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Pixel Satellite SOS is coming, but it won’t be free for long (APK teardown)

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4 months ago

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Pixel Satellite SOS is coming, but it won’t be free for long (APK teardown)

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

TL;DR

  • Code suggests the satellite connectivity feature on Pixel devices could be called “Pixel Satellite SOS.”
  • We’ve also found a clue suggesting that the feature will be offered for free for two years, which would match Apple’s current offer on the iPhone 14 and 15 series.

An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.

In the latest Android 15 beta 4, we’ve spotted strings referencing the satellite connectivity feature. While the feature itself is known, changes to the strings reveal that it will likely be called Pixel Satellite SOS and will likely be free for two years for Pixel devices.

Code

When you connect with emergency services by satellite, your name, email, phone number, location, device information (IMEI, language, model, battery level), and emergency contact information are shared with emergency services and satellite service providers.
To use Satellite SOS, Google Messages must be your default SMS app.
Satellite SOS is included at no charge for {two} years.

There is a chance that {two} is a placeholder term used in the strings. Apple provides Emergency SOS via satellite for free for two years after activating an iPhone 14 series or iPhone 15 series device, so Google offering the same service for the same period would let the company remain competitive against its biggest competition.

The ‘Pixel Satellite SOS’ name is corroborated through this string:

Code

Pixel Satellite SOS
Satellite SOS available
Pixel Satellite SOS
Point to Satellite Notification
Your Pixel has been updated to support satellite communication

The strings hint that the Pixel phone will be “updated” to support satellite communication. Since the Pixel 9 series is likely launching with Android 15 out of the box, it could be read as older Pixels being updated to support this feature. However, satellite connectivity features require specialized hardware, and to the best of our current knowledge, older Pixels lack the requisite hardware to support the feature.

There’s a chance that the feature could arrive on the Pixel 9 series through a future Pixel Feature Drop, in which case, these notification strings make a lot of sense.

Are you excited about satellite connectivity coming to the Pixel 9 series? Would you be willing to pay for the feature? Let us know in the comments below!

Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it’s your choice.

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