Satellite emergency SOS is a core feature of the iPhone 14, so it’s no wonder Google wants to add this feature to Android. Jason Cipriani/ZDNET
While Apple was the first to bring two-way emergency messaging via satellite to the general public, we all knew it wouldn’t be long before Google brought the feature to Android users.
Code snippets discovered by the developer Neil Rahmouni (via SamMobile) portend the arrival of a satellite emergency messaging feature in Google Messages.
The code contains references to “Garmin” and “satellite messaging”.
Google will need devices with satellite capability, which is quite limited at the moment
As of now, there’s nothing official from Google or Garmin, and we’ll have to wait for the launch of Android 14 later in the year to see if this feature becomes official.
Garmin offers a range of satellite messaging devices, such as the InReach Messenger and the InReach Mini 2. These devices use Iridium’s constellation of 66 satellites and in my testing they work very well, are incredibly reliable and a handy backup if things go wrong.
However, to bring satellite messaging to smartphones, Google will need devices with satellite capability, which is quite limited at the moment.
A data subscription on satellite is not given
Smartphones like the Cat S75 have built-in satellite antennas, but if Google plans to include this feature in Android 14, it’s likely major manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola and others will add satellite support. .
But there is a question of cost.
Currently, Emergency SOS by Satellite on iPhone is “free for two years after activation of iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro”, and since these devices are not yet a year old, we don’t know. how much Apple will charge in the end.
What I do know is that a data subscription on satellite is not cheap.
I don’t see the average consumer footing that kind of bill, and I expect that, like the iPhone, this feature will be offered free to owners of new high-end Android phones, with Google footing the bill. For a time.
Still, emergency access to the satellite network can save lives, and the more devices with this feature, the better.
Source: “ZDNet.com”