SMS Interface (Satellite)
Historically, access to GeyserTimes' data within Yellowstone National Park has been limited to areas with cell service, and among all geyser basins, only the Upper Geyser Basin has adequate coverage. Since September 2024, Apple supports satellite SMS messaging, and major mobile network operators have inked deals with satellite providers. T-Mobile has partnered with SpaceX's Starlink, who have launched their direct-to-cell service in the middle of 2025, and both AT&T and Verizon have invested in AST SpaceMobile, which has deployed their first batch of satellites in early 2025.
At GeyserTimes, we want to make the most of this unprecedented opportunity by offering a SMS interface. This document outlines supported devices and how to interact with our conversational messaging agent. At this time it is completely separate to our Android and iOS apps, although we will consider various levels of integration in the future based on community feedback.
Please note that standard messaging rates apply, so keep this in mind if your plan does not include unlimited texts. GeyserTimes incurs both a fixed monthly fee for its phone number and per-message fees. If you are willing and able to assist with expenses, please consider a donation.
Supported Devices
Only a small number of consumer smartphones support non-SOS satellite messaging out of the box, although that list is expected to grow. If you don't mind purchasing an extra device, dedicated satellite messengers such as a Garmin inReach or ZOLEO have been around for years and remain an option. The table below is our best effort to summarize the current state and we aim to keep it updated as new information becomes available. If you are looking for specific recommendations, you may contact us.
| Supported Devices | Carrier | Cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garmin inReach | carrier-independent | see plans | 🟨 partial support1 |
| ZOLEO | carrier-independent | see plans | 🟩 full support (untested) |
| iPhone 14 or later running iOS 18+ | all | incl. with device | 🟩 full support |
| 60+ devices (see list) | T-Mobile (open to other carriers) | $10/month (incl. in some premium plans) | 🟩 full support (untested) |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 (see list) | Verizon | incl. in all plans | 🟩 full support (untested) |
To date, there have been no concrete announcements when AT&T's and Verizon's service in partnership with AST SpaceMobile will launch. It is expected that the number of eligible devices will further grow once that constellation is operational. This includes devices on Verizon, which currently has a supplementary partnership with Skylo to enable its satellite messaging offering.
Message Format
All conversational messages are processed by an automated system and must thus adhere to a certain format. Each message must begin with a case-insensitive keyword that signifies the action that is executed. We support three different actions:
- The next keyword retrieves a prediction for a given geyser.
- The last keyword retrieves the latest eruption of a given geyser.
- The last note keyword retrieves the latest note of a given geyser.
- The enter keyword allows users to submit an eruption. To properly attribute incoming entries, you'll need to connect your phone number with your GeyserTimes account. This must be done beforehand while cell service is still available.
- The enter note keyword allows users to submit a note. To properly attribute incoming entries, you'll need to connect your phone number with your GeyserTimes account. This must be done beforehand while cell service is still available.
Retrieve Prediction
Example: next Old Faithful
- Geyser name for which to retrieve prediction. Must exactly match a geyser in the GeyserTimes database, safe for capitalization.
Retrieve Last Eruption
Example: last Old Faithful
- Geyser name for which to retrieve latest eruption. Must exactly match a geyser in the GeyserTimes database, safe for capitalization.
Retrieve Last Note
Example: last note Great Fountain
- Geyser name for which to retrieve latest note. Must exactly match a geyser in the GeyserTimes database, safe for capitalization.
Submit Eruption
Example: enter Old Faithful 2024-08-28 1842:24 ns short d=2m 42s (steam obscured part of the eruption, but confident it was a short)
- Geyser name of geyser that erupted. Must exactly match a geyser in the GeyserTimes database, safe for capitalization.
- Date and time when the geyser erupted. The date part is optional and, when missing, will be assumed to be today in the geyser's timezone. The seconds part, after and including the colon, is optional.
- Time codes that further characterize the observed eruption. A list of valid time codes can be found in the glossary. Optional.
- Duration of the observed eruption. Ideally should be in the format #m#s, but may be any text. Be wary of paired round brackets that may be confused with a comment. Optional.
- Comment that further describes the observed eruption. Given the SMS limit of 160 characters you'll likely need to keep this short and concise. It must always be enclosed in a pair of round brackets. Optional.
Submit Note
Example: enter note Great Fountain 2025-07-27 2245 - 2025-07-28 0015 beautiful display of northern lights reflecting in terraces
- Geyser name of geyser that was observed. Must exactly match a geyser in the GeyserTimes database, safe for capitalization.
- Date and time (range) at or during which the geyser was observed. The date part is optional and, when missing, will be assumed to be today in the geyser's timezone. The second date and time, including the "-" sign, are optional. When the second date is missing, it will be assumed to be the same as the first.
- Note that further describes the observations. Given the SMS limit of 160 characters you'll likely need to keep this short and concise. No brackets needed.
Limitations
- Submissions made via SMS are completely independent of entries made on the Android or iOS apps. If you submit via both you will find that you'll have posted two separate entries for the same eruption. They will, however, be processed by the primary-secondary system and hence this should have limited impact in practice.
- Submitted eruptions do not support Grand codes. This is a deliberate decision as the added complexity was not considered worth the effort given that Grand is located in an area of good cell service.
- Submitted eruptions and notes do not initially support observers. This is to reduce character count and simplify syntax requirements, given its limited practical value. If you think we should reconsider this, please reach out.
Footnotes
-
Does not support submitting as Garmin inReach devices do not have fixed phone numbers. To retrieve information, you'll need to disable SMS signatures in your Garmin Explore account settings. ↩