I tested the Apple Watch Ultra 3 deep in the backcountry to find out if new off-grid satellite messaging actually works. After several runs out of cell coverage, the judgment is unequivocal: for most hikers, trail runners and weekend overlanders, Apple’s implementation is faster, simpler and just simply reassuring than Garmin’s, even though Garmin still has niche advantages for polar and expedition use.
How I Tested Off the Grid in Real Backcountry Conditions
I rolled past the last service bars, parked at a forestry gate and lapped 2 hours of trail running on rolling fire roads and singletrack. Here I would go back and forth between openings, light canopy and thick-scrub tree bashing. I wore a Garmin inReach device plus had a second phone shut off to test that the watch would be forced to use satellite.
I checked in every few hours with short messages, and live location drops from the Ultra 3. Each message came with exact latitude and longitude, culled from the watch’s dual-frequency GNSS, which has previously been remarkably accurate to within a few meters on earlier Ultra models. I also asked a family contact to respond now and then so I could measure turnaround speed.
More Clear Guidance and Faster Link Acquisition
The most noticeable thing is the better link building. Clicking away from the satellite utility, the watch projects a crude direction pointer—lean left or right—to match a passing satellite. In open areas, I always had a fix in under 10 seconds; with thin cloud and light canopy the acquisition must have been around 15–20 seconds. Messages and location pings were normally transmitted every 15–30 seconds once the connection went active.
By contrast, my inReach unit on Iridium took longer to lock under trees and sometimes sat on a message for as long as a minute before transmitting it. That’s consistent with the kind of variance you experience on expedition-grade messengers: they work well but aren’t always fast, especially under cover or in valleys. The Ultra 3’s on-wrist guidance takes a lot of the guesswork out of where to stand and how to orient — one of the sticking points for new users, even using older devices.
Apple’s wearable satellite network is believed to be based on the same Globalstar constellation that powers iPhone Emergency SOS, a connection both companies have disclosed in public filings and regulatory statements. Globalstar’s mid-latitude coverage is strong, and it shows. While Iridium still wins for everywhere-on-earth coverage, including the poles, Globalstar’s coverage in temperate regions was sufficient for my needs — with some extra advantages.
Two-Way Communication Beyond Just an Alert
Importantly, this is not just a matter of SOS. I would text home in the usual way, and occasionally send my location through Apple Maps with a pin dropped. On the recipient end, they’re seeing a subtle thing that says I’m on satellite, which kind of sets expectations about the pace of messages. In practice, the message queuing does feel more like light texting than an emergency-only lifeline.
That matters for real trips. If you’ve ever tried an app-based messenger, you also know that off-grid comms are kind of dull but vital — things like a late arrival, moving a pickup location or notifying when camp has been established. The Ultra 3 reduces friction by enabling those interactions within a familiar messaging workflow, rather than directing you to some standalone app or device.
Why It’s Better (For Most People) Than Garmin
Garmin’s inReach ecosystem, which relies on Iridium, is the gold standard for remote expeditions and high latitudes. It has sturdy waypoint sharing, device-to-device messaging and professional tracking. But for most outdoor users who adventure in mid-latitude conditions (read: where satellite coverage is fairly reliable) and prefer a no-longer-than-strictly-necessary delay before contact with family, the Ultra 3 will be easier to operate and faster to get a message off.
Subscriptions also play a role. Apple bundles two years of satellite service with the Ultra 3, a strategy that echoes Apple’s offering of iPhone satellite features several times over. Garmin’s inReach plans begin around the price of a streaming subscription monthly and rise with frequency of tracking and amount of messages. For casual explorers, “free for the first two years” is an appealing deal, even if pricing thereafter is still up in the air.
And finally, it’s usable: the Ultra 3 actually has a decent interface for guiding you to point at a satellite, and progress feedback on sending. It’s that kind of simple, hand-holding UI that makes the difference between hoping your message goes through and being sure it did. It’s the correct design decision for any of those times when cognitive load is maximized.
Battery Impact and Reliability During Satellite Use
For me, on a two-hour off-grid run with intermittent satellite check-ins every 15–20 minutes, the watch drained about 18% of the battery.
A heavier session — a few back-to-back messages and a longer location share, say — used up several more percentage points but didn’t once feel punitive. In everyday mixed use, the Ultra 3 still got me through two days; satellite bursts represented a fraction of the pie versus GPS and screen on time.
Like any satellite-based system, there are limitations. Even the vast spaces of deep slot canyons, heavy conifer canopy and steep north-facing slopes can still frustrate or cut off transmission. On the edge of Antarctica, on bicycle trips through icy deserts or during epic whiteouts that last weeks, Iridium-backed messengers will still be a safer bet. But on the usual alpine starts, desert tracks and wooded state parks we frequent, the Ultra 3 delivered consistency.
Stay-Safe Features That Help You Practice
The watch also offers emergency services via satellite, automatic fall detection and location sharing that can allow search teams to triangulate more quickly. Wilderness safety groups will tell you to practice with your tools before you have to use them; the fact that this system works for everyday check-ins means that you can be fluent if things go sideways.
In other words, Apple has taken satellite connectivity from a specialty feature into something that all users can deploy without an instruction manual. Unless you’re bound for the poles or living in deep backcountry for weeks, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is also the most approachable, competent off-grid wrist communicator I’ve tested — better than Garmin for most people and a hell of a lot more likely to be on your wrist when it counts.
