Apple first added the satellite messaging service in its iPhone 14 lineup.
Apple announced a new colour option and bands for Watch Ultra 2 in September
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to be unveiled in 2025. As we wait for an official confirmation about its existence, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has claimed that Apple is working on incorporating a satellite-based messaging feature on its upcoming Watch Ultra model. This will allow users to send and receive short messages without cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. Apple introduced a satellite-based SOS emergency service in September last year alongside the iPhone 14 lineup. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 could also bring blood pressure monitoring, a feature that was initially said to be introduced last year.
In a new Bloomberg report, Mark Gurman, citing internal sources, states that Apple will add support for satellite messaging in next year's Watch Ultra 3. The technology will let wearers send off-the-grid text messages via Global Star's fleet of satellites when they don't have access to a cellular or Wi-Fi network. This would make the Apple Watch Ultra 3 the first mainstream smartwatch to gain satellite communication support like Apple and Huawei smartphones.
Apple first added the satellite messaging service in its iPhone 14 lineup. The Cupertino-based company has associated with Global Star to provide satellite-based SOS emergency service on iPhone models. Enabling this functionality in wearables will help users stay connected without smartphones no matter where their adventures take them.
In addition to satellite connectivity, Apple is reportedly working on bringing blood pressure monitoring for the Apple Watch by 2025. The company had previously aimed to release this feature last year. It is likely to work similarly to Apple's sleep apnea detector.
Further, Gurman states that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will come with MediaTek modems instead of Intel's. The new modems reportedly include support for 5G Redcap.
Apple was expected to announce the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on September 9 at the company's "It's Glowtime" event alongside the iPhone 16, but that didn't happen. Instead, Apple announced a new colour option and bands for the Watch Ultra 2. Notably, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously claimed that the Watch Ultra 3 will be launched in 2025 alongside the third-generation Apple Watch SE.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.