Google has announced Satellite SOS, a new safety feature enabling Pixel 9 device owners to contact the emergency services when out of cellular range.
The feature, which was tipped to arrive on the new handsets earlier this year, was confirmed for Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The feature will make emergency SOS communications available to off-the-grid users in the United States, initially.
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And Pixel 9 owners will get two years of free service, with no word on how much it’ll cost when that timeframe expires.
They will be the first Android handsets to offer satellite connectivity, and it comes almost two years after Apple brought its Emergency SOS tool to the iPhone 14 range.
“Our newest Pixel 9 devices are the first Android phones to include our new Satellite SOS, so you can contact emergency responders via satellite and share your location, even without cellular service,” Google says in a blog post.
“Satellite SOS will be available first in the U.S. on Pixel 9 devices, regardless of your carrier plan. And for the first two years on Pixel, it will be available at no extra cost.”
Google hasn’t gone into full detail on whether you’ll be able to actually make voice phone calls via the low-orbit satellites, or whether it’ll be like Apple’s initial interpretation, which shares location and allows small data packets to be sent via SMS.
Google is advertising Satellite SOS as a key feature for the Pixel 9 handsets, along with a brand new weather app, full access to the new suite of Gemini AI tools, fancy camera features like Add Me and Made You Look, and loads more. See below for some of the highlights from our Pixel 9 coverage.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
