Samsung is preparing to provide one of the services that distinguishes its rival Apple phones, which is the ability to send emergency text messages using satellites, when you are out of range of your mobile phone network.
On iPhone 14 phones, Apple allows sending emergency text messages using satellites, which is what Android will do later this year, to be able to transmit texts almost anywhere on Earth.
At the CES 2023 technical exhibition, Qualcomm launched the (Snapdragon Satellite) service, which uses the communications company’s orbital satellite group, Iridium, consisting of 66 satellites, to transmit emergency texts and data, and ultimately non-emergency text messages.
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 messages.
It also heralds an era in which emergency communications do not stop at the edge of mobile networks.
Like Apple’s emergency SOS feature, you’ll simply need to point your phone up at the sky to get the best chance of connecting 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 once more in 8 to 12 minutes, when the satellites come back.
In addition to sending emergency text messages, Qualcomm has plans to offer a premium service, which allows the use of satellites to send data or texts for more social purposes, such as showing off, for example, by sailing in an area outside the range of the mobile phone network.
