Samsung is preparing to provide one of the services that distinguishes its Apple phone rivals, namely the ability to send emergency text messages using satellites, when you are out of range of its mobile phone network.
On iPhone 14 phones, Apple is allowing emergency text messages to be sent using satellites, which Android will do later this year, to be able to broadcast messages almost anywhere on Earth.
At CES 2023, Qualcomm launched the service (Snapdragon Satellite), which uses Iridium’s constellation of 66 orbiting satellites to transmit emergency text and data, and ultimately non-emergency text messaging.
The move puts Android phones on par with iPhone developments, given Iridium’s global coverage area, comparable to that of the GlobalStar satellite used for Apple’s emergency text messaging.
It also heralds an era where emergency communications don’t stop at the fringes of mobile networks.
Like Apple’s Emergency SOS feature, you’ll simply need to point your phone at the sky to have the best chance of hooking up with a satellite to send your emergency message, according to CNET.
Qualcomm said that if you can’t connect your phone to a satellite, all you have to do is try again in 8 to 12 minutes, when the satellites come back.
In addition to emergency texting, Qualcomm plans to offer a premium service, which allows satellites to be used to send data or texting for more social purposes, such as showing off, for example, by navigating an area outside the range of the mobile phone network.
