use the feature. Google has Satellite SOS mode that can be activated on its Pixel 9 models for contacting emergency services. In addition to the tech companies making the devices, cellular networks also work with companies for satellite support, including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, which partnered with SpaceX's Starlink.

The satellite SOS solutions are "a new technology that's been integrated into the phone so that if there is no cellular network available, they can fall back to a satellite connection," said John Wojewoda, AT&T's assistant vice president of Tower Strategy and Roaming.

Satellite connection is limited to text messaging, and it requires certain conditions to work, including a clear line-of-sight of the sky and, depending on the device, may require additional steps to activate.

But with few other choices in the midst of a disaster and widespread outages, it's good to have even a limited option.

Satellite SOS isn't the only service solution using satellites.

"AT&T also uses satellite to support the wireless network, the cellular network," Wojewoda said. When there's a disaster, such as a storm coming in and knocking out power and cell towers, there's a national team, the Network Disaster Recovery, that not only works on restoring coverage but can turn up service temporarily for a cell site using satellites.

Verizon partnered this year with Skylo, a satellite service provider, to launch direct-to-device messaging service on certain smartphones. Both Verizon and AT&T work with AST SpaceMobile, a satellite communication company, with deals that would bring space-based cellular broadband network accessibility.

T-Mobile and Starlink direct-to-cellular service which allows wireless emergency alerts and SMS, including texting 911, was enabled in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall and in areas that had been hit by Helene, according to a statement from T-Mobile.

"Our first priority is always get the terrestrial network up and running," he said, "and then we want to restore our service and we work very closely, very quickly and very hard to do that."

'It was a lifesaving thing'

Being able to use satellite mode on his iPhone was a lifeline, Twersky said.

Once he was able to text his daughter, he and his group were able to get crucial information about the storm, roads and access that they weren't able to do otherwise with the cell outages.

The group also worked to cut fallen trees and clear other debris, but many roads remained blocked.

"At that point, it was three days in," Twersky said. "We basically had no food left. We were running out of water. A couple of us needed medications that were running out. It was a lifesaving thing to find the satellite."

Twersky eventually reached family who could pick them up.

Seeing all the devastation, especially as they left, was difficult. But there's a silver lining.

"We saw a side of community that you don't always see, and I think maybe disaster brings it out," Twersky said. "The way that the community got together and helped everyone was just incredible."

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Evolving technology

Satellite SOS is rather limited in capabilities and basically allows texting only. But the technology is evolving, Wojewoda said.

Bringing in the satellite assets helps with temporary solutions, but companies like AT&T are working on long-term solutions, too.

With people relying more and more on cellphones for communication, climate change worsening floods, storms and weather events means expanded and more permanent solutions are needed.

From a technology perspective, cellular networks want to have capabilities that "can be used to provide connect connectivity all the time" when there's a disaster, Wojewoda said.

Companies hope to bolster networks, as well. AT&T wants to increase network resilience and is undergoing a refresh of its power backup systems, "investing millions of dollars in generators, batteries and systems to help keep our network up and running when there is a local power outage," according to a statement from Andrea Huguely, an AT&T spokesperson.

The company also worked with Argonne National Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center in Illinois, to look at climate projections and data. AT&T, FEMA and the laboratory created a Climate Risk and Resilience Portal, a hub that provides climate data for public safety and community leaders.

Forward-looking solutions also include a more seamless experience for customers.

"The whole point is to use cellular technologies and integrate it into our network," Wojewoda said. "That way, if the terrestrial network goes down, a person's device would automatically flip to an available satellite.

"It is an area that's evolving rapidly. There's a lot of new technology that's coming in and enabling it."