In 2022, Apple launched emergency satellite connectivity for the iPhone 14. More than a year later, in March 2023, the feature became available in Italy. Now, it’s Android’s turn, with the upcoming Google Pixel 9 expected to introduce a platform for sending emergency signals via satellite in the absence of cell or Wi-Fi connections.
This rumor comes from Android Authority, a site known for its expertise in Android news, which reports that Google plans to launch satellite SOS support on its foldable Google Fold 2 smartphones as well. According to the site, the feature will initially be available to customers of the American carrier T-Mobile, thanks to a partnership with SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, which has a large fleet of satellites in low Earth orbit. The service is expected to eventually expand across the rest of the US and, presumably, to other parts of the world.
Google would be following in the footsteps of Apple, which introduced emergency SOS in late 2022 for iPhone 14 users in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Since then, the tool has expanded to include the iPhone 15 and other territories, including Australia and New Zealand, which have vast areas where cell service is unavailable. Last year, a developer discovered lines of code in Google’s Messages app that referred to Garmin’s InReach two-way messaging service, which operates through the Iridium satellite network capable of covering “any point on Earth.”