Here’s another hint we’re going to get satellite messaging in Android 15
A long time coming
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SinceAppleoffered emergency satellite communications on theiPhone 14in 2022, we’ve been waiting forAndroid phonesto catch up – and it seems as though that might finally happen with the roll out ofAndroid 15later this year.
As reported byAndroid Authority, several T-Mobile customers in the US who’ve signed up to the Android 15 public beta on their Pixel phones are seeing new satellite messaging screens on their devices, even though the functionality hasn’t gone live yet.
“You can send and receive text messages by satellite as part of an eligible T-Mobile account,” reads one of the messages that have now appeared. “Your phone will auto-connect to a satellite” when a mobile network isn’t available, reads another.
This neatly matches up with previous rumors that havebeen swirling for monthsat this point – in fact, satellite messaging was supposed to bemaking an appearance in Android 14last year, but that never came to pass.
Hardware and software support
It’s perhaps not surprising that it’s taken a while for Android to catch up to iOS with satellite connectivity. Not only does it need to be integrated at the software level, it also needs to be compatible with the hardware, the carrier, and the satellite network.
These are all areas Apple has a high degree of control over, whereas Android phones involve more companies and more partnerships. Everything needs to be lined up correctly: which may or may not be the case when Android 15 launches in full later this year.
T-Mobilehas been busy workingwith the SpaceX Starlink network to make direct-to-cell capabilities possible – satellites that can talk to standard cell phones, with no special components required. This would certainly make the tech more broadly available.
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According toearlier leaksand these new screens, Android might go one better than the iPhone by letting you message any contact over satellite when you have no phone signal – not just the emergency services. Expect more news in the coming months.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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