I've had good success with this device so far, especially for the price. One of the complaints I've read is that if a recipient wants to respond to your text, they need to install the app. This isn't unique to Defy and is actually a good thing. If anyone with your number could text you via satellite then you'd get spam and other messages you don't need to get while in the wilderness. (Work, marketing, etc). With this system, only those who need to communicate with you will install the app and send you messages. But you can still send anyone a message from the Defy. It uses the Geosynchronous satellites so you do need to have visibility towards the direction of one of these satellites. I've found this actually works better than the iPhone low-earth-orbit satellites. As long as the defy has visibility to a satellite, it stays connected, you can throw it in your pack and send and receive from your phone as needed throughout your activity. With the iPhone, you literally have to be pointed directly at the satellite which is moving quickly across the sky. So you line it up, connect, and send a message but then have to keep the phone pointed towards a satellite, which is rapidly moving, in order to receive a reply. I tried this camping recently and had to keep moving my chair to point towards the satellite while waiting for my wife to reply. I moved over 90 degrees to maintain connection. In my experience, this device works better for outdoor adventures if you want to remain connected while moving around.

1/5 Initial setup. (absolutely horrible see below)
5/5 Battery life device (at least 3 days)
3/5 Battery life phone (app remains active even with no use)
4/5 Connectivity (a few times south facing outdoors I would get no connection - more testing required)

My device arrived in a sealed package, but when I attempted to turn it on, it was dead. Charging it up for a few hours brought it to life.

I installed my app on a Pixel 4a and attempted to pair. The attempt to pair kept failing with an error "Unknown Bluetooth device connected. Not configured for satellite services with this account." The online help chat declared that I must have a device that was used. Somebody else already had it registered. We fought with multiple different ways to get the device paired and finally after over an hour suddenly it just connected. The online chat person claimed he did nothing.

Did I get a used device in a sealed package? If so, it seems OK now.

(Followup Canada) - now in December we finally have Canada coverage and here in northern Alberta, I am getting good coverage. I am inside a house and not close to a window with Southern exposure, I am getting a green light for connected. I will continue to update this as I have more to share.

Grand Canyon Update: Dec 26-28 I was hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. On the way down, I continually had the green flashing light, and successfully sent a message at the bottom from inside the Phantom Ranch cabins. This was much better than expected, as service inside a building is not good. The following day we were outside hiking in the bottom of the creek up from Phantom Ranch to a point where I even was able to send and receive over cell. But the Defy Satellite was blinking red all day. All I can come up with is there must have been a system wide outage, as there was no reason for this. I still maintain the Defy Satellite link is better than nothing, but it's still rough around the edges.

After some fiddling, I got this device to work initially. I tested it from the lower slopes of Mt Jefferson where I had no cell service, and I was able to exchange messages with a single contact. Even at this point, however, I'd say that finding people to connect with you on this device is time consuming for the invited users. Felt like I was inviting folks to Amway, but not even offering a free self-sealing whatchamacallit. The real problems started, though, when I had to change my cell number. Try as I might, I no longer could get the device to work. It would indicate messages were sent, but in reality nothing was transmitted. Of course, this could lead to a very undesirable outcome in a real emergency. When changing the profile information did not do the trick (among other things), I tried following the App link to the company's help page. It doesn't exactly defy the imagination to learn that Defy's Help Page is no longer on the internet: bad link. Well, just like its associated link, this is one bad product. I'd avoid it altogether, but remember to read reviews on company billing practices and not just the devices themselves.

The device is acceptable. Not as good as the leading competitor (rhymes with "farmin") but it does acquire a signal in a reasonable amount of time IF there are no obstructions, such as trees. (It would probably be awesome if you only needed it in the desert.) Given the signal quality in wooded areas, I am hesitant to rely on this device unless traveling with a group who could send a member to high ground, clear of trees in an emergency.

There is limited functionality on the device; absent a mobile phone, all you can do is send a preset check-in or initiate an SOS. The lack of display is a little annoying (no GPS details, for instance) but it is what it is.

Subscription pricing is the biggest danger point. The service provider just doubled prices on the basic package (and introduced an SOS-only option at the original price.) A large value to me was being able to check-in with loved ones if I was going to be out more days than planned. Given this pricing change, I'm not certain I'll continue my subscription when it expires.