Cell phones have the capability to send messages to satellites when a severe weather event or emergency occurs. Here is how it works.

Nationwide cellphone service providers are reporting outages on Monday leaving hundreds of customers confused.

In the midst of a natural disaster, your cell service might not last for long. But that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out for help. In the past few years, some smartphones have evolved to gain the ability to connect to passing satellites that can route messages to people — or even emergency services — as long as you have a clear view of the sky.

The phone will automatically activate SOS capability when you are not within cell service, but to get the satellite texting feature, you need to do a couple of things. You need to