Android fans might soon get one of the iPhone’s best safety features

Coming to the Google Pixel 9

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One thing’s for sure: getting stuck in the wilderness without a phone signal is no fun at all.Apple’s iPhones have been able toconnect to satellites for emergency SOS callsfor a couple of years now, in case you find yourself in trouble and out of signal, and it now looks like Android devices might be about to add this functionality as well.

Based on code seen byAndroid Authority,Googleis considering bringing emergency satellite communications to a future version of Android. Dubbed Pixel Satellite SOS in code found inAndroid 15beta 4, the feature could help get Android fans who find themselves in difficulties when making conventional emergency calls isn’t possible.

This feature might sound familiar, and we’ve actually known about itfor a little while. This, however, is apparently the first time the Pixel Satellite SOS name has appeared – and Android Authority’s research also suggests that Google might offer this feature free for two years.

Interestingly, that two-year term might change. The exact code discovered by Android Authority states: “Satellite SOS is included at no charge for {two} years.” As the ‘two’ is in brackets, the figure might be a placeholder that could subsequently be altered. However, given that Apple offers its Emergency SOS via Satellite featurefor two yearsto anyone with an iPhone 14 oriPhone 15-series device, matching that period would allow Google to compete with its biggest mobile rival.

Arriving next month?

When might you be able to get this rumored feature? Well, theGoogle Pixel 9will launch on August 13 and is expected to come with Android 15 out of the box, so that device seems a likely candidate.

As well as that, the code contains the following wording: “Your Pixel has been updated to support satellite communication.” That suggests that older Pixels might be able to get the feature, although satellite communications require specific hardware, something that Android Authority doesn’t believe is present in older Pixels. Instead, “updated” might refer to an upcomingPixel Feature Dropthat would bring satellite communications to the Pixel 9 at some point in the future.

Of course, this is all assuming that Google actually decides to launch this feature. As it’s only been spotted in beta code so far, there’s a chance that it won’t make it into a final Android release. But given the success stories that have arisen from Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite, it makes sense for Google to want to offer something similar to Android fans.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he’s learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That’s all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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