Apple will give iPhone 14 and 15 owners another free year of satellite communications, answering one of the big questions around its recent models. Apple released its Emergency SOS via Satellite feature with the iPhone 14, last year. It allows the devices to call for help through satellites, letting people contact the emergency services even if they are out of traditional phone coverage. But when it released the feature, it said that it would only be available for free for one year, and gave no information about what it planned to do afterwards. That led to fears that customers could get stuck in perilous situations and be left without the coverage if they had not paid for it. Now Apple says that it will give iPhone 14 users another year of coverage. Once again, it did not explicitly say what would happen when that year is up. Apple said that “many lives” had been saved with the feature, pointing to a range of examples where people outside of usual connections are not available. “Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save lives around the world. From a man who was rescued after his car plummeted over a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles, to lost hikers found in the Apennine Mountains in Italy, we continue to hear stories of our customers being able to connect with emergency responders when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing. “We are so happy iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users can take advantage of this groundbreaking service for two more years for free.” The Emergency SOS via Satellite feature was first launched in the US and Canada on 15 November, meaning that Apple’s announcement comes on the first day that anyone would be otherwise out of coverage. iPhone 14 users must have activated their device before today to be given the extra free year. The service is not free for Apple, since it must pay satellite operators for connections and also operates relay centres that pass on text messages from people’s phones to emergency service calls centres. It has not said how much the infrastructure to run the emergency SOS tool costs. As well as allowing people to contact the emergency services, iPhone users can also update the Find My app through the satellite signal. With the release of the iPhone 15, Apple also announced that satellite users would be able to get in touch with car breakdown services in the US. Read More You can finally use one feature of the Apple Vision Pro headset – sort of Setback for Ireland as EU legal adviser recommends revisit of Apple tax case Apple just released an iPhone update you should download right now

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Pokimane brought up the call while discussing the AdrianahLee-CrazySlick sexual assault scandal with Mizkif

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Republican US Rep Byron Donalds has repeatedly echoed other GOP officials in a specious crusade against “critical race theory” and “woke” indoctrination in American schools. But on 26 July, the Florida congressman called on Florida’s Department of Education to “correct” newly approved curriculum guidelines for middle school students to learn how enslaved people “developed skills” that could be “applied for personal benefit”. “The new African-American standards in FL are good, robust, [and] accurate,” he wrote on Twitter, now known as X. “That being said, the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong [and] needs to be adjusted. That obviously wasn’t the goal [and] I have faith that FLDOE will correct this.” In an interview with Florida’s WINK-TV, Mr Donalds, who is Black, suggested the standards need “some adjustments” and that Florida’s Board of Education could “bring refinement” to the curriculum standards for African American history lessons that the board unanimously approved earlier this month. The standards have been widely derided by educators, Democratic officials and the White House; Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the state last week to condemn “propaganda” and the “extremist, so-called leaders” who support it, a not-so-thinly veiled strike against Governor Ron DeSantis and his 2024 campaign for the Republican nomination for president. After his comments, Mr Donalds felt the wrath of the DeSantis campaign and other state officials. “Did Kamala Harris write this tweet?” replied DeSantis aide Christina Pushaw. Florida’s Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr said that the state standards would not be changed “at the behest of a woke [White House], nor at the behest of a supposedly conservative congressman.” “Supposed conservatives in the federal government are pushing the same false narrative that originated from the [White House],” said DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern. “Florida isn’t going to hide the truth for political convenience,” he added. “Maybe the congressman shouldn’t swing for the liberal media fences like [the vice president].” In March, Mr Donalds joined other prominent Florida Republicans to endorse Donald Trump for president. “The Congressman also calls it like he sees it, and if he thinks something is BS, he’ll tell you. That’s why we like him so much,” said Trump aide Jason Miller, who called attempts to “smear” Mr Donalds “a disgrace”. Mr Donalds responded to the inter-party backlash, stating that “anyone who can’t accurately interpret what I said is disingenuous and is desperately attempting to score political points.” Read More Why Florida’s new curriculum on slavery is becoming a political headache for Ron DeSantis DeSantis will headline barbecue billed as the largest annual gathering of South Carolina Republicans Watch: Diver rescues shark hooked to artificial reef Coast Guard calls off search for man who jumped off Carnival cruise ship

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Irish singer Hozier has said he would consider striking over the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) to the music industry. The 33-year-old said he would be willing to join similar action to the US actors and writers’ strikes, who are fighting for better contracts and protection against the use of AI in the industry. Members of US acting union Sag-Aftra and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began industrial action on July 14 and May 2 respectively. Appearing on BBC’s Newsnight, Hozier responded to presenter Victoria Derbyshire who asked if he could imagine going on strike over the threat AI poses to music. The Take Me To Church singer, whose real name is Andrew Hozier-Byrne, said: “Joining in solidarity if there was… action on that? Absolutely.” He later said: “Whether (AI is) art or not, I think, is nearly a philosophical debate. “It can’t create something based on a human experience. So I don’t know if it meets the definition of art.” Hozier’s comments come amid Hollywood concerns over proposals by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to use ground-breaking AI to keep a digital likeness of actors. The interview also heard the Grammy-nominated star discuss fellow Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, who was found dead at her home in south-east London last month aged 56. He said he had been “walking on this road that she paved”, after she made headlines in 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on US TV show Saturday Night Live in protest at the Catholic church, sparking a ferocious backlash. In 2013, Hozier’s debut single Take Me To Church, in which he criticised the church’s teaching of “shame about sexual orientation”, reached number two in the UK official charts and achieved global success. Speaking about the difference in public reaction, he said: “I think sensibilities have changed. “I think part of it is because Sinead was a woman. I think a lot of it is she was one of the first who had that courage to stand up and say it. “That was such a taboo at the time.” He also revealed he had once been invited to perform Take Me To Church in the Vatican City, quipping: “That would’ve been fun.” The full interview will be broadcast on Newsnight at 10.30pm on BBC Two.