A new rumor about the upcoming iPhone 13 caused quite a stir, with reports saying that the new flagship allows for calls and texts without coverage.
If this turns out to be the case, it would make the next iPhone uber expensive, given the technical requirements to build a satellite phone. But another rumor now says that's baloney, which means fans shouldn't get their wallets ready just yet.
According to Bloomberg, Apple has no plans to create a satellite iPhone "now, next year, or anytime in the near future." Apple's hardware, according to the publication, isn't yet ready to allow calling and messaging without mobile coverage. It would also be costly, and it might enrage the cell carriers with whom the company works.
Even though there isn't a satellite iPhone in the works right now, Apple is working on satellite functions. These features, according to Bloomberg, are supposedly developed for emergency scenarios in remote areas.
Satellite communications will be included, according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg's "Power On" newsletter, but only for handsets "in select markets." The feature will only work as an emergency solution in specific markets and only if cellular coverage is unavailable.
The phone would link to satellite networks in these instances, allowing users to text first responders or report an emergency, such as an aircraft crash or a sinking ship.
However, it is unlikely that these emergency satellite features would be included in the iPhone 13, which is anticipated later this month.
Bloomberg says the hardware for these functions might be included in the iPhone this year, but the features themselves would not be available until 2022. Furthermore, these services will be available in "select," rather than all countries.
In other Apple rumors, the Apple Watch Series 7 may not be available right away. According to the report, the Series 7 will be announced alongside the new iPhone, with 41 and 45-millimeter displays and a new design with flat edges, but some models will be available in limited quantities at first, with others arriving later.
The September Apple event has yet to be confirmed, but it might happen as soon as this week.
