Apple Watch Ultra 3 reportedly will let hikers and other travelers send texts via a satellite connection when cellular communication isn’t available. Anyone who gets into trouble in a remote location could turn to Apple’s top-tier smartwatch to ask for help — a potential lifesaver.
In addition, Apple is still working to add blood-pressure monitoring to the wearable.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 could allow texting via satellite
Emergency SOS via satellite, which debuted with the iPhone 14, saved the lives of people who had no other way to communicate, like lost hikers. iOS 18 added Messages via satellite, which lets users of recent iPhone models keep in touch with family and friends when they’re out of range of a cell tower.
And now the feature reportedly will come to Apple Watch Ultra 3.
“The satellite capability is slated to come to next year’s Apple Watch Ultra, the company’s top-of-the-line model,” Bloomberg reported Tuesday. “The technology will let smartwatch users send off-the-grid text messages when they don’t have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.”
While this capability would save users from needing to carry a dedicated satellite phone, it’s not a low-budget option. Apple Watch Ultra starts at $799.
iPhone satellite messaging comes via Apple’s billion-dollar deal with Globalstar. The smartwatch will surely use the same system — assuming this unconfirmed report pans out.
Blood-pressure monitoring might finally come to your wrist
Another potential improvement in the 2025 Apple Watch Ultra could be blood-pressure monitoring. Bloomberg’s report said Apple is working on a system to “monitor whether Apple Watch users have high blood pressure.”
Reportedly, the first iteration will only be able to tell an Apple Watch Ultra 3 wearer if their blood pressure is climbing, not give an exact reading.
That said, this feature remains a bit of a holy grail for the wearable — always sought after but never achieved. Reports that Cupertino wanted to develop an easy-to-administer blood-pressure monitoring system date back years. Perhaps it’ll finally happen in 2025.
